ยืน

Explanation

The core meaning is to stand upright on one’s feet. Use ยืนขึ้น when the movement of getting up is important, and ยืนอยู่ when emphasizing that someone is already standing. The pattern ยืน followed by another verb describes doing something while standing, as in ยืนรอ “stand and wait” or ยืนดู “stand and watch.” For the sense of lasting a long time, it is most useful to learn established combinations such as อายุยืน “be long-lived” and ยืนยาว “endure for a long time.” Words such as ยืนกราน “insist” and ยืนหยัด “stand firm” extend the image of standing to maintaining a claim, belief, or position. In ordinary modern usage, however, ยืน by itself should not generally be interpreted as “insist.”

Usage

It is common in everyday situations involving posture: getting up from a seat, waiting while standing, standing in line, or riding on public transportation without a seat. ยืนขึ้น is also used for standing up in classrooms and ceremonies. อายุยืน commonly appears in conversations about health and lifespan, as well as in wishes for someone to live a long life.

Caution

Do not confuse ยืน “stand” with ยื่น “extend, hand over, or submit.” For example, “submit documents” is ยื่นเอกสาร, not ยืนเอกสาร. Also, an inanimate object being upright is normally described with ตั้ง rather than ยืน.

1 stand synonyms

• ตั้ง

  tâŋ place

  ตั้ง is commonly used for placing an object upright or for the location of an object or building. ยืน primarily describes a person being upright on their feet.

2 long-lasting synonyms

• ยาวนาน

  ยาวนาน broadly describes a long duration and can modify many kinds of nouns. In this sense, ยืน is more commonly found in established expressions such as อายุยืน and ยืนยาว than used freely on its own.