ศีรษะ
head
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 head
This is a relatively formal word for a person’s head. It is common in medical, safety, official, and other objective contexts.
head
It refers to the uppermost part of the human body in relatively formal or careful language.
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สวมหมวกนิรภัยเพื่อป้องกันศีรษะ sǔam mùak níráphay phʉ̂a pɔ̂ɔŋkan sǐisà Wear a helmet to protect your head. สวมหมวกนิรภัยเพื่อป้องกันศีรษะ details
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ตั้งแต่ศีรษะจรดเท้า tâŋ tɛ̀ɛ sǐisà càròt tháaw from head to toe ตั้งแต่ศีรษะจรดเท้า details
Learning notes
Explanation
ศีรษะ means the human head. It is more formal than the everyday word หัว and is especially suitable for medical, official, safety-related, and objective descriptions. Common uses include ปวดศีรษะ, meaning “to have a headache,” and ป้องกันศีรษะ, meaning “to protect the head.” The word is of Sanskrit origin but is well established in modern Thai.
Usage
It is commonly used when discussing symptoms at a hospital and in health information, safety instructions, news reports, textbooks, and official writing. It is also understood in conversation, though หัว is more usual in casual speech.
Caution
ศีรษะ is used mainly for the human head and may sound overly formal if used repeatedly in casual conversation; หัว is normally preferred there. Learners should not treat ศีรษะ as the ordinary classifier for counting people.
Differences from similar words
1 head synonyms
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หัว is the everyday word for “head.” It can also refer to an animal’s head and has extended meanings such as “tip” or “heading.” ศีรษะ is more formal and is used mainly for the human head.