Just like in English where you can say to persuade, to convince, to talk someone into doing something, to get someone to do something, etc. In Thai, these words which express a similar idea also come in different intensities.
In this blog, we will learn all the words, from the least intense to the most intense form of persuasion.
1. เธเธฑเธเธเธงเธ chรกk chuan
This is the least demanding type of persuasion.
It’s has a little more of a persuasive effect than just เนเธเธฐเธเธณ (nรกe nam) which is to suggest.
In fact, เธเธงเธ means to invite. When you เธเธฑเธเธเธงเธ someone, you invite them to do something. Hey, let’s go vote! Let’s party at my house tonight! These are all เธเธฑเธเธเธงเธ.
- My friend convinced me to go to church.
เนเธเธทเนเธญเธเธเธฑเธเธเธงเธเนเธซเนเนเธเนเธเธชเธเน
pรชuan chรกk chuan hรขi bpai bรฒht - The government convinced the people to wear masks.
เธฃเธฑเธเธเธฒเธฅเธเธฑเธเธเธงเธเนเธซเนเธเธฃเธฐเธเธฒเธเธเนเธชเนเธซเธเนเธฒเธเธฒเธ
rรกt-tร -baan chรกk chuan hรขi bprร -chaa chon sร i nรขa gร ak
2. เธเธฑเธเธเธณ chรกk nam
This word is a little more intense than เธเธฑเธเธเธงเธ because the word เธเธณ (nam) means lead or to bring. So you can imagine someone who takes an active role in persuading/convincing somebody to do something.
- Drugs will lead you down the wrong path.
เธชเธดเนเธเนเธชเธเธเธดเธเธเธฐเธเธฑเธเธเธณเนเธซเนเธซเธฅเธเธเธดเธ
sรฌng sร yp dtรฌt jร chรกk nam hรขi lลng pรฌt - The mob leader persuades people to trust their government.
เธเธนเนเธเธณเธกเนเธญเธเธเธนเธเธเธฑเธเธเธณเนเธซเนเธเธเนเธกเนเนเธงเนเนเธเธฃเธฑเธเธเธฒเธฅ
pรดo nam mรณp pรดot chรกk nam hรขi kon mรขi wรกi jai rรกt-tร -baan
3. เธเธฑเธเธเธนเธ chรกk joong
This word is similar to the previous one. เธเธนเธ (joong) also means to lead/bring but by holding hands (for kids), and holding the string (animal). Again, with this image, you can see someone actively leading you to the destination he wants you to go.
- The politician uses his words to convince people to vote.
เธเธฑเธเธเธฒเธฃเนเธกเธทเธญเธเนเธเนเธเธณเธเธนเธเธเธฑเธเธเธนเธเนเธซเนเธเธฒเธงเธเนเธฒเธเนเธเนเธฅเธทเธญเธเธเธฑเนเธ
nรกk gaan meuang chรกi kam pรดot chรกk joong hรขi chaao bรขan bpai lรชuak dtรขng - You have to talk to persuade other people to think like you.
เนเธเธญเธเนเธญเธเธเธนเธเธเธฑเธเธเธนเธเนเธซเนเธเธเธญเธทเนเธเธเธดเธเธเธฒเธกเนเธเธญ
ter dtรดng pรดot chรกk joong hรขi kon รจun kรญt dtaam ter
4. เนเธเนเธกเธเนเธฒเธง nรณhm nรกao
This word is interchangeable with the previous word (เธเธฑเธเธเธนเธ).
The meaning is the same but only the image is a little different. เนเธเนเธก itself means inclined, slanted. You can imagine someone trying to talk or do something in a way that your opinion slants toward their objective.
- My mom persuades me to keep studying.
เนเธกเนเธเธนเธเนเธเนเธกเธเนเธฒเธงเนเธซเนเนเธฃเธตเธขเธเธเนเธญ
mรขe pรดot nรณhm nรกao hรขi rian dtรฒr - He does everything to persuade everyone to believe him.
