เงินทอง
money
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 money、wealth
This word refers broadly to money and material wealth, often treating them as a whole rather than as a specific sum of cash.
money、wealth
Money, funds, and material wealth considered collectively, especially in discussions of spending, saving, or prosperity.
Learning notes
Explanation
The word combines เงิน (“money” or “silver”) and ทอง (“gold”) to refer collectively to money and valuable possessions. In ordinary modern usage, it normally means “money” or “wealth,” not literal silver and gold. Compared with เงิน alone, it can place more emphasis on finances as a whole, savings, expenditure, prosperity, or material wealth. It also appears in paired expressions such as มีเงินมีทอง (“to be financially well-off”) and เสียเงินเสียทอง (“to spend or lose a considerable amount of money”).
Usage
It is commonly used when discussing finances in a broad sense, including household spending, savings, financial loss, business, inheritance, and prosperity. It also appears in sayings about the value of money and in wishes for good fortune or business success.
Caution
Use เงิน rather than เงินทอง for a specific amount or an individual payment. For example, “to have 100 baht” is มีเงิน 100 บาท. Also, do not routinely interpret เงินทอง as literal “silver and gold”; in everyday contexts it usually means money or wealth.
Differences from similar words
1 money synonyms
-
ทรัพย์สิน means property or assets, including things such as land and possessions, and is common in legal or formal contexts. เงินทอง is more everyday and focuses on money and material wealth in general.
-
เงิน is the ordinary word for money and is used for specific amounts and payments. เงินทอง is broader and more collective, often suggesting one's finances, wealth, or material prosperity.