ย่าง
grill
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 grill、roast over a fire
- 2 step、tread
- 3 enter (a period or stage)、approach (an age or period)
This word mainly refers to cooking food over direct heat. It can also describe taking a step or gradually entering a new age, season, or stage.
grill、roast over a fire
Describes cooking food over direct heat, often slowly enough for it to cook through.
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ย่างไก่ yâaŋ kày grill chicken ย่างไก่ details
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เขากำลังย่างหมูอยู่ khǎw kamlaŋ yâaŋ mǔu yùu He is grilling pork. เขากำลังย่างหมูอยู่ details
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อย่าย่างนานเกินไป yàa yâaŋ naan kəən pay Don't grill it for too long. อย่าย่างนานเกินไป details
step、tread
Describes lifting the foot and taking a step, with emphasis on the act of stepping rather than ordinary walking.
enter (a period or stage)、approach (an age or period)
Describes gradually approaching or beginning to enter a particular age, season, era, or stage.
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ย่างเข้าฤดูหนาว yâaŋ khâw rʉ́duu nǎaw enter the winter season ย่างเข้าฤดูหนาว details
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อายุย่างเข้า 39 ปี aayú yâaŋ khâw sǎam sìp kâaw pii be approaching the age of 39 อายุย่างเข้า 39 ปี details
Learning notes
Explanation
ย่าง has two major meaning families: cooking food over heat and moving forward by taking a step. In cooking, it refers to grilling meat, fish, or other food over a fire, charcoal, or another direct heat source. Before the food noun, as in ย่างไก่, it functions as the action “grill chicken.” After the noun, as in ไก่ย่าง, it describes the resulting dish, “grilled chicken.” In its movement sense, it focuses on taking a step rather than walking in general. This idea of moving forward also extends to time: ย่างเข้า and ย่างเข้าสู่ describe gradually entering an age, season, or stage of life.
Usage
The cooking sense is very common in home cooking, barbecues, street-food stalls, and restaurant menus. The stepping sense often appears in descriptive contexts, especially in the expression ย่างเท้า. The extended sense is used when discussing changing seasons, growing older, entering adolescence, or moving into a new era.
Caution
Do not confuse ย่าง with อย่าง, a different word used for meanings such as “in the manner of,” “kind,” and “way.” Use เดิน for ordinary walking. In cooking, ผัด means stir-fry, ทอด means fry in oil, and ต้ม means boil; these are distinct from ย่าง. With ages, ย่างเข้า 39 ปี can mean approaching 39 or entering one's 39th year, depending on context. It does not necessarily mean that the person has already turned 39.
Differences from similar words
1 grill synonyms
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ปิ้ง also means to cook over heat and is often used for smaller items cooked fairly quickly. ย่าง more often suggests grilling meat or fish long enough to cook it through.
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อบ means to bake or roast with enclosed heat, such as in an oven. ย่าง usually involves cooking food directly over or close to a heat source.
2 step synonyms
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ก้าว is a broadly used verb meaning to take a step or move forward. ย่าง gives a more visual, descriptive sense of placing or moving the foot.