ทั้ง

Explanation

The core idea of ทั้ง is taking the full scope as a whole. It appears in expressions such as ทั้งวัน “all day,” ทั้งคืน “all night,” ทั้งสองคน “both people,” and เมืองทั้งเมือง “the whole town.” It is usually used together with another word rather than as a standalone “all”; ทั้งหมด is the common standalone-like form for “all/everything.” The pattern ทั้ง A และ B means “both A and B” and is a fairly orderly way to list included items. ทั้งนี้ is common in written explanations and notices, meaning roughly “in this regard” or “accordingly.”

Usage

This word is common in both conversation and writing. Use it when saying that all people or things are included, that something lasts for a whole period of time, or that both listed qualities or options apply. ทั้งที่ is useful when describing a result or action that goes against what would normally be expected.

Caution

ทั้ง can overlap with English “all,” but it is not always used alone. For “all/everything,” ทั้งหมด is often the natural choice. Also, ทั้งที่ does not mean “because”; it means “even though” and introduces a contrast.

1 all synonyms

• ทุก

  thúk every

  ทุก focuses on every individual item in a set, as in ทุกวัน “every day.” ทั้ง treats the whole scope as one complete block, as in ทั้งวัน “all day.”

• หมด

  mòt all

  หมด often means “be used up” or “finished.” ทั้งหมด is a common word for “all/everything,” while ทั้ง by itself usually modifies another word or appears in a set expression.

2 both A and B synonyms

• กับ

  kàp and

  กับ is the common spoken “and/with.” ทั้ง A กับ B is possible, but ทั้ง A และ B sounds more orderly or formal.

• และ

  lɛ́ and

  และ simply links A and B as “and.” ทั้ง...และ... explicitly emphasizes that both A and B are included.