เนเธเธฒเธเธณเธเธธเธเธญเธขเนเธฒเธเนเธเธทเนเธญเนเธเนเธกเธเนเธฒเธงเนเธซเนเธเธธเธเธเธธเธเนเธเธทเนเธญเนเธเธฒ
kฤo tam tรบk yร ang pรชua nรณhm nรกao hรขi tรบk-kun chรชua kฤo
5. เนเธเธฅเธตเนเธขเธเธฅเนเธญเธก glรฎa-glรฒm
This word is a very strong type of persuasion with lots of effort. It’s used when the matter at hand is important. Not everyone is able to เนเธเธฅเธตเนเธขเธเธฅเนเธญเธก others to do something. You really need good talking skills.
The word เธเธฅเนเธญเธก (glรฒm) itself means to put someone to sleep. I like to imagine it as the type of soft persuasion, constant sweet talk that turn people’s opinion toward what you want them to think.
- The police convinced the robber to place his gun down.
เธเธณเธฃเธงเธเนเธเธฅเธตเนเธขเธเธฅเนเธญเธกเนเธซเนเนเธเธฃเธงเธฒเธเธเธทเธเธฅเธ
dtam-rรนat glรฎa-glรฒm hรขi john waang bpeun long - The wife convinced the husband to do what she wants.
เธ เธฃเธฃเธขเธฒเนเธเธฅเธตเนเธขเธเธฅเนเธญเธกเธชเธฒเธกเธตเนเธซเนเธเธณเธเธฒเธก
pan-rรก-yaa glรฎa-glรฒm sฤa-mee hรขi tam dtaam
6. เธซเธงเนเธฒเธเธฅเนเธญเธก wร an lรณm
This word is interchangeable with เนเธเธฅเธตเนเธขเธเธฅเนเธญเธก.
In fact, many times you can use them together as a double word and the meaning will be intensified. However, when I think of this word I think of a more strategic persuasion since the word เธฅเนเธญเธก means to circle around something. The best way to catch a chicken is to circle around it in a group so that it has no way of escaping. That type of circling around something is called เธฅเนเธญเธก.
- The nurse convinced a patient to not kill himself.
เธเธขเธฒเธเธฒเธฅเธเธนเธเนเธเธฅเธตเนเธขเธเธฅเนเธญเธกเธซเธงเนเธฒเธเธฅเนเธญเธกเนเธซเนเธเธเนเธเนเนเธกเนเธเนเธฒเธเธฑเธงเธเธฒเธข
pรก-yaa-baan pรดot glรฎa-glรฒm wร an lรณm hรขi kon kรขi mรขi kรขa dtua dtaai - I tried to persuade my boyfriend to live in a different country.
เธเธฑเธเธเธขเธฒเธขเธฒเธกเธเธนเธเธซเธงเนเธฒเธเธฅเนเธญเธกเนเธเธเนเธซเนเธเธฑเธเธชเธดเธเนเธเธขเนเธฒเธขเนเธเธญเธขเธนเนเธเนเธฒเธเธเธฃเธฐเนเธเธจ
chฤn pรก-yaa-yaam pรดot wร an lรณm faen hรขi dtร t sฤญn jai yรกai bpai yรฒo dtร ang bprร -tรขyt
Most Thais, don’t breakdown these words so deeply like I just did. I wanted to give you a detailed explanation of each word and the imagery involved.
To summarize, I like to break them down into 3 levels.
Level 1: เธเธฑเธเธเธงเธ chรกk chuan – The least intense form.
Level 2: เธเธฑเธเธเธณ chรกk nam, เธเธฑเธเธเธนเธ chรกk joong, เนเธเนเธกเธเนเธฒเธง nรณhm nรกao – Second most intense. These can pretty much be used interchangeable.
Level 3: เนเธเธฅเธตเนเธขเธเธฅเนเธญเธก glรฎa-glรฒm, เธซเธงเนเธฒเธเธฅเนเธญเธก wร an lรณm – The most intense form of persuasion.
I hope you now know how to properly say to persuade and to convince in Thai!
