แก้ว
drinking glass
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 drinking glass、cup
- 2 glassful [counter for beverages]、cupful [counter for beverages]
- 3 glass (material)、crystal or precious gem [mainly in compounds]
In everyday Thai, แก้ว most often refers to a drinking glass or cup and also counts drinks by the glassful. It can also mean glass as a material and appears in the names of certain plants and animals.
drinking glass、cup
A cup or drinking glass, especially a handleless container for beverages; it does not have to be made of glass.
-
แก้วนี้ของใคร kɛ̂ɛw níi khɔ̌ɔŋ khray Whose cup is this? แก้วนี้ของใคร details
-
ใส่น้ำในแก้ว sày náam nay kɛ̂ɛw Put water in the glass. ใส่น้ำในแก้ว details
glassful [counter for beverages]、cupful [counter for beverages]
Used to count servings of a beverage by the cup or glass.
-
ขอน้ำหนึ่งแก้ว khɔ̌ɔ náam nʉ̀ŋ kɛ̂ɛw A glass of water, please. ขอน้ำหนึ่งแก้ว details
-
กาแฟสองแก้ว kaafɛɛ sɔ̌ɔŋ kɛ̂ɛw two cups of coffee กาแฟสองแก้ว details
Show more (1)
-
ดื่มเบียร์ไปสามแก้ว dʉ̀ʉm bia pay sǎam kɛ̂ɛw I drank three glasses of beer. ดื่มเบียร์ไปสามแก้ว details
glass (material)、crystal or precious gem [mainly in compounds]
Glass as a hard, transparent material. In some established or literary compounds, it can also evoke crystal or a precious transparent gem.
-
ขวดแก้ว khùat kɛ̂ɛw glass bottle ขวดแก้ว details
Learning notes
Explanation
The key distinction is between the container and the amount it holds. แก้ว is a noun meaning a drinking glass or cup, but it also functions as a counter for beverages served by the glassful. As a container, แก้ว is not limited to objects made of glass. For example, แก้วกระดาษ is a paper cup and แก้วพลาสติก is a plastic cup. When counting the containers themselves, ใบ is commonly used: แก้วสามใบ means “three cups.” When counting servings, น้ำสามแก้ว means “three glasses of water.” As a material, แก้ว means glass, as in ขวดแก้ว, “glass bottle.” Its older association with crystal, gems, and precious things now survives mainly in established compounds and literary expressions.
Usage
It is extremely common when ordering drinks, talking about cups at home, or saying how many glasses of something were consumed. The material sense appears in descriptions of bottles, dishes, and other glass products. นกแก้ว occurs in conversations about parrots, while ต้นแก้ว and ดอกแก้ว are used when discussing garden plants and flowers.
Caution
As a beverage container, แก้ว does not imply that the item is made of glass. Also, windowpanes and mirrors are normally called กระจก. Use แก้วสามใบ for three cup containers, but น้ำสามแก้ว for three glasses of water.
Differences from similar words
1 drinking glass synonyms
-
ถ้วย can refer to a handled cup or a small bowl. แก้ว more typically means a drinking glass or similar upright beverage container.
3 glass (material) synonyms
-
กระจก usually refers to a mirror or a pane of glass, such as window glass. แก้ว refers more broadly to glass as a material or identifies an object as glass-made.