กัด
bite
Native recording
Analyzing pitch…
Pitch graph is unavailable
- 1 bite、nibble、sting (an insect)
- 2 corrode、erode、burn or irritate (the skin)
- 3 fight [slang]、quarrel [slang]
Its core image is biting into something with teeth or mouthparts. It is used for taking a bite of food, an animal biting, and an insect biting or stinging; it also extends to corrosion, quarrelling, and biting sarcasm.
bite、nibble、sting (an insect)
Describes using teeth or mouthparts to bite into something, including taking a bite of food, an animal biting someone, or an insect biting or stinging.
-
หมากัดฉัน mǎa kàt chǎn A dog bit me. หมากัดฉัน details
-
กัดแอปเปิลหนึ่งคำ kàt ɛ̀ɛppəən nʉ̀ŋ kham Take a bite of the apple. กัดแอปเปิลหนึ่งคำ details
Show more (2)
-
เมื่อคืนโดนยุงกัด mʉ̂a khʉʉn doon yuŋ kàt I got bitten by mosquitoes last night. เมื่อคืนโดนยุงกัด details
-
อย่ากัดเล็บ yàa kàt lép Don't bite your nails. อย่ากัดเล็บ details
corrode、erode、burn or irritate (the skin)
Describes a chemical, acid, or prolonged moisture damaging a surface or irritating tissue, as if it were biting into it.
-
กรดกัดโลหะ kròt kàt loohà Acid corrodes metal. กรดกัดโลหะ details
-
น้ำยานี้กัดผิว náamyaa níi kàt phǐw This chemical irritates the skin. น้ำยานี้กัดผิว details
fight [slang]、quarrel [slang]
In expressions such as กัดกัน, it informally describes people or animals fighting or quarrelling. When used of people, it can sound derogatory by comparing their behavior to biting dogs.
Learning notes
Explanation
กัด has the core image of teeth—or something acting like teeth—digging into a target. The usual pattern is “biter + กัด + target,” as in หมากัดเด็ก, “A dog bites a child.” To focus on the victim, colloquial Thai commonly uses โดน, as in ฉันโดนหมากัด, “I was bitten by a dog.” The expression กัดฟัน literally means “clench one's teeth” and can also mean enduring pain or difficulty with determination.
Usage
It is common in everyday situations involving taking a bite of food, animal bites, and mosquito or ant bites. It also appears in descriptions of chemical corrosion or skin irritation, as well as informal talk about quarrels and sarcastic remarks.
Caution
Do not confuse กัด with เคี้ยว: use เคี้ยว for repeatedly chewing food into smaller pieces. Also, although Thai says ยุงกัด for a mosquito bite, กัด is not the general verb for every kind of sting or piercing. Bee stings normally use ต่อย, piercing with a needle or weapon uses แทง, and giving an injection uses ฉีดยา.
Differences from similar words
1 bite synonyms
-
ขบ also means to press or bite with the teeth, but it has a narrower range and is more common in literary usage or set expressions. กัด is the ordinary everyday word for biting.
-
เคี้ยว means to chew food repeatedly and break it down. กัด focuses on sinking the teeth into something, biting it, or biting off a piece.
2 corrode synonyms
-
กร่อน describes something gradually wearing away or deteriorating through friction, weather, or chemical action. กัด more strongly presents an active agent, such as acid or a chemical, damaging the surface.