กวน
bother
Native recording
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- 1 bother、disturb、annoy
- 2 stir、mix、blend
- 3 annoying、cheeky、teasing
The core idea is to disturb or move something from a settled state. With people it means to bother or annoy someone; with liquids or soft mixtures it means to stir; in cooking it can mean to cook something down while stirring, as with jam or sweets.
bother、disturb、annoy
This sense means to bother, disturb, or annoy someone by interrupting what they are doing or upsetting their peace of mind.
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อย่ากวน yàa kuan Don’t bother me. อย่ากวน details
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ขอโทษที่กวน khɔ̌ɔ thôot thîi kuan Sorry to bother you. ขอโทษที่กวน details
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เสียงดังรบกวนการทำงาน sǐaŋ daŋ rópkuan kaan tham ŋaan The loud noise disturbs the work. เสียงดังรบกวนการทำงาน details
stir、mix、blend
This sense means to stir or mix a liquid, batter, paste, or other soft substance until it comes together.
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กวนกาแฟ kuan kaafɛɛ stir coffee กวนกาแฟ details
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กวนให้เข้ากัน kuan hây khâw kan stir until well combined กวนให้เข้ากัน details
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แม่กำลังกวนแป้ง mɛ̂ɛ kamlaŋ kuan pɛ̂ɛŋ Mom is stirring the batter. แม่กำลังกวนแป้ง details
annoying、cheeky、teasing
Used about a person or behavior, this describes someone who is teasing, cheeky, or annoyingly playful.
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เขากวนมาก khǎw kuan mâak He’s really annoying. เขากวนมาก details
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คนนี้กวน ๆ khon níi kuan kuan This person is kind of cheeky. คนนี้กวน ๆ details
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อย่าทำหน้ากวน yàa tham nâa kuan Don’t make that cheeky face. อย่าทำหน้ากวน details
Learning notes
Explanation
กวน is easiest to understand as “to unsettle or move something.” With food or drinks, it means to stir or mix. In cooking, it can also mean cooking something down while stirring, as in fruit preserves or sweet bean paste. With people, it means to bother, interrupt, or annoy. ขอโทษที่กวน is a natural way to say “Sorry to bother you,” while กวน ๆ and especially กวนตีน are informal and can sound rude.
Usage
You will hear this word in cooking when stirring drinks, batter, jam, or sweet pastes. In everyday conversation, it is used when someone interrupts work, study, rest, or peace of mind. Among friends, it can also describe teasing or cheeky behavior.
Caution
อย่ากวน can sound blunt when said directly to someone. For polite situations, รบกวน or ขอโทษที่รบกวน is usually safer. กวนตีน is very informal and can be offensive, so avoid it with teachers, bosses, strangers, or anyone you need to be respectful toward.
Differences from similar words
1 bother synonyms
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รบกวน is often safer and more polite when you mean “to bother” or “to trouble someone.” กวน is more direct and can sound blunt depending on tone and relationship.
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รังควาน suggests repeated harassment or pestering. กวน is broader and can refer to anything from a small interruption to serious annoyance.
2 stir synonyms
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คน also means to stir and is very common for food and drinks. กวน can mean the same, but with people or abstract nouns it often means “to bother,” so context matters.
3 annoying synonyms
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น่ารำคาญ directly means “annoying” in a negative way. กวน can be negative too, but among friends it may also mean playfully cheeky or teasing.