ตีน
foot [crude for humans]
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 foot [crude for humans]、paw; foot [animal]
- 2 base、foot (of a mountain, bridge, etc.)、lower part
The core idea is a foot, especially the part touching the ground, and by extension the lower or base part of something. When used for a human foot, it sounds very rough and can be offensive.
foot [crude for humans]、paw; foot [animal]
Refers to a foot or paw. It can be normal for animals or food items, but for a human foot it sounds crude and may be insulting.
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อย่าเดินตีนเปล่าออกไปนอกบ้าน yàa dəən tiin plàw ɔ̀ɔk pay nɔ̂ɔk bâan Don’t go outside barefoot. อย่าเดินตีนเปล่าออกไปนอกบ้าน details
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ตีนไก่ tiin kày chicken feet. ตีนไก่ details
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เจ็บตีน cèp tiin My foot hurts. [very rough/casual] เจ็บตีน details
base、foot (of a mountain, bridge, etc.)、lower part
Means the lower, supporting, or base part of something, such as the foot of a mountain or the end of a bridge. In fixed compounds, it is often normal usage.
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บ้านอยู่ตีนเขา bâan yùu tiin khǎw The house is at the foot of the mountain. บ้านอยู่ตีนเขา details
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ตีนสะพาน tiin saphaan the foot of a bridge. ตีนสะพาน details
Learning notes
Explanation
ตีน starts from the idea of a foot and extends to the lower or supporting part of something. The key point for learners is tone. For a human foot, เท้า is the normal neutral word. ตีน can sound rude, crude, or aggressive when applied to people. However, in fixed compounds such as ตีนไก่ “chicken feet,” ตีนเขา “foot of a mountain,” ตีนสะพาน “foot of a bridge,” and ตีนกา “crow’s feet,” it is often a normal part of the expression.
Usage
You will hear it in animal body-part terms, food names, compounds for the base of places or structures, very casual speech, scolding, and insults. For active use, learners should first treat it as part of fixed expressions and generally use เท้า for a human foot.
Caution
Avoid using ตีน for a human foot with teachers, staff, strangers, at work, or in formal situations. Use เจ็บเท้า for “my foot hurts” and เท้าเปล่า for “barefoot” in neutral speech.
Differences from similar words
1 foot [crude for humans] synonyms
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เท้า is the standard, neutral word for a human foot. ตีน sounds rough or offensive when used for people, and is mainly used in very casual speech, insults, or fixed expressions.