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Thai

สมอง

Pronunciation

samɔ̌ɔŋ

สมอง

samɔ̌ɔŋ

brain

A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.

  1. 1 brain
  2. 2 brains、intelligence、thinking ability

This word primarily refers to the brain as an organ and, by extension, to a person’s ability to think, remember, and reason.

2

brains、intelligence、thinking ability

Noun⭐️3 Common

By extension, the brain is viewed as the source of a person’s thinking, memory, judgment, or intelligence.

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Learning notes

Explanation

สมอง is a common, neutral noun. Its basic meaning is the physical brain, but everyday Thai also uses it for thinking ability or brainpower, as in ใช้สมอง, “use one’s brain,” and สมองไม่ทำงาน, “one’s brain isn’t working.” It can also figuratively describe the person who provides the ideas or strategy for a team or organization. Learners generally do not need to memorize a fixed classifier for this word.

Usage

It is common in medical and health contexts involving the brain, as well as in everyday conversations about thinking, memory, study, and work. It also appears in news and business expressions concerning dementia, brainwashing, brain drain, and the intellectual center of an organization.

Caution

สมอง does not replace หัว whenever English uses “head.” The physical head is หัว, so “I have a headache” is normally ปวดหัว, not ปวดสมอง. Also, ใช้สมองหน่อย can sound like “Use your brain!” and may be insulting depending on tone and context.

Differences from similar words

2 brains synonyms

  • ปัญญา refers to wisdom or the ability to understand and judge well. สมอง can mean the physical brain and is also commonly used for practical thinking or brainpower.

  • สติปัญญา is a somewhat more formal term for intellect or cognitive ability. สมอง is more conversational and commonly appears in concrete expressions such as ใช้สมอง, “use one’s brain.”

Component words

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