คบ

Explanation

At its core, คบ means maintaining an ongoing relationship with someone, rather than merely meeting or knowing them. คบ followed directly by a person, or คบกับ followed by a person, is common when talking about social relationships. คบกัน describes a mutual relationship. น่าคบ describes someone who seems pleasant or worthwhile to associate with. คบ does not inherently indicate romance. In conversations about dating, however, คบกัน and คบกับ someone commonly mean being in a romantic relationship.

Usage

Used when discussing friendships, social circles, the people someone chooses to associate with, or whether a person is pleasant company. It is also common in conversations about dating, including current partners, past relationships, and how long a couple has been together.

Caution

คบกัน can mean either associating as friends or dating, depending on context. Use เป็นเพื่อนกัน to clearly indicate friendship and เป็นแฟนกัน to clearly indicate a romantic relationship. For merely knowing or being acquainted with someone, use รู้จัก.

1 associate with (someone) synonyms

• รู้จัก

  rúucàk know (a person)

  รู้จัก means to know or be acquainted with someone and does not imply a close relationship. คบ suggests ongoing social involvement with that person.

• เป็นเพื่อนกัน

  เป็นเพื่อนกัน explicitly means that two people are friends. คบกัน focuses on maintaining a relationship and may also imply dating, depending on context.

2 date (someone) synonyms

• เป็นแฟนกัน

  เป็นแฟนกัน explicitly states that two people are a couple. คบกัน can refer to either a social or romantic relationship, so its meaning depends on context.