how old
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- 1 how old、what age
This expression asks how old a person or animal is.
how old、what age
Used to ask the age of a person or animal.
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คุณอายุเท่าไรครับ khun aayú thâw ray khráp How old are you? คุณอายุเท่าไรครับ details
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ลูกอายุเท่าไรแล้ว lûuk aayú thâw ray lɛ́ɛw How old is your child now? ลูกอายุเท่าไรแล้ว details
Learning notes
Explanation
This expression combines อายุ, “age,” with เท่าไร, “how much” or “what amount.” Its literal structure is roughly “What is the age?” The person or animal being asked about usually comes first, as in คุณอายุเท่าไร, “How old are you?” When the subject is clear from context, อายุเท่าไร can stand alone as a question. For a polite question, male speakers normally add ครับ and female speakers add คะ. The spelling เท่าไหร่ is also extremely common in everyday writing, while เท่าไร is the standard spelling. An age can be given with a number plus ปี, “year,” as in อายุยี่สิบปี or simply ยี่สิบปี, “twenty years old.”
Usage
It is used when asking someone’s age, discussing a child’s or family member’s age, or confirming age at a hospital, school, or during an administrative procedure. A short form is natural with familiar people; คุณ and the polite particle ครับ or คะ are appropriate in more formal interactions.
Caution
Age can be a sensitive subject, especially when speaking to an adult you do not know well. A softer approach is ขอถามอายุได้ไหมครับ／คะ, “May I ask your age?” This expression is specifically about age; to ask a price, use ราคาเท่าไร, “How much is it?”