น้ำตาล
sugar
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 sugar
- 2 brown
This word primarily refers to sugar, including sugar in food or the bloodstream. It is also used for the color brown, usually in the expression สีน้ำตาล.
sugar
Refers to sugar as a sweetener and, in health or nutrition contexts, sugar in food or the body.
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กาแฟไม่ใส่น้ำตาล kaafɛɛ mây sày námtaan Coffee without added sugar. กาแฟไม่ใส่น้ำตาล details
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น้ำตาลในเลือดสูง námtaan nay lʉ̂at sǔuŋ The blood sugar level is high. น้ำตาลในเลือดสูง details
brown
Describes something as brown, normally as part of the color expression สีน้ำตาล.
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ผมสีน้ำตาลเข้ม phǒm sǐi námtaan khêm dark brown hair ผมสีน้ำตาลเข้ม details
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รองเท้าสีน้ำตาลอ่อน rɔɔŋtháaw sǐi námtaan ɔ̀ɔn light brown shoes รองเท้าสีน้ำตาลอ่อน details
Learning notes
Explanation
The primary meaning is “sugar.” It is common in conversations about cooking, drinks, sweets, and food. In health and nutrition contexts, it can also refer to sugar in the body: น้ำตาลในเลือด means “blood sugar,” and ระดับน้ำตาลในเลือด means “blood sugar level.” For the color brown, the usual expression is สีน้ำตาล, literally “sugar color.” When describing a noun, it follows the noun, as in เสื้อสีน้ำตาล, “a brown shirt.” Adding เข้ม gives “dark brown,” while อ่อน gives “light brown.” Because sugar is normally treated as a substance, its quantity is expressed with a unit or container, such as น้ำตาลหนึ่งช้อน, “one spoonful of sugar,” or น้ำตาลหนึ่งถุง, “one bag of sugar.”
Usage
It is commonly used when cooking, sweetening drinks, ordering food or beverages, and discussing dietary sugar or blood sugar. It is also used to describe brown clothing, hair, eyes, furniture, and other objects. Useful ordering phrases include ไม่ใส่น้ำตาล, “no added sugar,” and น้ำตาลน้อย, “less sugar.”
Caution
When referring to the color, normally use สีน้ำตาล rather than น้ำตาล alone; by itself, น้ำตาล is more likely to be understood as “sugar.” Also, ไม่ใส่น้ำตาล means that no sugar is added, not necessarily that the food or drink contains no naturally occurring sugar.