ขณะ

Explanation

The core idea of ขณะ is a specific moment or stretch of time in which an event is happening. For casual “now,” ตอนนี้ is usually more natural, while ขณะนี้ is a more formal “at present.” For learners, it is most useful to learn it in patterns such as ขณะนี้, ขณะนั้น, ขณะที่..., and ในขณะเดียวกัน.

Usage

It is common in news, announcements, explanatory writing, business communication, and formal spoken explanations. It can be used in conversation, but in casual speech words like ตอนนี้, ตอนที่, and ระหว่างที่ often sound more natural.

Caution

ขณะที่ can mean either “while/when” or “whereas,” so the surrounding context decides whether it is temporal or contrastive. Using ขณะนี้ too often in casual conversation can sound stiff.

1 moment synonyms

• ตอน

  tɔɔn time

  ตอน is a common conversational word for a time, part, or episode. ขณะ is more formal and points more precisely to the moment or span during which something happens.

• เวลา

  weelaa time

  เวลา is the general word for time. ขณะ is more specifically the time or moment connected with an event.

2 while synonyms

• ระหว่างที่

  ระหว่างที่ naturally means “during the time that” and is easy to use in everyday speech. ขณะที่ can mean the same thing, but it sounds more formal or explanatory.

• เมื่อ

  mʉ̂a when

  เมื่อ means “when” and often points to the time an event happened. ขณะที่ more strongly suggests that something happens during an ongoing action or situation.

3 at the same time synonyms

• พร้อมกัน

  พร้อมกัน simply means “together” or “at the same time.” ในขณะเดียวกัน is often used to connect statements and present simultaneous or contrasting situations.

• ในเวลาเดียวกัน

  ในเวลาเดียวกัน also means “at the same time.” ในขณะเดียวกัน is common in explanations or news writing and can also mean “meanwhile” in a contrasting flow.