ปลา
fish
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- 1 fish
This is the basic Thai word for fish, whether referring to the living animal or fish used as food.
fish
It refers to fish as an animal and, depending on context, to fish prepared or eaten as food.
Learning notes
Explanation
ปลา is a neutral, everyday noun used for both living fish and fish as food. The classifier for individual fish is ตัว. For example, ปลา一ตัว means “one fish,” and ปลาสองตัว means “two fish.” Fish sold by weight may instead be measured in kilograms, as in ปลาโลหนึ่ง, “one kilogram of fish.” ปลา commonly appears before the name of a fish or a cooking method. For example, ปลาฉลาม means “shark,” ปลาทอด means “fried fish,” and ปลาย่าง means “grilled fish.”
Usage
It is common when talking about fish in rivers, the sea, or aquariums; keeping fish; fishing; and commercial fishing. It is also frequently used when buying fish or discussing and ordering fish dishes.
Caution
ปลา alone does not specify the species or how the fish is prepared, so add a fish name or cooking method when needed. Also, some animal names containing ปลา do not refer to biological fish; for example, ปลาวาฬ means “whale.”