ค่อย
slowly
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 slowly、little by little、gradually
- 2 gently、quietly、softly、in a low voice
- 3 then、do later、do after that
ค่อย carries the idea of doing something gently, gradually, or without force. It is used for “slowly,” “little by little,” “softly/quietly,” for “then” in sequencing, and in ไม่ค่อย... to mean “not very” or “not really.”
slowly、little by little、gradually
This sense describes an action or change happening slowly, carefully, or little by little. The repeated form ค่อย ๆ is especially common.
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ค่อย ๆ เดิน khɔ̂y khɔ̂y dəən walk slowly ค่อย ๆ เดิน details
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เขาค่อย ๆ ดีขึ้น khǎw khɔ̂y khɔ̂y dii khʉ̂n He is gradually getting better. เขาค่อย ๆ ดีขึ้น details
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ค่อย ๆ กินนะ khɔ̂y khɔ̂y kin ná Eat slowly, okay? ค่อย ๆ กินนะ details
gently、quietly、softly、in a low voice
This sense means doing something gently or quietly. With voices and sounds, it means “soft” or “low in volume.”
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พูดค่อย ๆ หน่อย phûut khɔ̂y khɔ̂y nɔ̀ɔy Please speak a little more softly. พูดค่อย ๆ หน่อย details
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เปิดประตูค่อย ๆ pə̀ət pratuu khɔ̂y khɔ̂y open the door gently เปิดประตูค่อย ๆ details
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เสียงค่อยมาก sǐaŋ khɔ̂y mâak The sound is very soft. เสียงค่อยมาก details
then、do later、do after that
This sense links actions in sequence, meaning the next action happens after the previous one or later. It is common in แล้วค่อย... and เดี๋ยวค่อย....
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เดี๋ยวค่อยคุยกัน dǐaw khɔ̂y khuy kan Let’s talk later. เดี๋ยวค่อยคุยกัน details
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ค่อยทำพรุ่งนี้ khɔ̂y tham phrûŋníi Do it tomorrow. ค่อยทำพรุ่งนี้ details
Learning notes
Explanation
ค่อย is best understood as avoiding force, speed, or abruptness. In the repeated form ค่อย ๆ, it clearly means “slowly,” “gradually,” or “little by little.” With voices or sounds, it means soft or low in volume, as in พูดค่อย ๆ “speak softly” and เสียงค่อย “the sound is soft.” For sequencing, แล้วค่อย... means “then / after that,” and เดี๋ยวค่อย... means “do it later.” The pattern ไม่ค่อย... is extremely common and means “not very” or “not really.”
Usage
This word is very common in everyday conversation. Use it when telling someone not to rush, asking someone to be quiet or gentle, describing gradual change, postponing an action, or softening a negative statement.
Caution
ค่อย and ค่อย ๆ overlap, but ค่อย ๆ more clearly means “slowly” or “gradually.” ไม่ค่อย... is not a full negative; it means “not very” or “not really.” For a complete negative, use ไม่... without ค่อย. The soft-volume meaning depends on context, so learn it with words like พูด and เสียง.