ไหม้
burn
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 burn、become scorched、be damaged by heat
- 2 burnt、scorched
This everyday word describes something burning, becoming scorched, or being damaged by fire, excessive heat, sunlight, or electrical overheating.
burn、become scorched、be damaged by heat
Describes something catching fire, becoming scorched through excessive heating, or suffering heat-related damage.
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กระดาษไหม้หมดแล้ว kradàat mây mòt lɛ́ɛw All the paper has burned up. กระดาษไหม้หมดแล้ว details
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บ้านถูกไฟไหม้ bâan thùuk fay mây The house burned down in a fire. บ้านถูกไฟไหม้ details
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ผิวไหม้แดด phǐw mây dɛ̀ɛt The skin gets sunburned. ผิวไหม้แดด details
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เกิดเหตุเพลิงไหม้ kə̀ət hèet phləəŋ mây A fire broke out. เกิดเหตุเพลิงไหม้ details
burnt、scorched
Describes something that is already burnt, scorched, or damaged by fire or excessive heat.
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กลิ่นไหม้ klìn mây a burning smell กลิ่นไหม้ details
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ขนมปังไหม้ khanǒm paŋ mây burnt bread ขนมปังไหม้ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central idea of ไหม้ is that something burns, becomes scorched, or is damaged through exposure to fire or intense heat. Its natural translation depends on the affected object. A building burns, food becomes burnt, skin gets sunburned, and an electrical motor burns out. The affected object normally serves as the subject: บ้านไหม้ means “the house burns,” while ข้าวไหม้ means “the rice burns.” To say that someone caused something to burn, Thai commonly uses ทำ + object + ไหม้ as a result construction, as in ฉันทำขนมปังไหม้, “I burnt the bread.” ไฟไหม้ is an especially important combination. It commonly means “a fire” or describes something being on fire. เกิดไฟไหม้ means “a fire breaks out.”
Usage
It is commonly used when food burns during cooking and when discussing fires involving houses, vehicles, or forests. It also appears in descriptions of burning smells, sunburned skin, overheated wiring, and electrical equipment that has burnt out. The word is frequent in everyday conversation, news reports, and fire warnings.
Caution
ไหม้ focuses mainly on the thing that burns or becomes scorched. Use เผา when someone intentionally burns something, as in “burn the garbage.” With food, สุก means that it is properly cooked through, while ไหม้ means that excessive heat has caused it to burn, an ordinarily undesirable result.
Differences from similar words
1 burn synonyms
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เกรียม emphasizes a surface being deeply browned or charred. ไหม้ is broader and covers both things on fire and food becoming burnt.
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เผา means to intentionally burn or incinerate something. In contrast, ไหม้ describes the affected thing burning or becoming scorched.