As you have heard about แผ่นดินไหว (phæ̀n din wǎy), which means an earthquake in Thai, occurring in กรุงเทพฯ (kruŋ-thêep) Bangkok, let’s explore some related words and expressions. This 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which occurred on March 28th, 2025, was caused by a quake in the Sagaing region of Myanmar. Thai people know Sagaing as สะกาย (sakaay). รอยเลื่อนสะกาย … Read more
Let’s talk about อากาศ (ʔaakàat), the weather in Thai. Since the word อากาศ (ʔaakàat) can be translated as weather and air, let’s see how to use it properly. Note: At the end of this article, there is a short passage about the weather, which you can practice listening to. Table of contents How is the … Read more
Before we look at the word สากล (sǎakon), which means international in Thai, I’d like to give a wish to you all khâ. สวัสดีปีใหม่ค่ะขอให้ทุกคนสุขภาพดี ทั้งกายและใจพบเจอแต่สิ่งดีๆ ตลอดปี ตลอดไปนะคะ (sawàtdii pii mày khâkhɔ̌ɔ hây thúk-khon sùkkhaphâap dii tháŋ kaay lǽ cayphóp cəə tæ̀æ síŋ dii dii talɔ̀ɔt pii, talɔ̀ɔt pay ná khá) Happy New YearWishing everyone good … Read more
The most common curse word in Thai is the word for the water monitor. In this article, you will see the reason behind it. Moreover, you will see how variety this word is used in the modern Thai. Table of contents Why เหี้ย (hîa) become the most common curse word in Thai ตัวเหี้ย (tua hîa) … Read more
During rainy seasons every year, some provinces in Thailand encounter flooding issues. In this article, you will practice listening to a short story about floods and pick up some new words related to floods in Thai along the way. The topic might seem advanced to some students, but I’m sure you will learn something. At … Read more
Let’s explore what mai mean in Thai. It is not a word with many meanings, but there are different words with similar pronunciations. In the transcription that I use, it is written as ‘may’ instead. However, in this article, we will use ‘mai’ as most of the people are familiar with this format. I will … Read more
ยี่ห้อ (yîi-hɔ̂ɔ) means brand in Thai. Today, we will see what brands turn into generic terms in the Thai language. Have you heard Thai people called instant noodles มาม่า (maa-mâa) Mama? Well, มาม่า (maa-mâa) does not mean instant noodles in Thai. 1. มาม่า (maa-mâa) an instant noodle brand in Thai The actual word for instant … Read more
I remember one student asked me “Do Thai people call foreigners ฝรั่ง (fáràŋ) Farang because we are white like guavas?” Well, in fact, Thai people named guava after foreigners. Let’s go back to the past to find out the origin of the word ฝรั่ง (fáràŋ) in the Thai language together. Farang is a borrowed word … Read more
Let’s learn something about the words related to the sea and ocean in Thai. The first week of this month, I went to สมุทรสาคร (samùt sǎa-khɔɔn) Samut Sakhon province for a whale-watching trip. I was expecting to see วาฬบรูด้า (waan bruu-dâa) Bryde’s whales swimming in อ่าวไทย (ʔàaw Thai) the Gulf of Thailand. วาฬ (waan) means … Read more
You probably have learned that the word แฟน (fææn) as a Thai word for girlfriend and boyfriend. Do not worry, you’ve learned the right word. But today, you will learn that this word is not originally a Thai word. Back to พ.ศ. 2490 (AD 1947), Thai people started to use the word แฟน (fææn) in … Read more