ข้าราชการ
civil servant
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 civil servant、government official
This word refers to a person formally appointed to serve in a government position, broadly corresponding to a civil servant or government official.
civil servant、government official
A person who holds a formally appointed position in government service.
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ข้าราชการต้องบริการประชาชน khâarâatchakaan tɔ̂ŋ bɔɔrikaan pràchaachon Civil servants must serve the public. ข้าราชการต้องบริการประชาชน details
Learning notes
Explanation
The word is formed from ข้า, historically meaning “one who serves,” and ราชการ, meaning “government service” or “official business.” Although its origin reflects service to the monarchy, in modern Thai it denotes an official civil-service status, not a monarch’s personal servant. It is a neutral occupational term used in everyday conversation, news, and administrative writing. The usual classifier for counting people is คน, as in ข้าราชการสองคน, “two civil servants.” รับราชการ means “to serve in government” or “to work as a civil servant.”
Usage
It is commonly used when describing someone’s occupation, discussing government recruitment, salaries, benefits, or retirement, and referring to civil servants collectively in news reports and official documents.
Caution
Not everyone working at a government agency is a ข้าราชการ. A พนักงานราชการ is generally a government contract employee and has a different legal employment status. The word is also not normally used for elected politicians or private-sector employees.
Differences from similar words
1 civil servant synonyms
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เจ้าหน้าที่รัฐ is a broader term for personnel working for state bodies and can include people without formal civil-servant status. ข้าราชการ more specifically refers to someone formally appointed within the government service.