แคะ
pick out
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- 1 pick out、dig out
- 2 Hakka people、Hakka language
This word usually describes picking or digging something out of a hole, crevice, or mold with a fingernail or pointed tool. It can also refer to the Hakka people or their language.
pick out、dig out
To remove something lodged in a hole, crevice, or indentation by picking at it with a fingernail or pointed tool.
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แคะหู khɛ́ hǔu clean one's ear with an ear pick แคะหู details
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อย่าแคะจมูก yàa khɛ́ camùuk Don't pick your nose. อย่าแคะจมูก details
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เขาใช้ไม้จิ้มฟันแคะเศษอาหารออกจากฟัน khǎw cháy máay cîm fan khɛ́ sèet aahǎan ɔ̀ɔk càak fan He used a toothpick to pick food out from between his teeth. เขาใช้ไม้จิ้มฟันแคะเศษอาหารออกจากฟัน details
Hakka people、Hakka language
A name for the Hakka people, a Chinese ethnic and cultural group, and by extension their language.
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ชาวแคะ chaaw khɛ́ Hakka people ชาวแคะ details
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ภาษาแคะ phaasǎa khɛ́ the Hakka language ภาษาแคะ details
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อาหารจีนแคะ aahǎan ciin khɛ́ Hakka Chinese cuisine อาหารจีนแคะ details
Learning notes
Explanation
As a verb, แคะ evokes inserting a fingernail or a slender tool into a confined space and removing something through small, precise movements. Depending on the object, it may be translated as “pick,” “dig out,” or “pry out.” A body part can follow the verb directly, as in แคะหู, “to clean or pick one's ear.” When both the removed material and its original location are stated, ออกจาก clearly marks movement outward, as in แคะเศษอาหารออกจากฟัน, “to pick food out from between the teeth.” The noun แคะ is an unrelated homonym meaning “Hakka.” It commonly appears in expressions such as ชาวแคะ for the Hakka people and ภาษาแคะ for the Hakka language.
Usage
As a verb, it is common when talking about cleaning an ear, picking one's nose, removing food stuck between teeth, or taking food out of a cooking mold. As a noun, it appears in discussions of Hakka people, language, food, and culture.
Caution
แคะ is not a general verb for taking or removing something; it implies picking with a fingernail or narrow tool. Use หยิบ for simply picking an object up and เอาออก for removing it without specifying the method. Expressions such as แคะจมูก are ordinary language, although the action itself is considered impolite in public.
Differences from similar words
1 pick out synonyms
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แกะ broadly means to unwrap, untie, peel, or detach something. แคะ specifically emphasizes picking something out of a hole or narrow space with a fingernail or pointed tool.
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แงะ commonly means to pry something open or loose by applying leverage. แคะ describes the smaller, more precise action of picking material out of a confined space.