In this article, I will teach you how to say ‘like’ in Thai. In English, ‘Like’ can mean many things (like someone, alike, filler word) but in Thai, all these meanings have their own word.

The meaningless ‘like’

English speakers (especially teenagers) love to put ‘like’ in the spoken language. For example: The movie was like,… so good. It was like… so fun!.

The word ‘like’ here is absolutely unnecessary. In Thai, we use แบบ (bàep) or แบบว่า (bàep wâa). Just like in English, if you start using too much you will sound like an uneducated teenager.

Let’s take a look at some example:

• Yesterday I bought a new computer, it’s like.. so much faster than before
  เมื่อวานซื้อคอมใหม่มา มันแบบว่าเร็วกว่าเดิมเยอะเลย
  mêua waan séu kom-mài maa · man bàep wâa reo gwàa derm yúh loie
  
  
• This woman is like…so beautiful
  ผู้หญิงคนนี้แบบโคตรสวยเลยอะ
  pôo-yĭng-kon-née bàep kôht-sŭay loie à

Like as in alike

The next ‘like’ is when you want to say ‘seems like’ or ‘similar’. In Thai, we use the word เหมือน (mĕuan) or ดูเหมือน (doo mĕuan) to describe this (for more information, please take a look at my article on seems like).

• From now on life is not going to be like before
  จากนี้ต่อไปชีวิตจะไม่เหมือนก่อนอีกแล้ว
  jàak née dtòr bpai chee-wít jà mâi mĕuan gòn èek láew
  
  
• Looks like it’s going to rain
  ดูเหมือนฝนจะตก
  doo mĕuan fŏn jà dtòk
  
  
• You look like your father when he was young
  คุณดูเหมือนพ่อคุณตอนเด็กเลย
  kun doo mĕuan pôr kun dton-dèk loie

To like

The final meaning is very simple. It’s ‘to like’. For this meaning, we use the word ชอบ (chôp). This is one of the most common verbs used in Thai. Take a look at the 100 most common verbs in Thai.

• I like you
  ผมชอบคุณ
  pŏm chôp kun
  
  
• I like talking with him
  ผมชอบคุยกับเขา
  pŏm chôp kui gàp kăo

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I hope you now understand all the meanings of ‘like’ in Thai and can use them well. Take care and I’ll see you in the next article.