เหล่าทัพ
branches of the armed forces
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 branches of the armed forces
This term refers collectively to the major branches of a country's armed forces, such as the army, navy, and air force.
branches of the armed forces
It denotes the separate services that make up the armed forces, especially the army, navy, and air force.
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ผู้บัญชาการเหล่าทัพเข้าร่วมประชุม phûu banchaa kaan làw tháp khâw rûam prachum The commanders of the armed services attended the meeting. ผู้บัญชาการเหล่าทัพเข้าร่วมประชุม details
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กำลังพลจากทั้งสามเหล่าทัพ kamlaŋ phon càak tháŋ sǎam làw tháp personnel from all three armed services กำลังพลจากทั้งสามเหล่าทัพ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The word combines เหล่า, meaning a group or category, with ทัพ, meaning a military force. It commonly groups together กองทัพบก (the army), กองทัพเรือ (the navy), and กองทัพอากาศ (the air force). For example, ทั้งสามเหล่าทัพ means “all three armed services,” and ผู้บัญชาการเหล่าทัพ refers to the commanders of the respective services. Depending on the sentence, it may be translated as “the armed services,” “the military branches,” or collectively “the armed forces.”
Usage
It is common in news reports, government announcements, and military contexts involving defense policy, service commanders, joint exercises, or disaster relief. It is less common in ordinary everyday conversation.
Caution
Do not normally use this word for specialized corps within a service, such as infantry, artillery, or engineers; เหล่าทหาร or the specific corps name is used instead. For a single army or a military organization in general, กองทัพ is usually the more appropriate term.
Differences from similar words
1 branches of the armed forces synonyms
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กองทัพ is a broad term for an army, a military organization, or the armed forces as a whole. เหล่าทัพ focuses on the different services or branches that make up the armed forces.