glasses
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 glasses、eyeglasses
This is the standard Thai word for glasses worn to improve vision or protect the eyes.
glasses、eyeglasses
It refers to eyewear worn over the eyes, most commonly ordinary prescription glasses.
Learning notes
Explanation
แว่นตา is the neutral, everyday word for glasses. It is formed from แว่น, referring to lens-based eyewear, and ตา, meaning “eye.” The most important collocation is ใส่แว่นตา, “to put on or wear glasses.” ใส่ can describe either the action of putting them on or the state of wearing them. ถอดแว่นตา means “to take off one’s glasses.” ตัดแว่นตา is an established expression meaning to have prescription glasses made or fitted. The usual classifier is อัน, as in แว่นตาหนึ่งอัน, “one pair of glasses.”
Usage
It is widely used in everyday conversation when talking about wearing, removing, buying, or looking for glasses. It also appears in descriptions of people, at optical shops, during eye exams, and in medical settings.
Caution
Use ใส่แว่นตา for “wear glasses.” Sunglasses are normally called แว่นกันแดด, and contact lenses are คอนแทคเลนส์, so แว่นตา should not automatically be used for every kind of corrective or protective eyewear.