ฝน
rain
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 rain
- 2 sharpen (by rubbing)、grind (by rubbing)、shade in (with a pencil)
Most commonly, ฝน means rain. As a verb, it also describes rubbing something against a surface to sharpen, grind, or mark it.
rain
The everyday word for rain or rainfall from clouds.
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วันนี้ฝนตกหนักมาก wan níi fǒn tòk nàk mâak It is raining very heavily today. วันนี้ฝนตกหนักมาก details
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ฝนหยุดแล้ว fǒn yùt lɛ́ɛw The rain has stopped. ฝนหยุดแล้ว details
sharpen (by rubbing)、grind (by rubbing)、shade in (with a pencil)
To rub something repeatedly against a surface in order to sharpen it, grind it down, or make a pencil mark.
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ฝนมีด fǒn mîit sharpen a knife ฝนมีด details
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ฝนยา fǒn yaa grind medicine by rubbing ฝนยา details
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ฝนคำตอบด้วยดินสอ 2B fǒn khamtɔ̀ɔp dûay dinsɔ̌ɔ sɔ̌ɔŋ bii shade in the answer with a 2B pencil ฝนคำตอบด้วยดินสอ 2B details
Learning notes
Explanation
In everyday use, ฝน overwhelmingly refers to rain. The standard expression for “it rains” or “it is raining” is ฝนตก, with ตก describing the rain as falling. ฝนตกหนัก means “rain heavily,” while ฝนตกเบาๆ describes light rain. The verb ฝน has the underlying image of repeatedly rubbing an object against another surface. Depending on the object and context, the result may be sharpening a blade, grinding traditional medicine, or shading an answer bubble with a pencil. ฝน is also a common Thai nickname. When it refers to a person, it should be treated as a name rather than translated as “rain.”
Usage
It is extremely common in conversations about the weather, forecasts, travel plans, the rainy season, and disruptions caused by rain. The verb is used when maintaining blades, preparing traditional medicine by grinding, or filling in machine-readable answer sheets with a pencil.
Caution
To say that it is raining, use ฝนตก; ฝน meaning “rain” does not by itself function as the verb “to rain.” The noun and verb are spelled alike, so distinguish them through context, as in ฝนตก “rain falls” and ฝนมีด “sharpen a knife.”
Differences from similar words
2 sharpen (by rubbing) synonyms
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บด broadly means to crush or grind something into smaller pieces. ฝน specifically suggests reducing it by rubbing it against a surface.
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ลับ is commonly used specifically for sharpening a blade. ฝน emphasizes rubbing against a surface and can also be used with such things as traditional medicine or ink sticks.