politician
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 politician
It refers to a person whose profession or main public role involves politics, such as elections, policymaking, or party activities.
politician
A general term for someone professionally or actively involved in politics.
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นักการเมืองควรรับฟังความคิดเห็นของประชาชน nák kaan mʉaŋ khuan ráp faŋ khwaam khít hěn khɔ̌ɔŋ pràchaachon Politicians should listen to the views of the public. นักการเมืองควรรับฟังความคิดเห็นของประชาชน details
Learning notes
Explanation
The word is formed from นัก, which refers to a person who regularly or professionally engages in an activity, and การเมือง, meaning “politics.” It is a broad term rather than the name of a particular office. It can refer to legislators, local elected officials, ministers, and prominent party figures. The word itself is generally neutral, though context and tone may convey approval, criticism, or sarcasm. The classifier for individual politicians is คน; for example, นักการเมืองสามคน means “three politicians.”
Usage
It is widely used in election coverage, political news, debates, civics discussions, and everyday conversations about politics. It commonly appears when discussing politicians’ policies, statements, election results, party activities, or public reputation.
Caution
นักการเมือง is a broad term, not a specific office such as สมาชิกสภาผู้แทนราษฎร (“member of the House of Representatives”) or รัฐมนตรี (“minister”). It is also normally distinguished from ข้าราชการ, a government official or civil servant. Someone who merely knows a lot about politics is not usually called นักการเมือง.