A really cool part about the Thai language is that there are so many words that are composed of more than 1 word. This means that you might know more words than you think you know! You just have to put them together.

I gave some examples of this in my article about Why Thai isn’t as hard as you think but here I will show you even more compound words in Thai.

Compound words in Thai

• ถุงมือ (tŭng meu) = Gloves
  Consists of ถุง meaning bag and มือ meaning hand
  
  
• ถุงเท้า (tŭng táo) = Socks
  Consists of ถุง meaning bag and เท้า meaning foot
  
  
• หูฟัง (hŏo fang) = Headphones
  Consists of หู meaning to hear and ฟัง meaning to listen
  
  
• หายาก (hăa yâak) = Rare
  Consists of หา meaning to find and ยาก meaning hard
  
  
• เข้าใจ (kâo jai) = To understand
  Consists of เข้า meaning to enter and ใจ meaning heart
  
  
• ค่าใช้จ่าย (kâa chái jàai) = Expenses
  Consists of ค่า meaning price ใช้ meaning to use and จ่าย meaning to pay
  
  
• ค่าจ้าง (kâa jâang) = Wages
  Consists of ค่า meaning price and จ้าง meaning to employ / to hire
  
  
• ฉีกหน้า (chèek nâa) = To humiliate
  Consists of ฉีก meaning to tear and หน้า meaning face
  
  
• ฤดูร้อน (réu-doo rón) = Summer (in fact all the seasons follow this pattern)
  Consists of ฤดู meaning season and ร้อน meaning hot
  
  
• สร้างภาพ (sâang pâap) = to form an idea
  Consists of สร้าง meaning to create and ภาพ meaning image
  
  
• ลองผิดลองถูก (long pìt long tòok) = to use trial and error
  Consists of ลอง meaning to try ผิด meaning incorrect / wrong and ถูก meaning correct
  
  
• ภูเขาไฟ (poo kăo fai) = Volcano
  Consists of ภูเขา meaning mountain and ไฟ meaning fire
  
  
• น้ำจิ้ม (náam jîm) = Sauce
  Consists of น้ำ meaning water and จิ้ม meaning to dip
  
  
• ตาสว่าง (dtaa sà-wàang) = to finally realize something
  Consists of ตา meaning eye and สว่าง meaning bright
  
  
• ใจกว้าง (jai gwâang) = Generous
  Consists of ใจ meaning heart and กว้าง meaning wide
  
  
• ผู้ก่อการร้าย (pôo gòr gaan ráai) = Terrorist
  Consists of ผู้ meaning person ก่อการ meaning to start / initiate and ร้าย meaning evil
  
  
• สิ่งกีดขวาง (sìng gèet kwăang) = roadblock / barrier
  Consists of สิ่ง meaning thing and กีดขวาง meaning to obstruct
  
  
• ขัดจังหวะ (kàt jang-wà) = To interrupt
  Consists of ขัด meaning to go against and จังหวะ meaning rhythm
  
  
• ย้อนยุค (yón yúk) = Retro
  Consists of ย้อน meaning to turn / come back and ยุค meaning era.
  
  
• ผ่าตัด (pàa dtàt) = To have surgery
  Consists of ผ่า meaning to chop and ตัด meaning to cut
  
  
• ขอทาน (kŏr taan) = Beggar
  Consists of ขอ meaning to ask for and ทาน meaning alms
  
  
• มุมมอง (mum mong) = Perspective
  Consists of มุม meaning corner and มอง meaning to look
  
  
• แผ่นดินไหว (pàen din wăi) = Earthquake
  Consists of แผ่นดิน meaning land and ไหว meaning to shake

Summary

There are soooo many more compound words in Thai like these where you probably know each word separately but didn’t know that if you put them together it creates another word.

One way you can find more compound words is by putting words you know in the thai2english dictionary. If there are compound words, they will appear under the components section.