โต
grow
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 grow、grow up、develop、expand
- 2 big、large、grown
- 3 eldest、oldest
โต expresses growth and the resulting state of being bigger or fully grown. It is used for people, animals, plants, and even businesses; in family expressions, คนโต means “the eldest.”
grow、grow up、develop、expand
Describes becoming bigger through growth. It also covers growing up or maturing, and can be extended to the development of a business or market.
-
เด็กโตเร็ว dèk too rew Children grow quickly. เด็กโตเร็ว details
Show more (2)
-
ต้นไม้นี้โตเร็วมาก tônmáay níi too rew mâak This tree grows very quickly. ต้นไม้นี้โตเร็วมาก details
-
ธุรกิจกำลังโต thúrákìt kamlaŋ too The business is growing. ธุรกิจกำลังโต details
big、large、grown
Describes a person, animal, fruit, body part, or similar thing as noticeably large or grown, often with an underlying sense of physical growth.
-
หมาตัวโต mǎa tua too a big dog หมาตัวโต details
-
เขาตัวโตกว่าฉัน khǎw tua too kwàa chǎn He is bigger-built than I am. เขาตัวโตกว่าฉัน details
Show more (2)
-
ผลไม้ลูกโต phǒnlamáay lûuk too a large piece of fruit ผลไม้ลูกโต details
-
เด็กตาโต dèk taa too a child with big eyes เด็กตาโต details
eldest、oldest
Marks the oldest child or sibling in a family group, normally in the construction คนโต.
-
เขาเป็นลูกคนโต khǎw pen lûuk khon too They are the eldest child. เขาเป็นลูกคนโต details
-
ลูกชายคนโต lûuk chaay khon too the eldest son ลูกชายคนโต details
Show more (1)
-
พี่สาวคนโต phîi sǎaw khon too the eldest sister พี่สาวคนโต details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core image of โต is becoming bigger through growth. It can therefore describe both the process—“grow” or “grow up”—and the resulting state—“big” or “grown.” โตขึ้น means to grow bigger or grow up, while โตแล้ว can mean “already grown” or “an adult now,” depending on context. ตัวโต specifically describes a person or animal as big-bodied or large-built. โต can also describe a growing company, business, or market in concise, conversational language. เติบโต makes the idea of growth or development more explicit and is also common in formal writing. In คนโต, the word has the specialized family meaning “the eldest child or sibling.”
Usage
โต is common in everyday conversations about children growing up, pets and plants growing, physical build, and the size of fruit or body features. It is also used conversationally for business growth and in family expressions such as ลูกคนโต, “the eldest child.”
Caution
โต is not the general equivalent of “big” in every context. ใหญ่ is normally used for the size of ordinary objects, buildings, rooms, or organizations; for example, “a big house” is บ้านใหญ่. Also, คนโต usually means the eldest person among a family’s children or siblings, not a physically large person. Use คนตัวโต or เขาตัวโต when referring clearly to body size.
Differences from similar words
1 grow synonyms
-
เจริญ often suggests prosperity, progress, or healthy development and sounds somewhat formal. โต is the more ordinary term for physically growing or becoming bigger.
-
เติบโต explicitly means “grow” or “develop” and is common in writing and more formal explanations. โต is shorter and more conversational, especially when talking about children, animals, and plants.
2 big synonyms
-
ใหญ่ is the general word for something large in size, area, or scale. โต is especially natural for living things, body build, fruit, and features such as eyes, and it can retain a sense of growth.