เมล็ด
seed
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 seed、grain、bean
- 2 [counter for seeds, beans, and grains]
This word refers to plant seeds, including edible seeds, coffee beans, and grains. It also serves as a counter for individual seeds.
seed、grain、bean
A seed of a plant, including those used as food or referred to as beans or grains.
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เด็กๆกำลังเพาะเมล็ดถั่ว dèk dèk kamlaŋ phɔ́ malét thùa The children are planting bean seeds. เด็กๆกำลังเพาะเมล็ดถั่ว details
[counter for seeds, beans, and grains]
Used with numbers to count individual seeds, beans, or grains.
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เมล็ดแตงโมสามเมล็ด malét tɛɛŋ moo sǎam malét three watermelon seeds เมล็ดแตงโมสามเมล็ด details
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ใส่หลุมละสองเมล็ด sày lǔm lá sɔ̌ɔŋ malét Put two seeds in each hole. ใส่หลุมละสองเมล็ด details
Learning notes
Explanation
The usual pattern is เมล็ด followed by a plant name: เมล็ดแตงโม means “watermelon seeds,” and เมล็ดข้าว means “grains of rice.” The word also applies to edible or processed seeds, even when they can no longer germinate. To count them, use the noun followed by a number and เมล็ด. In เมล็ดแตงโมสามเมล็ด, “three watermelon seeds,” the first เมล็ด is part of the noun phrase and the last is the counter.
Usage
Common in gardening and farming when buying, sowing, or growing seeds, and in cooking when removing seeds from fruit. It also appears in discussions of edible seeds, coffee beans, and grains.
Caution
Do not treat เมล็ด as a general word for any tiny piece or fragment. Its everyday use centers on plant seeds, beans, and grains.
Differences from similar words
1 seed synonyms
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เม็ด refers broadly to small, discrete objects such as pills, candies, and seeds. เมล็ด specifically refers to plant seeds and grains. Both can refer to seeds in everyday speech; the choice is not simply a matter of size.