ชาติ
nation
Native recording
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- 1 nation、country、national community、homeland
- 2 people、nationals、ethnic group、nationality
- 3 life、incarnation、this life、next life、previous life、birth
ชาติ refers to a large shared identity or origin. It commonly means a nation, national community, or ethnic group, and it is also used for one lifetime or incarnation, as in this life or the next life.
nation、country、national community、homeland
This sense refers to a nation or national community, often with a stronger feeling of shared people, culture, history, or identity than just a geographic country.
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รักชาติ rák châat to love one’s country รักชาติ details
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เพลงชาติ phleeŋ châat national anthem เพลงชาติ details
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ธงชาติไทย thoŋ châat thay the Thai national flag ธงชาติไทย details
people、nationals、ethnic group、nationality
This sense refers to a people, nationality, or ethnic group viewed as sharing history, culture, origin, or identity.
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ชนชาติไทย chonchâat thay the Thai people ชนชาติไทย details
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คนในชาติ khon nay châat people of the nation คนในชาติ details
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ชาติพันธุ์ châattìphan ethnic group ชาติพันธุ์ details
life、incarnation、this life、next life、previous life、birth
This sense means one life or incarnation, especially in the idea of rebirth. It appears in common expressions such as ชาตินี้ “this life” and ชาติหน้า “the next life.”
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ชาตินี้ châat níi this life ชาตินี้ details
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ชาติหน้า châat nâa the next life ชาติหน้า details
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ชาติที่แล้ว châat thîi lɛ́ɛw a previous life ชาติที่แล้ว details
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ต้องรอเป็นชาติ tɔ̂ŋ rɔɔ pen châat to have to wait forever ต้องรอเป็นชาติ details
Learning notes
Explanation
ชาติ comes from Pali/Sanskrit and is common in both everyday and formal Thai. Compared with ประเทศ, which is the ordinary word for a country as a place or administrative unit, ชาติ carries a stronger sense of national identity, shared people, culture, or homeland. It is very common in compounds such as เพลงชาติ, ธงชาติ, รักชาติ, and ทีมชาติ. Another important use is one lifetime or incarnation in the idea of rebirth. Expressions like ชาตินี้, ชาติหน้า, and ชาติที่แล้ว are used not only in religious contexts but also in everyday exaggeration or joking.
Usage
You will hear ชาติ in news, politics, history, school settings, and public ceremonies when people talk about the nation, citizens, or ethnic groups. In everyday speech it also appears in expressions about this life, the next life, fate, jokes, or strong exaggeration.
Caution
For a country as a travel destination or location, ประเทศ is usually more natural. ชาติ can carry national or ethnic identity, so use care when applying it to groups of people.
Differences from similar words
1 nation synonyms
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ประเทศชาติ is a fuller, weightier word for the country or nation, often used in serious or public contexts. ชาติ is shorter and very common in compounds and patriotic expressions.
2 people synonyms
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ประชาชน means people, citizens, or the public in a general way. ชาติ views people as a shared national or cultural body.
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เชื้อชาติ points more directly to race or ethnic origin. ชาติ is broader and can mean a people, a nation, or a national community depending on context.
3 life synonyms
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กำเนิด means birth, origin, or coming into being. ชาติ can refer to a life or birth, and in ชาติกำเนิด it means one’s birth, origin, or lineage.