Copy word

Thai

แต่ง

Pronunciation

tɛ̀ŋ

แต่ง

tɛ̀ŋ

decorate

A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.

  1. 1 decorate、embellish、customize
  2. 2 dress、groom oneself
  3. 3 compose、author、write (a creative work)
  4. 4 make up (a story)、fabricate
  5. 5 get married [short for แต่งงาน]

This verb describes shaping, arranging, or creating something for a particular purpose. It is used for decorating, dressing, composing creative work, and, in conversation, getting married.

1

decorate、embellish、customize

Verb⭐️4 Often used

Describes changing or arranging an object or place to improve its appearance or make it suit a purpose.

Show more (1)
2

dress、groom oneself

Verb⭐️4 Often used

Describes dressing or grooming oneself by arranging clothing, makeup, hair, or other aspects of appearance.

Show more (1)
3

compose、author、write (a creative work)

Verb⭐️3 Common

Describes creating a structured work from words, music, or ideas, such as a song, story, sentence, or document.

Show more (1)
4

make up (a story)、fabricate

Verb⭐️3 Common

Describes inventing a story, excuse, or claim, often with the negative implication that it is untrue.

5

get married [short for แต่งงาน]

Verb⭐️4 Often used Casual

In conversation, this is a shortened form of แต่งงาน and means to get married.

Learning notes

Explanation

The central idea of แต่ง is to work on something until it takes a desired form. With a room or store, it means “decorate.” With clothing or appearance, it concerns dressing and grooming. With songs, sentences, or stories, it means “compose” or “create.” Because the object strongly affects the meaning, it is best learned through common combinations such as แต่งตัว, แต่งหน้า, and แต่งเพลง. แต่งเรื่อง can neutrally refer to creating a story, but it can also mean fabricating something untrue. In conversation, แต่ง is often short for แต่งงาน, “to get married.” Some combinations have their own established meanings, such as แต่งตั้ง, “to appoint.” In that expression, ตั้ง is not normally omitted.

Usage

It is common in everyday conversations about clothing, makeup, and marriage. It is also used for decorating homes and stores, making sentences or writing compositions at school, and creating music or literature. You will also hear it when people talk about customizing cars or editing images.

Caution

Do not assign a single fixed translation to แต่ง; check its object and the full compound. For putting on or wearing one particular item, ใส่ or สวม is usually more natural, while แต่งตัว refers to getting dressed or arranging one's overall appearance. A marriage partner is normally introduced with แต่งงานกับ followed by the person. Learn แต่งตั้ง, “appoint,” as a complete expression rather than replacing it with แต่ง alone.

Differences from similar words

1 decorate synonyms

  • ตกแต่ง explicitly means to decorate or arrange aesthetically and is common for interiors. แต่ง is shorter and broader, so its interpretation depends more heavily on the object.

  • ประดับ focuses on adorning something with decorative items. แต่ง is broader and can involve arranging or modifying the overall appearance of a place or object.

2 dress synonyms

3 compose synonyms

  • ประพันธ์ is a more formal term for composing literary or musical works. แต่ง is more everyday and is also common for songs, school compositions, and sentences.

  • เขียน broadly covers physically writing and producing written text. แต่ง emphasizes composing or creatively constructing a work and can also be used for songs and poetry.

4 make up (a story) synonyms

  • กุเรื่อง strongly implies fabricating a false story. แต่งเรื่อง can refer either to ordinary storytelling or to making up false claims, depending on context.

  • โกหก directly means to lie with the intent to deceive. แต่ง focuses on inventing an untrue story or explanation and does not always imply deliberate deception.

5 get married [short for แต่งงาน] synonyms

Component words

Other words containing แต่ง

Share or cite this page

You are welcome to link to this page from blogs, social media, articles, and other materials. Quotations are welcome, too.

Send feedback

Let us know about errors, anything that seems unclear, or suggested corrections.

Content production and review

Thai content last reviewed

The Thai meaning, naturalness, examples, and pronunciation in this entry have been reviewed by a native Thai editor. We always welcome reports of errors and suggested corrections through the link above.

See our editorial and English localization process