ไอ
cough
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 cough
- 2 cough、coughing symptom
- 3 vapor、steam
- 4 the letter I/i
This word commonly refers to coughing or to vapor rising from a substance. It is also used as the Thai name of the letter I.
cough
Describes coughing as a physical action or symptom caused by irritation in the throat or airways.
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ฉันไอทั้งคืน chǎn ay tháŋ khʉʉn I coughed all night. ฉันไอทั้งคืน details
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ทำไมไอบ่อยจัง thammay ay bɔ̀y caŋ Why are you coughing so often? ทำไมไอบ่อยจัง details
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อย่าไอใส่คนอื่น yàa ay sày khon ʉ̀ʉn Don't cough on other people. อย่าไอใส่คนอื่น details
cough、coughing symptom
Refers to a cough as a symptom, especially when discussing health, treatment, or medicine.
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มีอาการไอ mii aakaan ay have a cough มีอาการไอ details
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อาการไอไม่ดีขึ้น aakaan ay mây dii khʉ̂n The cough isn't getting better. อาการไอไม่ดีขึ้น details
vapor、steam
Refers to vapor or steam that forms and rises from a heated or evaporating substance.
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ไอน้ำลอยขึ้นจากหม้อ ay náam lɔɔy khʉ̂n càak mɔ̂ɔ Steam is rising from the pot. ไอน้ำลอยขึ้นจากหม้อ details
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น้ำมันดิบระเหยกลายเป็นไอ nám man dìp rahə̌əy klaay pen ay The crude oil evaporates into vapor. น้ำมันดิบระเหยกลายเป็นไอ details
the letter I/i
The Thai name for the Latin-script letter I/i.
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ตัวไอภาษาอังกฤษ tua ay phaasǎa aŋkrìt the English letter I ตัวไอภาษาอังกฤษ details
Learning notes
Explanation
ไอ has several distinct meanings. In health-related contexts, it functions as a verb meaning “to cough” and as a noun referring to a cough or coughing symptom. In ฉันไอ, it describes an action; in expressions such as อาการไอ and ยาแก้ไอ, it refers to the symptom. Its other major meaning is vapor rising from a substance. This sense commonly appears in compounds such as ไอน้ำ (“water vapor” or “steam”) and ไอร้อน (“hot vapor” or “rising heat”). When discussing the alphabet, ไอ is also the Thai name of the letter I/i. A niche use derived from the Japanese word 愛 is largely limited to names or specialized contexts and is not a standard everyday meaning.
Usage
It is very common in conversations about colds, allergies, and respiratory symptoms, as well as at clinics and pharmacies. The vapor sense appears when discussing cooking, hot drinks, bathing, evaporation, or changes in the state of matter. The letter-name sense is used when spelling words or discussing the alphabet.
Caution
Do not confuse ไอ with ไอ้, which has an added tone mark and refers to a person roughly as “guy,” “fellow,” or “bastard.” Depending on the context, ไอ้ can be highly offensive. ไอ refers specifically to coughing, not to having a cold in general. Use เป็นหวัด for “have a cold” and จาม for “sneeze.”
Differences from similar words
1 cough synonyms
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กระแอม means to clear one's throat, often deliberately before speaking. ไอ refers to an ordinary cough caused by illness or airway irritation.
3 vapor synonyms
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ควัน is smoke, typically produced by burning. ไอ is vapor formed through evaporation or heating and does not necessarily involve combustion.