In English, you can use the word broken in many ways and in different contexts. However, there is more than one word to say broken in Thai. It depends on what is broken and how.
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เสีย (sǐa) – a machine is broken in Thai language
Use this word when talking about a piece of equipment, machine, etc. not working properly. (Learn the word เสีย (sǐa) as a word to lose). Never use this word as a verb to break something in Thai.
Structure (1) : noun + เสีย (sǐa)
– thoorasàp phǒm sǐa.
– My phone is broken.
– rót chán sǐa maa sɔ̌ɔŋ wan lǽæw.
– My car has been broken for 2 days.
– kháw tham-ŋaan mây dâay phrɔ́ khomphíwtə̂ə sǐa.
– She cannot work because her computer is broken.
– kháw khǎay hǔu-faŋ sǐa hây phǒm.
– He sold a broken pair of earphones to me.
Another common way to say that a piece of equipment, machine, etc. not working properly is to say
ใช้ ไม่ได้ (cháy mây dâay) which means cannot use.Structure (2) : noun + ใช้ ไม่ได้ (cháy mây dâay)
– thorasàp phǒm cháy mây dâay.
– My phone is broken.
– khomphíwtə̂ə khrɨ̂aŋ nán cháy mây dâay.
– That computer is broken.
แตก (tæ̀æk) – something is shattered
Use this word to describe an object that shatters into small pieces such as a glass, plate, screen, etc. You can use this to describe an object that is cracked or fractured. Do not use this word as a verb to break in Thai.
Structure (3) : noun + แตก (tæ̀æk)
– caan tæ̀æk.
– A plate is broken.
– kæ̂æw tæ̀æk.
– A glass is broken.
– cɔɔ thoorasàp kháw tæ̀æk.
– His phone’s screen was broken.
– phǒm hǔa tæ̀æk phrɔ́ tòk banday.
– My head was broken because I fell down the stairs.
หัก (hàk) – something is broken in Thai
Use this word when an object is physically broken or folded in half or pieces, especially with a cylindrical shape object. That is why it is very common to use this word with a broken arm/leg, a branch of a tree, a pencil, etc.
Structure (4) : noun + หัก (hàk)
– kháw khæ̌æn hàk càak ʔubàttihèet.
– His arm was broken from the accident.
– chán hěn mǎa khǎa hàk.
– I saw a dog with a broken leg.
– dinsɔ̌ɔ hàk.
– A pencil is broken.
– sǎw-fay-fáa hàk.
– An electric pole is broken.
You can also use this word with the word อก (ʔòk) which means breast to say broken-hearted in Thai.
– kháw mây mii fææn phrɔ́ mây yàak ʔòk-hàk.
– She doesn’t have a partner because she doesn’t want to be broken-hearted.
– khun khəəy ʔòk-hàk máy.
– Have you ever been broken-hearted?
How to say break something or to make it broken in Thai
เสีย (sǐa) or แตก (tæ̀æk)
To say to break something in Thai, don’t use เสีย (sǐa) or แตก (tæ̀æk) as a verb. You need to use the word ทำ (tham) which means to make with one of those words. It usually shows that the subject accidentally breaks something.
Structure (5) : subject + ทำ (tham) + something + เสีย (sǐa) or แตก (tæ̀æk)
– phǒm tham thoorasàp sǐa.
– I broke my phone.
– khray tham naalíkaa phǒm sǐa.
– Who broke my watch?
– kháw tham caan tæ̀æk.
– She broke the plate.
– lûuk-kháa maw tham kæ̂æw tæ̀æk.
– A drunken customer broke a glass.
หัก (hàk)
The word หัก (hàk) is also a verb to break something in Thai. It means someone intentionally breaks something in half or pieces, especially with a cylindrical shape object.
Structure (6) : หัก (hàk) + noun
– kháw hàk kìŋ-máay.
– He broke a tree’s branch.
– tɔɔn pen dèk phǒm khəəy hàk dinsɔ̌ɔ kháw.
– I once broke his pencil in half when I was a kid.
– kháw hàk bískìt hây phɨ̂an khrɨ̂ŋ nɨŋ.
– She broke the biscuit in half and gave it to her friend.
When someone makes another person broken-hearted, use the word หัก (hàk) with the word อก (ʔòk) as well.
– khray hàk ʔòk kháw.
– Who broke his heart?
– kháw doon khray hàk ʔòk maa.
– Her heart was broken by who?
Note: Although the English translation of the second example may look strange, its Thai sentence is more common to say than the first example.
When using a structure ทำ (tham) something หัก (hàk), it means the subject of the sentence accidentally breaks it.
– phǒm tham dinsɔ̌ɔ kháw hàk.
– I accidentally broke his pencil.
– kháw tham bískìt phɨ̂an hàk.
– She accidentally broke her friend’s biscuit.
You can also use other verbs instead of ทำ (tham) to show how something breaks
Structure (7) : subject + verb + something + เสีย (sǐa) / แตก (tæ̀æk) / หัก (hàk)
– mǎa kàt hǔu-faŋ sǐa.
– [My] dog bit [my] headphones broken.
– kháw khwâaŋ caan tæ̀æk.
– He threw a plate and broke it.
– ròt chon sǎw-fay-fáa hàk.
– A car hit an electric pole broken.