ใคร
who
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 who、whom、which person
- 2 someone、anyone、no one [with negation]、whoever
This pronoun refers to an unidentified or unspecified person. It can ask “who” or, depending on the surrounding construction, mean “someone,” “anyone,” “no one,” or “whoever.”
who、whom、which person
It asks which person is being referred to, including someone’s identity, role, or involvement in an action.
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เขาเป็นใคร? khǎw pen khray Who is that person? เขาเป็นใคร? details
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ใครมา? khray maa Who came? ใครมา? details
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คุณคุยกับใคร? khun khuy kàp khray Who are you talking to? คุณคุยกับใคร? details
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นี่ของใคร? nîi khɔ̌ɔŋ khray Whose is this? นี่ของใคร? details
someone、anyone、no one [with negation]、whoever
It refers to an unspecified person and can mean “someone,” “anyone,” “no one,” or “whoever,” depending on the question, negation, or other surrounding words.
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มีใครอยู่ไหม? mii khray yùu mǎy Is anyone there? มีใครอยู่ไหม? details
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ไม่มีใครรู้ mây mii khray rúu No one knows. ไม่มีใครรู้ details
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ใครก็ทำได้ khray kɔ̂ɔ tham dâay Anyone can do it. ใครก็ทำได้ details
Learning notes
Explanation
ใคร is a gender-neutral pronoun used for people. It normally stays in the position occupied by the unknown person: ใครมา? asks who came, รอใคร? asks who someone is waiting for, กับใคร means “with whom,” and ของใคร asks who owns something. Its interpretation also changes with the surrounding construction. In a question it may mean “anyone” or “someone”; ไม่มีใคร… means “no one…”; and patterns such as ใครก็… or ไม่ว่าใคร… can mean “anyone” or “whoever.” ใครบ้าง asks for multiple people or a list of names, while ใครสักคน means one unspecified person.
Usage
It is common when asking someone’s name or identity, who performed an action, who another person is interacting with, or who owns something. It is also used to ask whether anyone is present, state that no one meets a condition, or say that an opportunity or rule applies to anyone. It is natural in both everyday speech and general writing.
Caution
In an ordinary affirmative statement, bare ใคร does not always work as a direct equivalent of “someone.” Use ใครสักคน for one unspecified person or ใครบางคน for a particular but unidentified person when needed. A “no one” interpretation requires negation such as ไม่มี or ไม่. Also read ใครก็… together with the rest of the clause: ใครก็ทำได้ means “anyone can do it,” while ใครก็ช่วยไม่ได้ means “no one can help.”
Differences from similar words
1 who synonyms
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ผู้ใด also means “who,” but it is formal and occurs mainly in official or elevated writing. ใคร is the normal choice in conversation and general writing.