กำไร
profit
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 profit、financial gain
- 2 extra benefit、unexpected gain
This word refers primarily to profit—the amount left after costs are covered. It can also describe an extra benefit gained from an experience or situation.
profit、financial gain
Money gained beyond the costs of doing business or making an investment.
extra benefit、unexpected gain
An extra personal benefit or value gained beyond what was expected from an experience or situation.
Learning notes
Explanation
The central idea is a surplus: something remains after the original costs or investment have been recovered. Its most common use is financial. Common patterns include มีกำไร “to be profitable,” ได้กำไร “to gain a profit,” and ทำกำไร “to make a profit.” Its opposite is ขาดทุน, meaning to incur a loss or operate at a deficit. The same surplus image can be extended to knowledge, relationships, and experiences that provide more value than expected. The expression กำไรชีวิต describes such an added bonus or unexpected reward in life.
Usage
It is very common when discussing sales, business operations, investments, and accounting—any situation in which income is compared with costs. In everyday conversation, it is also used to ask whether selling something at a certain price will be profitable. Figuratively, it can describe unexpected value gained through travel, learning, or meeting people.
Caution
กำไร is primarily a noun. To say “make a profit,” use a construction such as ได้กำไร or ทำกำไร rather than treating it as a verb by itself. It is not the same as ยอดขาย “sales” or รายได้ “revenue/income”: กำไร is what remains after costs. Do not confuse its spelling with กำไล, which means “bracelet.”
Differences from similar words
1 profit synonyms
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ผลกำไร also means “profit” but is more explicit and often appears in business reports or discussions of financial results. กำไร is shorter and equally natural in everyday conversation.
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ผลประโยชน์ means a benefit, interest, or advantage and is not limited to money earned in business. กำไร more specifically refers to profit remaining after costs.
2 extra benefit synonyms
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ประโยชน์ refers broadly to usefulness or a benefit something provides. กำไร presents the benefit as an extra gain beyond what was invested or expected.