วัน
day
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 day
- 2 day(s) [unit of duration]
This is the basic word for a day as a unit of time. It refers to calendar days, days of the week, and days associated with events, and it is also used after numbers to count days.
day
Refers to a 24-hour day or a particular day on a calendar or schedule. It is also widely used in names for weekdays and particular kinds of days.
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วันนี้วันอะไร wan níi wan aray What day of the week is it today? วันนี้วันอะไร details
day(s) [unit of duration]
Placed after a number or quantity expression to measure a period in days.
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ฉันอยู่กรุงเทพฯ ห้าวัน chǎn yùu kruŋthêep hâa wan I'm staying in Bangkok for five days. ฉันอยู่กรุงเทพฯ ห้าวัน details
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อีกสองวัน ìik sɔ̌ɔŋ wan in two more days อีกสองวัน details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central idea of วัน is time divided into units of days. It is a neutral, extremely common word used in both everyday conversation and formal contexts. Words added after วัน specify the kind of day: วันนี้ means “today,” วันจันทร์ means “Monday,” and วันเกิด means “birthday.” To express a number of days, use a number followed by วัน, as in หนึ่งวัน (“one day”) and สองวัน (“two days”). ทุกวัน means “every day,” while วันละสองครั้ง means “twice a day.” Although วัน can be associated with daytime in older usage and certain combinations, modern Thai normally uses กลางวัน or ตอนกลางวัน for “daytime.”
Usage
It is used constantly when discussing today, weekdays, schedules, days off, and birthdays. It also appears in travel durations, countdowns to deadlines, and instructions such as how many times to take medicine per day. Calendars, reservations, and forms commonly use วันที่ for specific dates.
Caution
Use วันอะไร to ask what day of the week it is, but วันที่เท่าไร to ask for the numbered calendar date. Also, สองวัน means “two days,” whereas วันที่สอง can mean “the second day” or “the second” as a date. A fly is แมลงวัน; วัน is not normally used by itself with that meaning in modern Thai.
Differences from similar words
1 day synonyms
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วันที่ is used for a numbered calendar date or to introduce a specific date. วัน is broader, referring to a day in general or a day of the week.