เตา
stove
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 stove、oven、furnace or kiln
- 2 [classifier for stoves, ovens, and furnaces]
This word refers broadly to equipment that uses heat for cooking, baking, firing, or burning, including stoves, ovens, kilns, and furnaces.
stove、oven、furnace or kiln
A device or structure that produces or contains heat for cooking, baking, firing, or burning. Another word is often added to specify the type or heat source.
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ย่างกุ้งบนเตาถ่าน yâaŋ kûŋ bon taw thàan Grill the shrimp over charcoal. ย่างกุ้งบนเตาถ่าน details
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ตั้งหม้อบนเตา tâŋ mɔ̂ɔ bon taw put a pot on the stove ตั้งหม้อบนเตา details
[classifier for stoves, ovens, and furnaces]
A classifier used when counting stoves, cooking hearths, furnaces, and similar heating equipment.
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เตาแก๊สสองเตา taw kɛ́ɛt sɔ̌ɔŋ taw two gas stoves เตาแก๊สสองเตา details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central image of เตา is a device or enclosed place where heat is produced or retained for a practical purpose. Depending on context, it can refer to a household stove or cooking hearth, an oven, a kiln, or an industrial furnace. Thai commonly adds a word describing the heat source or function, as in เตาแก๊ส “gas stove,” เตาอบ “oven,” and เตาเผา “kiln” or “incinerator.” เตา can also serve as its own classifier. เครื่อง may be used when the item is viewed primarily as an appliance or machine, while อัน is a more general classifier for objects.
Usage
It is common in homes and restaurant kitchens when discussing cooking, operating a stove, or checking whether it has been turned off. It also appears in compounds for ovens, pottery kilns, industrial furnaces, and waste incinerators. Common combinations include เปิดเตา “turn on the stove,” ปิดเตา “turn off the stove,” and บนเตา “on the stove.”
Caution
Although “stove” can sometimes refer to a room heater in English, เตา by itself usually suggests equipment used for cooking, firing, or burning. A room heater is more clearly called เครื่องทำความร้อน. Use a specific compound when you mean a particular appliance such as an oven or microwave. Also, do not confuse เตา with เต่า, which means “turtle.”