How Pood Thai works
Pood Thai is a LINE account. You add it as a friend, then either message it directly or invite it to a group. What it does depends on which of those you picked.
Last updated September 17, 2026
In a direct message: translation plus pronunciation
Message Pood Thai directly and it sends back the translation and the phonetic spelling underneath, in brackets. The phonetic is Paiboon+ with tone marks, which is the part that lets you actually say it out loud instead of just reading it.
It works in the other direction too. Paste Thai you have been sent and you get the English back, still with the phonetic, so you can hear how the message you just received would have sounded.
This is the mode people use to prepare. Work out how to ask for something before you walk into the store, or figure out how to reply to a message before you send it. More on that in how to say something in Thai.
In a group chat: translation only
Invite Pood Thai to a group and it translates every message anyone posts, in both directions, for everyone in the chat. No phonetics here on purpose - a second line under every message would make a busy group unreadable.
What it handles
- ·Both directions, automatically. It detects the language per message. Nobody sets anything.
- ·Slang, typos, and abbreviations. It is told to preserve tone and politeness, not just the dictionary meaning, so a blunt message stays blunt and a soft one stays soft.
- ·Mixed messages. If someone writes half Thai and half English, it translates the whole thing into whichever language is dominant rather than producing a mess.
- ·Names and places stay put. Proper nouns are left alone, so your friend Ploy does not become "Gem" halfway through a conversation.
What it does not do
- ·Anything that is not text. For a photo of a sign or a menu, Google Translate's camera is better at that and it is free.
- ·Languages other than Thai and English.
- ·Read your other chats. A LINE bot only receives messages from chats it has been added to, and only after it was added.
The free limit and what happens when you hit it
You get 20 translations a day free, counted per person rather than per chat. In a group each member has their own 20, so a four-person group has roughly 80 free translations a day between them.
When you run out inside a group, Pood Thai sends you a private message rather than announcing it in the group. Nobody else sees that you hit a limit. Premium removes the cap, and one subscription covers every group you are in - if any single member of a chat is subscribed, translation keeps running for everyone.
Try it in your own group chat
20 free translations a day. No signup, no credit card - add Pood Thai on LINE and invite it to a chat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between DMing Pood Thai and adding it to a group?
In a DM you also get the phonetic spelling, so you can say the Thai out loud. In a group chat you get the translation only, because phonetics would clutter the conversation for everyone else.
Do I have to tell it which language to translate into?
No. It detects the language of each message and translates into the other one. Thai comes back as English, English comes back as Thai. There is no setting to flip.
How many free translations do I get?
20 a day, counted per person. In a group chat each member has their own 20, so a group of four gets around 80 free translations a day between them.
Does everyone in the group need to pay?
No. One subscription covers the whole group. If any single member is subscribed, Pood Thai keeps translating for everybody in that chat.
Can it translate photos of signs or menus?
No. Pood Thai handles text messages inside LINE. For a photo of a sign or a menu, use Google Translate's camera mode.