พี่
older sibling
Native recording
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- 1 older sibling
- 2 older person [friendly, respectful address]、senior、upperclassman
- 3 you [older or senior person]、I [older speaker addressing a younger person]
พี่ refers to an older sibling or someone treated as older or senior. It is also widely used as a friendly, respectful form of address and as a relationship-based pronoun.
older sibling
Refers to a sibling who is older than oneself, without specifying gender.
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ฉันมีพี่สองคน chǎn mii phîi sɔ̌ɔŋ khon I have two older siblings. ฉันมีพี่สองคน details
older person [friendly, respectful address]、senior、upperclassman
Refers to or addresses a somewhat older or more senior person in a friendly but respectful way, even when there is no family relationship.
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พี่แอน phîi ɛɛn P'Ann / Ann [an older, familiar person] พี่แอน details
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พี่ครับ ช่วยหน่อยครับ phîi khráp chûay nɔ̀ɔy khráp Excuse me, could you help me? พี่ครับ ช่วยหน่อยครับ details
you [older or senior person]、I [older speaker addressing a younger person]
Functions as a relationship-based pronoun: a younger speaker can use it for an older listener, while an older speaker can use it for themself when talking to someone younger.
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พี่ชื่ออะไรครับ phîi chʉ̂ʉ aray khráp What's your name? พี่ชื่ออะไรครับ details
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พี่จะไปแล้วนะ phîi cà pay lɛ́ɛw ná I'm going now. พี่จะไปแล้วนะ details
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พี่เขาใจดี phîi khǎw cay dii That older person is kind. พี่เขาใจดี details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core idea of พี่ is a person who is older or senior relative to the speaker or another person established by context. Its basic meaning is “older sibling,” but Thai kinship terms are also commonly extended to people outside the family. พี่ does not indicate gender. พี่ชาย specifies an older brother, while พี่สาว specifies an older sister. The classifier used when counting people referred to as พี่ is คน. The pattern พี่ + name is extremely common in everyday conversation. It conveys both familiarity and respect toward an older friend, coworker, or acquaintance. พี่ is not tied to a fixed grammatical person. It can correspond to “you” when a younger person addresses someone older, or “I” when an older person speaks to someone younger. The basic term for the younger side of this relationship is น้อง.
Usage
It is common when talking about older siblings and when addressing older friends, school seniors, coworkers, familiar service workers, and other approachable older people. Couples may also use พี่ for the older partner and น้อง for the younger partner.
Caution
Do not automatically translate พี่ as “older brother” or “older sister.” Depending on context, it may mean a senior, an older person, “you,” or “I.” It can be friendly with strangers, but a title or คุณ + name may be more appropriate in highly formal settings.
Differences from similar words
2 older person [friendly, respectful address] synonyms
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คุณ is a polite, age-neutral form of “you” or a title used before a name. พี่ explicitly frames the person as older or senior and usually feels warmer and more relational.
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รุ่นพี่ specifically means someone from an earlier school year, intake, or cohort. พี่ is broader and can also address an older friend, coworker, or other familiar person.