ลูก
child
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 child、son、daughter、young animal
- 2 ball、round object、fruit、bullet
- 3 [classifier for fruit and round objects]、[classifier for balls]、[classifier for mountains, waves, etc.]
ลูก basically means a child or offspring. It also extends to round or compact objects such as fruit, balls, and bullets, to people connected under someone or an organization, and to a common classifier for round objects and similar units.
child、son、daughter、young animal
This sense refers to offspring: a person’s child, son, or daughter, and also the young of an animal.
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เขามีลูกสองคน khǎw mii lûuk sɔ̌ɔŋ khon He has two children. เขามีลูกสองคน details
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ลูกชาย / ลูกสาว lûuk chaay / lûuk sǎaw son / daughter ลูกชาย / ลูกสาว details
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ลูกแมว lûuk mɛɛw kitten ลูกแมว details
ball、round object、fruit、bullet
This sense refers to round or compact objects, such as fruit, balls, bullets, and similar individual items.
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ลูกบอล lûuk bɔɔn ball ลูกบอล details
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ลูกมะนาว lûuk mánaaw a lime ลูกมะนาว details
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ลูกปืน lûuk pʉʉn bullet ลูกปืน details
[classifier for fruit and round objects]、[classifier for balls]、[classifier for mountains, waves, etc.]
As a classifier, ลูก is used for fruit, balls, round or compact objects, and some natural units such as mountains, waves, and storms.
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แอปเปิลสามลูก ɛ̀ɛppəən sǎam lûuk three apples แอปเปิลสามลูก details
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ลูกบอลหนึ่งลูก lûuk bɔɔn nʉ̀ŋ lûuk one ball ลูกบอลหนึ่งลูก details
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ภูเขาลูกนี้ phuu khǎw lûuk níi this mountain ภูเขาลูกนี้ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core image of ลูก is either something born from a parent or source, or a small, compact unit. In family contexts it means one’s child, including either a son or daughter; ลูกชาย specifies son and ลูกสาว specifies daughter. It is also used for young animals, as in ลูกแมว “kitten.” The word further extends to fruit, balls, bullets, and similar round objects, and it is a very common classifier, as in แอปเปิลสามลูก “three apples.”
Usage
ลูก is common in conversations about family, parenting, young animals, and counting fruit or round objects. It also appears very often in compounds used in work, school, and social relationships, such as ลูกค้า “customer,” ลูกน้อง “subordinate,” and ลูกศิษย์ “student or disciple.”
Caution
Do not treat ลูก as only “child.” For children in general by age, เด็ก is often the right word. When counting human children, the classifier is normally คน, as in ลูกสองคน “two children.”
Differences from similar words
1 child synonyms
2 ball synonyms
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ผล is a more formal or specific word for fruit, and can also be used as a classifier for fruit. ลูก is the everyday word when fruit is viewed as a round individual item.
3 [classifier for fruit and round objects] synonyms
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ใบ classifies flat items, leaves, bags, plates, and some containers. ลูก is used for round or compact individual objects.