เจ้านาย
boss
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 boss、employer、master
- 2 member of the royal family
This word usually refers to someone who has authority over your work, such as a boss or employer. It can also refer to a member of the Thai royal family.
boss、employer、master
A person with authority over someone’s work, especially a boss or employer. In a master-servant relationship, it can also mean the person being served.
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ขอถามเจ้านายก่อน khɔ̌ɔ thǎam câw naay kɔ̀ɔn Let me ask my boss first. ขอถามเจ้านายก่อน details
member of the royal family
A member of the Thai royal family, especially a person holding a recognized royal rank. This sense is used in royal and historical contexts.
Learning notes
Explanation
In modern everyday speech, the most common meaning is “boss.” Rather than naming a specific job title, it describes someone who has work-related authority over another person. Depending on the context, this may be a direct supervisor, a business owner, or an employer. It can mean “master” in a relationship involving servants or retainers, though this use is limited in modern daily life. It may also be used jokingly for a spouse or pet who seems to be in charge. For an ordinary boss or employer, the classifier is คน. In the royal sense, the respectful classifiers องค์ or พระองค์ are used.
Usage
It is commonly used at companies, shops, and offices when discussing a boss’s instructions, permission, personality, or evaluation of employees. In conversations about pay or employment, it may refer to an employer. The royal sense occurs in news, history, biographies, and discussions of the Thai monarchy.
Caution
เจ้านาย is most often used when talking about a boss rather than addressing the person directly. Calling someone เจ้านาย to their face can strongly emphasize the hierarchy or sound playful. In a real workplace, use the person’s usual name-and-title form or established form of address. Also, นาย by itself has other uses, including a title for men, so it is not freely interchangeable with เจ้านาย.
Differences from similar words
1 boss synonyms
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นายจ้าง specifically means an employer and is common in employment or labor contexts. เจ้านาย is the everyday word for a boss and does not necessarily refer to the legal employer.
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ผู้บังคับบัญชา is a formal term for a superior, often used in government, military, police, or official contexts. เจ้านาย is more natural in ordinary workplace conversation.
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หัวหน้า emphasizes the leader or person in charge of a team or unit. เจ้านาย emphasizes that the person has authority over the speaker as their boss.
2 member of the royal family synonyms
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พระบรมวงศานุวงศ์ is a more formal and highly respectful collective term for members of the royal family. เจ้านาย can refer to an individual royal person and also appears in historical or royal discussions.