ชาน
porch
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 porch、veranda、terrace
- 2 fibrous residue、bagasse
- 3 [counter for porches and platforms]
This word mainly refers to a porch-like floor extending from a house. It can also mean the fibrous residue left after sugarcane or similar material has been chewed or pressed.
porch、veranda、terrace
A flat, porch-like area attached to the outside of a house, especially a traditional house.
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ยายนั่งอยู่บนชานเรือน yaay nâŋ yùu bon chaan rʉan Grandmother is sitting on the veranda. ยายนั่งอยู่บนชานเรือน details
fibrous residue、bagasse
The fibrous waste left after sugarcane, betel, or similar material has been chewed or pressed for its juice.
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ชานอ้อยนำไปใช้เป็นเชื้อเพลิงได้ chaan ɔ̂ɔy nam pay cháy pen chʉ́a phləəŋ dâay Sugarcane bagasse can be used as fuel. ชานอ้อยนำไปใช้เป็นเชื้อเพลิงได้ details
[counter for porches and platforms]
A classifier used for porch-like platforms or projecting floor areas.
Learning notes
Explanation
ชาน has two distinct noun meanings worth learning in modern Thai. In descriptions of houses, it means a flat floor extending outside the building. In a traditional Thai house, this area may serve as a place to sit, do household tasks, or move between rooms. It commonly appears in combinations such as ชานบ้าน “house porch” and ชานเรือน “veranda of a house.” It can also mean the fibrous material left after something has been chewed or pressed for its juice. A common example is ชานอ้อย, referring to chewed sugarcane pulp or industrial sugarcane bagasse. ชาน may also be repeated as a classifier when counting porch-like areas, though this use is less common than the noun uses. The word occurs in fixed compounds such as ชานพัก “stair landing,” ชานเมือง “outskirts,” and ชานชาลา “station platform.” These are best learned as complete words.
Usage
It is used when discussing homes and traditional architecture, especially porch-like floors attached to a house. Its residue sense appears when talking about chewing sugarcane or using sugarcane bagasse after sugar production. Learners will also frequently encounter it in compounds such as ชานเมือง and ชานชาลา.
Caution
Use the full compound ชานชาลา for a station platform and ชานเมือง for the outskirts of a city; ชาน alone does not normally replace these words. ชานบ้าน is a floor attached to a house, unlike ลานบ้าน, which refers to an open yard or area around the house. Do not confuse ชาน with ชา, meaning “numb.”
Differences from similar words
1 porch synonyms
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ระเบียง is a broader term for a balcony, veranda, or raised passage, often with a railing. ชาน focuses more on the flat porch-like floor extending outside a house.
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เฉลียง often refers to a covered porch along the front or side of a house. ชาน can refer more generally to the projecting floor itself, whether covered or uncovered.
2 fibrous residue synonyms
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กาก is a general word for residue, sediment, or waste left by processing or filtering. ชาน more specifically refers to fibrous material left after chewing or pressing.