เอา

Explanation

The core idea of เอา is bringing something under one’s control and handling it according to one’s intention. Its translation therefore depends heavily on what follows and on the situation. เอา + object + ไป means to take something away, เอา + object + มา means to bring something, and เอา + object + ไว้ means to keep or leave something somewhere. In shopping and ordering, เอาอันนี้ means “I’ll take this one.” Objects are often omitted when clear from context, as in เอาไหม “Do you want it?” and ไม่เอา “I don’t want it” or “No.” It also occurs in common fixed patterns such as เอาแต่ + verb “do nothing but…,” เอาเป็นว่า “let’s say/agree that…,” and เอาให้ได้ “make sure it gets done.” In its ordinary senses, เอา is conversational but not inherently rude.

Usage

เอา is extremely common in everyday situations: choosing merchandise, ordering food or drinks, offering or refusing something, asking someone to bring an item, telling someone where to put it, or using an object as material. It frequently appears in short exchanges such as เอาอันนี้ “I’ll take this,” เอาไหม “Want it?”, ไม่เอา “No/I don’t want it,” and เอามา “Bring it here.”

Caution

Do not memorize เอา only as “take”; that will not account for its use in choosing an order or refusing an offer. Using a person directly as its object can also suggest the sexual slang sense, so make the intended movement or purpose explicit, as in เอาเขาไป… “take him/her to….” In a confrontational context, หรือจะเอา can mean “You want to fight?”, so avoid using it casually.

1 take synonyms

• นำ

  nam bring

  นำ is a more formal verb meaning “lead” or “bring.” เอา is the natural everyday choice and commonly combines with ไป or มา to show direction.

• หยิบ

  yìp take out

  หยิบ specifically means picking something up with the hand or fingers. เอา is broader and can include taking the object somewhere afterward.

2 want synonyms

• รับ

  ráp accept

  รับ focuses on receiving something offered or formally accepting a request or condition. เอา puts more emphasis on wanting or choosing the item or option.

• อยากได้

  อยากได้ explicitly describes the desire to obtain something. เอา often indicates a practical choice or acceptance, as when ordering or selecting an offered item.

3 have sex [explicit slang] synonyms

• มีเพศสัมพันธ์

  มีเพศสัมพันธ์ is a neutral, clinical expression for having sexual intercourse. Sexual เอา is blunt and explicit, so it should be avoided in polite or public settings.