ค่ำ
dusk
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 dusk、evening、early night、reach nightfall
- 2 day [Thai lunar calendar]
This word centers on the transition from daylight to the early part of the night. It can refer to evening, becoming dark, doing something late in the evening, or a day in the lunar calendar.
dusk、evening、early night、reach nightfall
The period around nightfall and the early part of the night.
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ตอนค่ำ tɔɔn khâm in the evening ตอนค่ำ details
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เจอกันตอนค่ำ cəə kan tɔɔn khâm Let's meet in the evening. เจอกันตอนค่ำ details
day [Thai lunar calendar]
Counts days within the waxing or waning half of a Thai lunar month.
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ขึ้น 15 ค่ำ khʉ̂n sìp hâa khâm the 15th day of the waxing moon (the full-moon day) ขึ้น 15 ค่ำ details
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แรม 8 ค่ำ rɛɛm pɛ̀ɛt khâm the eighth day of the waning moon แรม 8 ค่ำ details
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วันขึ้น 15 ค่ำ เดือน 6 wan khʉ̂n sìp hâa khâm dʉan hòk the full-moon day of the sixth lunar month วันขึ้น 15 ค่ำ เดือน 6 details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central image of ค่ำ is the end of daylight and the beginning of night. As a noun, it appears in expressions such as ตอนค่ำ (“in the evening”). As a verb, ค่ำแล้ว means that night has fallen. It also modifies actions in common patterns such as กลับค่ำ (“come home late in the evening”) and จนค่ำ (“until nightfall”). In the Thai lunar calendar, it follows a number to count days in the waxing or waning half of a lunar month, as in ขึ้น 15 ค่ำ and แรม 8 ค่ำ. This usage often appears in dates for traditional festivals, public holidays, and temple events.
Usage
It is common in everyday conversations about evening plans, meeting times, arriving home after dark, or activities continuing until nightfall. Its lunar-calendar use appears in dates for Buddhist observances and traditional festivals.
Caution
ค่ำ usually focuses on nightfall and early evening. Use คืน for the night as a whole or in expressions such as “tonight” and “last night,” เย็น for the earlier evening while daylight may remain, and ดึก for late at night. The lunar-calendar use of ค่ำ does not count dates in the ordinary solar calendar.
Differences from similar words
1 dusk synonyms
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เย็น usually refers to the late afternoon or early evening, often while there is still daylight. ค่ำ focuses more on nightfall and the time after it becomes dark.