ขุ่น
murky
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 murky、turbid、cloudy (not transparent)
It primarily describes water or another substance that has lost its clarity and become murky. It can also describe a mind troubled by displeasure or anger.
murky、turbid、cloudy (not transparent)
Describes water, liquids, glass, or similar things that are not clear or transparent.
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น้ำในคลองขุ่นมาก náam nay khlɔɔŋ khùn mâak The water in the canal is very murky. น้ำในคลองขุ่นมาก details
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ฝนตกทำให้น้ำขุ่น fǒn tòk tham hây náam khùn The rain made the water murky. ฝนตกทำให้น้ำขุ่น details
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แก้วใบนี้ดูขุ่น ๆ kɛ̂ɛw bay níi duu khùn khùn This glass looks a little cloudy. แก้วใบนี้ดูขุ่น ๆ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central image is something losing its clarity and becoming clouded. In น้ำขุ่น, this is literal murkiness; in ขุ่นใจ, the same image is extended to an unsettled or displeased mind. As a Thai stative word, ขุ่น can modify a noun or function as the predicate: น้ำขุ่น can mean either “murky water” or “the water is murky,” depending on context. Common patterns include เริ่มขุ่น “begin to turn murky,” ขุ่นขึ้น “become murkier,” and ทำให้ขุ่น “make murky.”
Usage
It is commonly used for rivers, canals, aquarium water, or glass that has become murky or cloudy. In emotional contexts, it usually appears in expressions such as ขุ่นใจ and ขุ่นเคือง when someone feels upset, offended, or resentful.
Caution
ขุ่น describes a loss of clarity, so it is not interchangeable with สกปรก, the general word for dirty or unclean. It is also not the usual word for cloudy weather; ครึ้ม is more natural in that context. For emotions, ขุ่น is generally used in compounds such as ขุ่นใจ or ขุ่นเคือง rather than by itself.
Differences from similar words
1 murky synonyms
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มัว broadly describes something visually dim, blurred, or indistinct. ขุ่น focuses more specifically on a loss of clarity, especially in water or another transparent substance.
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สกปรก means dirty or unclean in a general or hygienic sense. ขุ่น describes a lack of clarity and does not necessarily mean that something is filthy.