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Thai

เงียบ

Pronunciation

ŋîap

เงียบ

ŋîap

quiet

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  1. 1 quiet、silent、reserved (not talkative)
  2. 2 fall silent、stop responding、go quiet
  3. 3 unbusy、inactive、deserted
  4. 4 quietly、silently、discreetly
  5. 5 Quiet!、Silence!

เงียบ describes the absence of expected sound, speech, activity, or response. Depending on context, it can mean quiet, silent, inactive, unbusy, or discreetly.

1

quiet、silent、reserved (not talkative)

Adjective⭐️5 Essential

Describes a place or thing with little or no noise, or a person who says very little.

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2

fall silent、stop responding、go quiet

Verb⭐️4 Often used

Means to fall silent or stop producing an expected response, communication, or visible activity.

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3

unbusy、inactive、deserted

Adjective⭐️3 Common

Describes a business, street, market, or similar setting with little activity, traffic, or business.

4

quietly、silently、discreetly

Adverb⭐️4 Often used

Usually appearing as เงียบๆ, it describes doing something without noise, attention, or publicity.

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5

Quiet!、Silence!

Interjection⭐️3 Common

A short, direct command telling someone to stop talking or making noise.

Learning notes

Explanation

The central idea of เงียบ is that expected sound, speech, activity, or response is not outwardly present. Thai descriptive words can function directly as predicates. ห้องเงียบ means “the room is quiet,” while เขาเงียบ can mean “he is quiet,” “he has fallen silent,” or “he is not responding,” depending on context. The repeated form เงียบๆ is commonly used adverbially for doing something quietly or without attracting attention. It does not always imply secrecy. เงียบลง commonly means “become quieter” or “die down,” while เงียบไป often marks a change such as falling silent or ceasing communication.

Usage

It is common when describing quiet rooms, libraries, streets at night, people who are not speaking, and shops with few customers. It is also widely used for the absence of a reply or contact, an issue dropping out of public discussion, or a disturbance dying down.

Caution

Use เบา when the sound is merely low in volume. เสียงเบา means “a low or soft sound,” whereas เงียบ indicates little or no sound. As a command, เงียบ! can sound as harsh as “Shut up!” A more polite request is กรุณาเงียบหน่อย (“Please be quiet”) or ช่วยเบาเสียงหน่อย (“Please lower your voice/the volume”).

Differences from similar words

1 quiet synonyms

2 fall silent synonyms

  • นิ่ง primarily means to remain still or motionless. เงียบ focuses on becoming silent or giving no response.

  • เงียบหาย specifically suggests disappearing and making no further contact. เงียบ alone can also mean falling silent or an issue dying down.

3 unbusy synonyms

4 quietly synonyms

  • อย่างลับๆ explicitly means secretly and with the intention of avoiding discovery. เงียบๆ can simply mean quietly or without publicity, and need not imply secrecy.

5 Quiet! synonyms

  • เบาๆ หน่อย is a softer request to lower one's voice or reduce the volume. เงียบ! is a forceful command to stop talking or making noise.

Component words

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