นอน
sleep
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 sleep、go to bed
- 2 lie down
- 3 stay overnight、sleep at (a place)、be hospitalized [นอนโรงพยาบาล]
A basic verb centered on being in a lying position. It commonly means to sleep, lie down, or spend the night somewhere.
sleep、go to bed
Describes sleeping or going to bed, including the act of settling down to sleep.
-
ฉันนอนตอนห้าทุ่ม chǎn nɔɔn tɔɔn hâa thûm I go to bed at 11 p.m. ฉันนอนตอนห้าทุ่ม details
Show more (1)
-
ไปนอนได้แล้ว pay nɔɔn dâay lɛ́ɛw It's time to go to bed. ไปนอนได้แล้ว details
lie down
Describes lying down or remaining in a horizontal position, whether awake or asleep.
-
เขานอนอยู่บนโซฟา khǎw nɔɔn yùu bon soofaa He is lying on the sofa. เขานอนอยู่บนโซฟา details
-
อย่านอนอ่านหนังสือ yàa nɔɔn àan nǎŋsʉ̌ʉ Don't read while lying down. อย่านอนอ่านหนังสือ details
stay overnight、sleep at (a place)、be hospitalized [นอนโรงพยาบาล]
Describes sleeping at a particular place or staying there overnight or for a period of time.
-
คืนนี้นอนที่ไหน khʉʉn níi nɔɔn thîi nǎy Where are you staying tonight? คืนนี้นอนที่ไหน details
-
ฉันนอนโรงแรมสองคืน chǎn nɔɔn rooŋrɛɛm sɔ̌ɔŋ khʉʉn I'm staying at a hotel for two nights. ฉันนอนโรงแรมสองคืน details
Show more (1)
-
เขาต้องนอนโรงพยาบาล khǎw tɔ̂ŋ nɔɔn rooŋphayaabaan He has to stay in the hospital. เขาต้องนอนโรงพยาบาล details
Learning notes
Explanation
นอน is a neutral, extremely common verb. Its central image is putting the body in a lying position and stopping normal activity to rest. By itself, it can mean either “sleep” or simply “lie down.” To make actual sleep explicit, use นอนหลับ or หลับ. For example, เขานอนอยู่ may mean “He is lying down” or “He is in bed,” while เขาหลับอยู่ clearly means “He is asleep.” When นอน is followed by another verb, it can describe doing that activity while lying down: นอนดูทีวี means “watch TV while lying down.” When followed by a place, it can mean sleeping or staying overnight there.
Usage
Use นอน when talking about bedtimes and sleep, lying down to rest, or where someone will stay for the night. It also appears in everyday expressions such as นอนโรงพยาบาล for staying in the hospital and นอนคุก for serving time in prison.
Caution
นอน and หลับ are not exact synonyms. นอน may describe someone who is lying down but still awake, whereas หลับ clearly indicates actual sleep. Also, นอนกับ followed by a person is often understood to mean “have sex with that person,” not merely “sleep near them.” To avoid ambiguity, use a more specific phrase such as นอนห้องเดียวกับ… (“sleep in the same room as…”).
Differences from similar words
1 sleep synonyms
-
หลับ specifically means falling asleep or being unconscious in sleep. นอน is broader and can describe going to bed even before sleep begins.
2 lie down synonyms
-
เอนตัว means to lean or recline and does not require a fully horizontal position. นอน normally places the body in a lying position.