Thai Bumper Stickers: Funny Sayings with Translation

You can buy a wide range of small items from roadside carts. Food. Shoes. Clothes. Toys. And bumper stickers.

Kept cool under the shade of overhanging freeways are carts covered on all sides with stickers. In Thailand they are called รถเข็นที่ขายสติกเกอร์ = rót kĕn têe kăai sà-dtìk-ger = vehicle push that sells stickers = sticker carts.

Thai bumper stickers range from the mundane to the shocking. Totally shocking. And totally fun. And as Thais love a play on words, some are quite clever (if you can suss them out).

Some are political statements. Some have to do with relationships. Some are religious. Some are a cultural mix of religion and others.

Colour is an important part of the Thai culture (the Monday sea of yellow is a big tip-off). So before a local purchases a vehicle, they go for advice. And when the colour given doesn’t suit, they go elsewhere for a blessing (and a sticker) to make good. And that’s why you’ll find stickers such as mentioned in Rikker’s post,Thai bumper stickers, รถคันนี้สีเขียว (this car is green).

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And while I haven’t sourced the magical colour changing sticker, I do have a few on relationships (can you spot the play on words?). Enjoy…

มาทำให้เสียวแล้วก็เลี้ยวไป
maa tam-hâi sĭeow láew gôr líeow bpai
You make me fall in love, then you go.

แฟนไม่อยู่มาหาหนูนะ
fan mâi yòo maa hăa nŏo ná
If your lover is away, come see me.

รวมกันเราอยู่ทิ้งกูมึงตาย
ruam gan rao yòo tíng goo meung dtaai
Together, we’ll survive. But if you leave me, you die.

เมีย ซื้อ สด รถ ซื้อ ผ่อน
mia séu sot rót séu pòn
He paid the dowry in cash, but got a loan for his car.

มี หมา เป็น เพื่อน ดี กว่า มี เพื่อน ใจ หมา
mee măa bpen pêuan dee gwàa mee pêuan jai măa
Having a dog as a friend is nicer than having a friend with a dog heart.

แม่ยายไม่ช่วยรวยเองก็ได้
mae yaai mâi chûay ruay eng gôr dâi
Even if my mother-in-law doesn’t help, I’ll get rich on my own.

รู้หน้าไม่รู้ใจ
róo nâa mâi-róo jai
You might know his face, but you don’t know his heart.

ขยันไม่อดตาย
k-yan mâi òt-dtaai
If you work hard, you won’t starve.

And here’s an added treat. A special note about Thai stickers, from my Thai friend Mira:

Away from home I missed reading Thai stickers. They are derived from chalk writing on the side of trucks. They’ve turned into stickers and still express the same fun comments and Thai sense of humor.

I use to sit in the back seat of my dad’s car driving to Songkhla from Bangkok. (It was a 9-14 hour trip.) The whole trip I would search for chalk writings on the “sib-lor”, or ten wheeler.

Sib lor is a new word for me, so I looked it up at thai2english.com

รถสิบล้อ | rót sìp lór
[ N ] ten – wheeled truck; ten wheeler; truck

รถ | rót | car

สิบ | sìp | ten

ล้อ | lór | wheel

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How to Read the Wordplay on Thai Stickers

Most Thai stickers are one short line, so the joke lives in the sound. Two tricks do most of the work.

Rhyme. The มาทำให้เสียวแล้วก็เลี้ยวไป sticker above pairs เสียว (sĭeow) with เลี้ยว (líeow). The Royal Institute Dictionary gives เสียว as a tingle or thrill, from fear or from desire. It gives เลี้ยว as to turn. The two words rhyme, so the line sticks in your head.
Opposites. The “open, close softly” sticker pairs เปิด (bpèrt) and ปิด (bpìt). The dictionary lists เปิด as the opposite of ปิด. That’s why the two words sit side by side so easily.

Pronouns are the other trap. The “together” sticker uses กู (goo) for “I” and มึง (meung) for “you”. The dictionary says กู is now generally considered impolite. It says มึง is often considered impolite or rude.

Stickers get away with it because the voice is a tough guy talking. In your own speech, skip these two words until a Thai friend shows you how they use them. Our guide to Thai pronouns covers the polite options. The list of colloquial Thai terms and expressions covers the street-level ones.

Taxi Bumper Stickers

I’m one who doesn’t mind sitting in Bangkok traffic. Others (who will not be named), fuss, fidget and complain, making life miserable for those of us forced to sit through their grumbles of displeasure.

It reminds me of British weather actually. And the fact that every time it rains (often) the conversation turns to surprise. Like, it doesn’t rain in the UK? Often? Hah!

