พ่อแม่

Explanation

The word is formed from พ่อ “father” and แม่ “mother.” It is a neutral, everyday term used naturally in both conversation and general writing. The pattern พ่อแม่ของ + person means “that person’s parents.” When the relationship is already clear from context, Thai often uses พ่อแม่ without an explicit possessive. Although the word literally brings father and mother together, it can also refer collectively to parents in general. Its classifier for people is คน.

Usage

Common when introducing family, discussing parents’ homes, work, or health, and expressing love or gratitude toward them. It is also frequent in discussions of parenting and education, as well as situations involving consulting one’s parents or asking their permission.

Caution

พ่อแม่ normally refers to the father and mother together. Use พ่อ for the father alone and แม่ for the mother alone. When you mean a guardian who may not be the child’s father or mother, ผู้ปกครอง is more precise.

1 parents synonyms

• บิดามารดา

  บิดามารดา also means “parents,” but it is more formal and is common in official or written contexts. พ่อแม่ is the ordinary everyday term and works in both conversation and general writing.

• ผู้ปกครอง

  ผู้ปกครอง means a parent or guardian legally or practically responsible for a child, so it may refer to someone other than the child’s parents. พ่อแม่ specifically centers on the father and mother.