be sleepy
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 be sleepy、feel drowsy
An everyday word for feeling sleepy and ready to fall asleep.
be sleepy、feel drowsy
Describes being awake but feeling drowsy or ready to sleep.
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กินข้าวแล้วง่วงนอน kin khâaw lɛ́ɛw ŋûaŋ nɔɔn I got sleepy after eating. กินข้าวแล้วง่วงนอน details
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ถ้าง่วงนอน อย่าขับรถ thâa ŋûaŋ nɔɔn yàa khàp rót Don't drive if you're sleepy. ถ้าง่วงนอน อย่าขับรถ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The word combines ง่วง (“sleepy”) with นอน (“sleep” or “lie down”). It can function directly as the predicate of a Thai sentence: ฉันง่วงนอน means “I’m sleepy,” with no separate word for “am” required. Words showing degree usually follow it, as in ง่วงนอนมาก (“very sleepy”) and ง่วงนอนนิดหน่อย (“a little sleepy”).
Usage
Commonly used in everyday conversation when someone feels sleepy because of insufficient sleep, fatigue, a meal, or the late hour. It also appears in safety contexts involving driving or medication-related drowsiness.
Caution
Do not confuse it with เหนื่อย (“tired”) or หลับ (“asleep”). ง่วงนอน describes someone who is still awake but feels sleepy.
Differences from similar words
1 be sleepy synonyms
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ง่วง also means “sleepy” and is very common on its own in conversation. ง่วงนอน makes the connection with wanting or needing sleep more explicit.