นี้ นั้น โน้น นี่ นั่น โน่น
There are a few different ways to say this or that in Thai. Don't worry about the 2 different thats that much. Thai people use them wrong all the time, just know they both mean "that"
| word | meaning | pronunciation | How to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| นี้ | this+(object) | (classifier)+นี้ | |
| นั้น | that+(object) | (classifier)+นั้น ** used when talking about something that is far from you but close to the person you're talking to | |
| โน้น | that(over there)+(object) | (classifier)+โน้น ** used when talking about something that is far from both you and the person you're talking to | |
| นี่ | this/ here | นี่ **is used without classifier | |
| นั่น | that/ there | นั่น **is used without classifier | |
| โน่น | that over there/ over there | โน่น **is used without classifier |
Example sentences
The highlighted words are the demonstratives mentioned above and the underlined words are the classifiers used with.
| sentence | translation | pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| อันนี้คืออะไร | What is this? | |
| เสื้อตัวนั้นราคาเท่าไหร่ | How much is the price for that shirt? | |
| กระเป๋าใบโน้นมีสีอะไรบ้าง | What colors does that bag over there come in? | |
| หมวกเธออยู่นี่ | Your hat is over here. | |
| นั่น คืออะไร | What is that? | |
| เห็นโน่นมั้ย | Do you see that over there? |
Classifiers
As you can see, on how to use for the ones above, we need classifiers. Classifiers are the unit of things that you are talking about, like a bottle of water, a grain of rice. Bottle and grain in this case is the classifier of the object. In English, you don't need classifier for everything, only on some. However, in Thai they are attached to everything. There are many classifiers in Thai. Here are some that go with the objects that we have already covered last chapter.
| Classifier | Pronunciation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ตัว | Literal translation means "body", so used for something that has a body such as animals, clothings that is a shape of your body | |
| ผืน | Means a "sheet", used for flat things that come in sheets, such as paper, sheets, fabric. | |
| คู่ | Means "pair", for things that come in pairs, such as shoes, earrings, couples. | |
| ข้าง | Means "side", for things that are supposed to come in pairs, but when talking about just one of them. | |
| ชุด | Means "set", for things that come in sets, such as outfits, combo meals. | |
| เรือน | Literal translation is a house or a box with many components inside, just like a building. Back in the days, clocks were just big boxes with many different components inside, so they use this classifiers for clocks and watches as well. | |
| ใบ | Literal translation is a leaf, so it's used for flat things or things that can contain other things such as hats(contains my head), a bag, a cup, a bowl, or a ballon. |
For the clothings that we covered last chapter, the following are their classifiers
| word | meaning | Classifier |
|---|---|---|
| เสื้อ | Shirt | ตัว |
| กางเกง | Pants | ตัว |
| เสื้อชั้นใน | Bra | ตัว |
| กางเกงใน | Underwear | ตัว |
| รองเท้า | Shoes | คู่(pair), ข้าง(just one side) |
| หมวก | Hat | ใบ |
| แว่นกันแดด | Sunglasses | อัน |
| แว่น | Glasses | อัน |
| ถุงเท้า | Socks | คู่(pair), ข้าง(just one side) |
| ผ้ากันเปื้อน | Apron | ผืน |
| นาฬิกาข้อมือ | Watch | เรือน |
| ผ้าพันคอ | Scarf | ผืน |
| เสื้อกันหนาว | Sweater | ตัว |
| กระเป๋า | Purse, pocket, bag | ใบ |
| รองเท้าผ้าใบ | Sneakers | คู่(pair), ข้าง(just one side) |
| รองเท้าส้นสูง | High heels | คู่(pair), ข้าง(just one side) |
| รองเท้าแตะ | Slippers, flip flops | คู่(pair), ข้าง(just one side) |
| ชุดนอน | Pajamas | ชุด |
| กระโปรง | Skirt | ตัว |