Language/Thai/Grammar/Plurals

Thai Grammar - Plurals

Hi Thai learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about Thai Plurals. When learning a new language, it's essential to understand the rules of pluralization. It will help you in communicating effectively, like whether you are talking about one cat or many cats.

Plurals in Thai

In Thai, plurals are formed differently than in English, and different classifiers are used depending on the objects being counted.

There are two ways to make plural forms of nouns in Thai:

1. Reduplication - repeating a word or syllable to create a plural form.

2. Using classifiers - measuring words used to clarify the number or type of noun being used

Let's see how it works:

Reduplication

Reduplication is a straightforward rule in Thai grammar. If you want to make a noun plural, you can merely double it. Here are some examples:

Thai	Pronunciation	English
หนังสือ	năng-sʉ̌ʉ	Book(s)
เพื่อน	pʰɯ̂an	Friend(s)
คน	kʰon	Person (People)

You can hear that the word for "book" is หนังสือ ( năng-sʉ̌ʉ). If we use reduplication, it will mean books, which will be หนังสือหนังสือ ( năng-sʉ̌ʉ năng-sʉ̌ʉ).

Using Classifiers

Using classifiers, also known as counting words, is unique to the Thai language. When counting objects, Thai uses a CLASSIFIER before the noun. Each classifier refers to a specific type of object. These classifiers come from other Thai words that describe the type of object:

Classifier	Object it refers to	Example
หนัง	Books, papers, and thin objects	โต๊ะหนัง "toh náng" - Wooden table(s)
ชิ้น	Pieces, cloths, and square objects	ผ้าชิ้น "p̣h̄ā chı̂n" - Cloth(s)
คน	People	คนสอง "kʰon s̄xng" - Two people

Let's see an example of how classifiers are used in a sentence.

Person 1: ห้า โต๊ะ สอง ผ้า จะเหมาะหรือ? (hâa tóh sɔ̌ɔng p̣h̄ā jà-hʉ̌ʉ-má h̄reụ̄̂?) (Translation: Is five wooden tables and two cloths okay?)

Person 2: โต๊ะหนังสาม เล่ม ผ้าสองชิ้นก็พอ (toh náng s̄ām lĕm p̣h̄ā sɔ̌ɔng chı̂n kôr pɔɔ) (Translation: Three wooden tables and two pieces of cloth are okay.)

As you can see in the example, the classifier หนัง (náng) is used before the word 'table' (โต๊ะ; toh) to specify that the reference is to a wooden table, while the classifier ชิ้น (chín) is used before the cloth to specify a piece or a square object.

It would be best if you approached using classifiers with care. Getting it right will help your Thai speaking and impress your Thai speaking friends!

Exceptions

Thai can also use suffixes to pluralize some words. However, these suffixes are rarely used in spoken Thai. However, it is essential to know some other words' properties, such as one might need different suffixes, sometimes changing the tone of the word.

Thai verbs for counting

To count the objects in Thai, some special verbs are used before the classifier, which is then followed by the number of objects you want to count:

Thai	Pronunciation	English
จำนวน	cam-nuan	To count (formal)
นับ	náp	To count (casual)

An example of counting would be:

Person 1: จำนวนอย่างไรคะ (cam-nuan yàang rai ká?) (Translation: How should we count it?)

Person 2: พวกมันไม่กี่ชิ้น (pʰûak man mâi kîi chínn) (Translation: They are just a few pieces. )

Conclusion

At first, Thai plurals can be intimidating, but with knowledge of the language, you can quickly identify the singular and plural forms. To improve your Thai Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

I hope this lesson gave a good understanding of the Thai plural. Practice counting, and it will become more comfortable over time.

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Forums - Plural Form - thai-language.com
• The essential Thai Grammar concepts to understand

Related Lessons

• Nouns
• Personal pronouns
• Gender
• Thai Classifiers
• Tenses
• How to Use Have
• Conditional Mood
• How to Use Be
• Future Tense