น้ำลาย
saliva
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 saliva、spit、drool
A common word for the fluid produced in a person’s or animal’s mouth, including saliva, spit, and drool depending on the context.
saliva、spit、drool
The fluid produced in the mouth, whether it remains in the mouth as saliva, is expelled as spit, or runs out as drool.
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เห็นอาหารแล้วน้ำลายสอ hěn aahǎan lɛ́ɛw nám laay sɔ̌ɔ Seeing the food made my mouth water. เห็นอาหารแล้วน้ำลายสอ details
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อย่าบ้วนน้ำลายลงพื้น yàa bûan nám laay loŋ phʉ́ʉn Don’t spit on the floor. อย่าบ้วนน้ำลายลงพื้น details
Learning notes
Explanation
This is the ordinary Thai word for saliva and is used in both everyday conversation and medical contexts. English chooses among “saliva,” “spit,” and “drool” according to what the fluid is doing, while Thai generally uses น้ำลาย for all three. Common combinations include น้ำลายไหล “to drool,” น้ำลายสอ “to have one’s mouth water,” กลืนน้ำลาย “to swallow one’s saliva,” and บ้วนน้ำลาย “to spit.” น้ำลายไหล can also be used figuratively when food or something else looks extremely tempting.
Usage
It is commonly used when talking about a baby drooling, drooling during sleep, one’s mouth watering at food, oral health, saliva samples, or the act of spitting.
Caution
To say “spit,” use a verb with the noun, such as บ้วนน้ำลาย or ถุยน้ำลาย; น้ำลาย by itself names the fluid and does not express the action. Figurative น้ำลายไหล can sound teasing or crude when it describes someone’s desire for another person.