white
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- 1 white、the color white
This word refers to white, the light achromatic color associated with things such as snow and milk. It can name the color itself or describe something as white.
white、the color white
It denotes the color white and commonly follows a noun when identifying the color of an object.
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ขอเสื้อสีขาวหนึ่งตัว khɔ̌ɔ sʉ̂a sǐi khǎaw nʉ̀ŋ tua I'd like one white shirt, please. ขอเสื้อสีขาวหนึ่งตัว details
Learning notes
Explanation
สีขาว is formed from สี (“color”) and ขาว (“white”), literally giving the idea of “the white color.” It can stand alone as the name of a color. It also follows the noun it describes, as in เสื้อสีขาว (“white clothing”), and can serve as the predicate of a sentence, as in รถคันนี้สีขาว (“This car is white”). In some combinations, white can symbolize cleanliness, purity, innocence, or legitimacy. These associations usually come from the full expression and its context rather than from a separate everyday meaning of สีขาว itself.
Usage
It is widely used to describe the color of clothing, cars, furniture, flowers, food, and other objects. It is also common when selecting products while shopping or talking about favorite colors. The expression is neutral and natural in both speech and writing.
Caution
When describing an object, place the object first and สีขาว after it, as in เสื้อสีขาว. For naturally gray or white hair, Thai commonly uses ผมขาว or ผมหงอก. ผมสีขาว sounds more like an objective description of hair that is literally white, such as dyed white hair.
Differences from similar words
1 white synonyms
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ขาว directly means “white” as a property. สีขาว explicitly identifies white as a color, so it is especially natural when naming a favorite color or specifying the color of an item.