ห่วย
terrible
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 terrible、poor-quality
A blunt slang term for something of very poor quality or performance. It can also insult someone as useless or no good.
terrible、poor-quality
Bluntly describes the quality, ability, or performance of something as very bad or far below standard.
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บริการห่วยมาก bɔɔrikaan hùay mâak The service is terrible. บริการห่วยมาก details
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หนังเรื่องนี้ห่วยแตก nǎŋ rʉ̂aŋ níi hùaytɛ̀ɛk This movie is absolute garbage. หนังเรื่องนี้ห่วยแตก details
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ทีมนี้เล่นห่วยมาก thiim níi lên hùay mâak This team is playing terribly. ทีมนี้เล่นห่วยมาก details
Learning notes
Explanation
ห่วย is blunt, colloquial slang used to condemn poor quality, ability, or performance. Depending on the target, natural translations include “terrible,” “lousy,” “poor-quality,” “bad at,” and “sucks.” It can follow a noun, as in บริการห่วย (“lousy service”), or describe how an action is performed, as in เล่นห่วย (“play badly”). The pattern ห่วยเรื่อง + subject or skill means “to be terrible at” that area. ห่วยแตก is a stronger form meaning “absolutely terrible.” Used as a label for a person—especially with ไอ้ or อี—it becomes a direct insult meaning “useless loser” or “good-for-nothing.”
Usage
Common in casual conversation, social media, reviews, and complaints when bluntly criticizing movies, games, products, food, service, work, or sports performance. Speakers may also use it self-deprecatingly to say they are terrible at something.
Caution
This word is harsh and unsuitable for polite or professional feedback. Addressing a person with it can be seriously insulting. Use ไม่ค่อยดี (“not very good”) or คุณภาพไม่ดี (“poor in quality”) when a softer, more neutral judgment is needed. Do not confuse it with หวย, a different word meaning “lottery.”
Differences from similar words
1 terrible synonyms
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เลว can make a moral judgment that a person or an act is bad or wicked. ห่วย usually attacks poor quality, ability, or performance rather than calling something morally evil.
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แย่ is a general word for “bad” or “terrible” and is less abrasive. ห่วย is slang that more strongly dismisses quality or performance as lousy.
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ไม่ได้เรื่อง describes someone or something as incompetent, useless, or not up to the job. ห่วย also applies broadly to lousy products, entertainment, service, skills, and performance.