Two words for bag in Thai Language

Nowadays, many people are aware of how plastic can create negative effects on our environment. Therefore, many countries have launched different kinds of campaign to encourage their people to reduce the use of plastic. There are many shops and supermarkets have already stopped giving plastic bag to their customers in Thailand. In this article, you will see how do you use the word bag in Thai language properly.

In reality, there are many types of ‘BAG’ such as a paper bag, plastic bag, backpack, purse, wallet and so on. To make it easier, let’s group them into TWO main categories.

One student once told me that he went to a supermarket in Bangkok wanted to tell the checkout staff that he did not want bags because he wanted to reduce the use of plastic. So, he said:

However, that is not the right way to say, since you can see from the photo above that we do not call the shopping bags ‘krapǎw (กระเป๋า)’, instead we call it ‘thǔŋ (ถุง)’. Thus, when you do not want the shops to give you the shopping bag, you will say:

For example of words under each category of ‘bag’ in Thai language

krapǎw (กระเป๋า)

1. krapǎw sataaŋ (กระเป๋าสตางค์) – wallet / purse
2. krapǎw pêe (กระเป๋าเป้) – backpack
3. krapǎw dəən-thaaŋ (กระเป๋าเดินทาง) – luggage
4. krapǎw saphaay khâaŋ (กระเป๋าสะพายข้าง) – shoulder bag
5. krapǎw sɨ̂a – (กระเป๋าเสื้อ) shirt pocket
6. krapǎw kaaŋ-keeŋ (กระเป๋ากางเกง) – trouser pocket
7. krapǎw phâa (กระเป๋าผ้า) – cloth bag
8. krapǎw nǎŋ (กระเป๋าหนัง) – leather bag

thǔŋ (ถุง)

1. thǔŋ kradàat (ถุงกระดาษ) – paper bag
2. thǔŋ phláatsatìk (ถุงพลาสติก) – plastic bag
3. thǔŋ phâa (ถุงผ้า) – cloth bag

A Fun Note:

Gloves and socks in Thai language are called thǔŋ mɨɨ (ถุงมือ) and thǔŋ tháaw (ถุงเท้า) respectively, which literally means hand bags and foot bags.

I hope this article gives you a clear understanding of using the word ‘bag’ in Thai properly.