Same, same with BKK and traffic. It happens. Often. ไม่ เป็นไร (mâi bpen-rai) already!

I have a new trick for keeping occupied while inching forward towards the front of the queue – taking snaps of Thai bumper stickers from the back of a taxi.

It’s great fun for me. And also entertaining (and at times alarming) for the taxi driver when I drape over their side while trying to take that wee shot of opportunity out the wing window.

Taking photos of bumper stickers when in motion is hit and miss. In a lucky moment, I was able to snap this Bangkok taxi (shown in the photo above). Luckier still, it had three stickers.

เมา ไม่ ขับ
mao mâi kàp
If drunk, don’t drive.

ปิด เบาๆ
bpìt bao bao
Close softly (boot / trunk, door of car)

โทร ไม่ ถือ
toh mâi tĕu
Don’t use a mobile when driving.

Note: โทร is short for โทรศัพท์ (toh-rá-sàp = telephone)

The Drink-Driving Sticker and the Real Rules

The taxi sticker เมา ไม่ ขับ (mao mâi kàp, “if drunk, don’t drive”) matches a rule that’s written into Thai law. The Government Public Relations Department publishes the blood-alcohol limits. (Verified October 2026.)

Ordinary drivers: you’re drunk driving at over 50 mg% of alcohol in the blood.
Stricter group: the limit drops to over 20 mg%. That applies to drivers under 20, holders of a temporary licence, drivers on a licence for a different vehicle type, and drivers with no licence or a suspended or revoked one.

A first offence carries up to one year in jail, a fine of THB5,000 to THB20,000, or both. The court must also suspend your licence for at least six months or revoke it. A second offence within two years carries up to two years in jail and a fine of THB50,000 to THB100,000. (Verified October 2026.)

Planning to drive yourself? Read our guide to driving in Thailand before you hit the road.

Common Stickers

เปิดปิดเบาๆด้วย ขอบคุณ
bpèrt bpìt bao bao dûay kòp kun
Open, close, softly, softly, please. Thank you.
Please open and close softly (don’t slam the door).

ปิดเบาๆ
bpìt bao bao.
Close softly, softly.
Close softly.

ยินดีต้อนรับ
yín-dêe dton ráp
Pleasure to welcome.
You are welcomed.

ห้ามสูบบุหรี่
hâam sòop bòorèe
Forbidden to smoke cigarettes.
No smoking.

ที่สูบบุหรี่
têe sòop boorèe.
Place for smoking cigarettes.
Smoking area.

เรา [หัวใจ] พระเจ้าอยู่หัว
rao [heart] prá-jâo-yòo-hŭa
We heart His Majesty.
We love the King.

รักพ่อแม่
rák pôr-mâe
Love father mother.
I love my parents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do you buy Thai bumper stickers?

From roadside sticker carts, often parked in the shade under freeways. The cart is called รถเข็นที่ขายสติกเกอร์ (rót kĕn têe kăai sà-dtìk-ger). The stock is usually stuck all over its sides, so you can browse by looking.

Why do some Thai stickers sound so rude?

Many use blunt pronouns such as กู (goo) and มึง (meung). The Royal Institute Dictionary marks both as impolite in everyday use. On a sticker they read as a tough-guy voice. Don’t borrow them when you talk to strangers.

Why would someone put “this car is green” on a pink car?

It’s a colour fix. As explained above, a car whose colour doesn’t suit its owner can get a sticker to make good. A long-running blog on Thai stickers reports that many people say it’s done to ward off bad luck. Others do it for the irony.

What is the legal alcohol limit behind the “if drunk, don’t drive” sticker?

It’s 50 mg% of alcohol in the blood for ordinary drivers. It’s 20 mg% for drivers under 20, temporary licence holders, drivers on the wrong licence type, and unlicensed or suspended drivers. (Verified October 2026.)

Can I put a Thai sticker on my own car if I cannot read it?

You can, but have a Thai speaker read it first. Sticker lines are short and lean on puns. A word that looks harmless to you can mean something very different to the driver behind you.

Sources Cited

Royal Institute Dictionary (Royal Society of Thailand): meanings of เสียว, เลี้ยว, เปิด, ปิด, กู and มึง, including the impolite usage notes.
Government Public Relations Department: drink-driving blood-alcohol limits: the 50 mg% and 20 mg% limits and who each applies to.
Department of Disease Control: drink-driving legal summary: first and repeat offence penalties under the Land Traffic Act.
Rikker, Thai bumper stickers: the “this car is green” sticker and the reasons people give for it (blog, attributed as opinion only).

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