สกปรก
dirty
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 dirty、unclean
- 2 dishonest、underhanded、unscrupulous
- 3 crude、obscene
This word primarily describes something as physically dirty or unclean. By extension, it can also describe dishonest methods or crude and obscene language or content.
dirty、unclean
Describes a person, object, piece of clothing, or place that is physically dirty or unhygienic.
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มือสกปรก ล้างมือก่อนนะ mʉʉ sòkkapròk láaŋ mʉʉ kɔ̀ɔn ná Your hands are dirty. Wash them first. มือสกปรก ล้างมือก่อนนะ details
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อย่าทำพื้นสกปรก yàa tham phʉ́ʉn sòkkapròk Don't make the floor dirty. อย่าทำพื้นสกปรก details
dishonest、underhanded、unscrupulous
Describes methods or conduct as morally dirty, dishonest, or unfair.
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เขาใช้วิธีสกปรก khǎw cháy wíthii sòkkapròk He used underhanded methods. เขาใช้วิธีสกปรก details
crude、obscene
Describes speech, jokes, or subject matter as crude, offensive, or obscene.
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อย่าพูดเรื่องสกปรก yàa phûut rʉ̂aŋ sòkkapròk Don't talk about obscene things. อย่าพูดเรื่องสกปรก details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core image of สกปรก is that something is unclean and objectionable. Its most common use concerns physical dirt on rooms, clothing, hands, streets, and similar things. It can follow a noun, as in ห้องสกปรก, “a dirty room,” or function as the predicate, as in ห้องนี้สกปรก, “This room is dirty.” The pattern ทำ + object + สกปรก means to make that object dirty. Like “dirty” in English, it also extends to dishonest methods and crude or obscene content. The surrounding noun—such as วิธี “method,” การเมือง “politics,” คำพูด “speech,” or เรื่อง “subject/story”—usually makes the intended meaning clear.
Usage
It is common in everyday situations involving cleaning and hygiene, such as describing a room that needs cleaning, stained clothing, unwashed hands, or an unsanitary place. It is also used to criticize underhanded tactics in politics, work, or sports, and to disapprove of crude jokes, obscene subjects, or offensive speech.
Caution
For a place that is merely cluttered, รก, “messy or cluttered,” is usually more accurate. สกปรก normally implies actual dirt or uncleanliness. Calling someone คนสกปรก can sound like an attack not only on their hygiene but also on their character, so use it cautiously when referring directly to a person.
Differences from similar words
1 dirty synonyms
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เปื้อน focuses on a stain, mark, or other substance being on a surface. สกปรก gives a broader judgment that something is dirty or unclean.
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เลอะเทอะ often suggests that dirt is smeared around and can also describe a messy state. สกปรก more directly means physically dirty or unclean.
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โสโครก is stronger and suggests extreme filth or foulness. สกปรก is the ordinary, broader word for being dirty.
2 dishonest synonyms
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ต่ำช้า strongly condemns a person or act as vile or morally base. สกปรก is especially common for describing methods or conduct as dirty and underhanded.
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ทุจริต more explicitly refers to corruption, fraud, or formal wrongdoing. สกปรก is figurative and can condemn any method as underhanded or unfair, even without specifying a legal offense.
3 crude synonyms
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ลามก specifically describes sexually obscene or indecent content. สกปรก can have that meaning in context, but it also covers crude or offensive language more broadly.
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หยาบคาย means rude or ill-mannered and does not necessarily imply sexual content. สกปรก carries the stronger image of dirtiness and may also suggest obscenity.