ถูก

Explanation

The core idea of ถูก is that something hits, matches, or fits a target, standard, or feeling. That is why it can mean “cheap” when a price fits expectations, “correct” when an answer matches the standard, “touch/hit” when something makes contact, and “be acted on” in passive constructions. Useful chunks to learn early include ราคาถูก “cheap,” ตอบถูก “answer correctly,” พูดถูก “be right in what one says,” ถูกขโมย “be stolen,” and ถูกใจ “be pleased with.”

Usage

This word appears constantly in shopping and price talk, checking answers or judgments, describing contact or impact, forming passives for events such as theft or arrest, and talking about tastes or compatibility. It is common in everyday conversation as well as news and explanatory writing.

Caution

The meaning of ถูก depends heavily on context: ราคาถูก means “cheap,” คำตอบถูก means “the answer is correct,” and ถูกจับ means “be arrested.” As a passive marker in conversation, ถูก often implies something unwanted or negative, so it should not be used mechanically for every English passive sentence.

1 cheap synonyms

• ไม่แพง

  ไม่แพง means “not expensive” and sounds very natural in conversation. ถูก directly labels something as cheap or low-priced.

2 correct synonyms

• จริง

  ciŋ real

  จริง means “true” or “real.” ถูก means “correct” in the sense that an answer, judgment, or action matches the standard.

• ถูกต้อง

  thùuk tɔ̂ŋ correct

  ถูกต้อง is a clearer and somewhat more formal way to say “correct” or “proper.” ถูก is shorter and very common when saying something is right in everyday speech.

3 touch synonyms

• สัมผัส

  สัมผัส is a more formal word for touching or making contact. ถูก is more everyday and works naturally for accidental contact or impact.

• โดน

  doon hit

  โดน is also used for being hit, touched, or affected and is very common in speech. ถูก can mean touch or hit, and it also functions as a passive marker.

5 suit someone's taste synonyms

• ชอบ

  chɔ̂ɔp like

  ชอบ directly means “like.” ถูกใจ suggests that something fits one’s feelings or preferences, and is common for things like choices, designs, and suggestions.

• เหมาะ

  mɔ̀ suitable

  เหมาะ means “suitable” or “appropriate.” ถูก can also describe something fitting a person’s taste or feeling.