ตับ
liver
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 liver
- 2 row、line of things
- 3 row [classifier]、strip [classifier for connected items]
This word primarily means the liver of a person or animal, including liver as food. It can also refer to things arranged together in a row or to one such row as a counting unit.
liver
The organ in a person or animal; in food-related contexts, it means liver eaten as meat.
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โรคพยาธิใบไม้ตับ rôok phayaathí bay máay tàp liver fluke disease โรคพยาธิใบไม้ตับ details
row、line of things
A row or closely grouped line of things arranged side by side.
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รถจอดเป็นตับ rót cɔ̀ɔt pen tàp The cars are parked in a row. รถจอดเป็นตับ details
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ของวางเรียงกันเป็นตับ khɔ̌ɔŋ waaŋ riaŋ kan pen tàp The items are arranged in a row. ของวางเรียงกันเป็นตับ details
row [classifier]、strip [classifier for connected items]
A classifier for one connected or arranged row of items.
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ประทัดสองตับ prathát sɔ̌ɔŋ tàp two strips of firecrackers ประทัดสองตับ details
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ซื้อประทัดมาหลายตับ sʉ́ʉ prathát maa lǎay tàp I bought several strips of firecrackers. ซื้อประทัดมาหลายตับ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The most important everyday meaning is “liver.” In medical or health contexts, it refers to the organ; in cooking and dining contexts, it refers to liver as food. The animal can be specified, as in ตับหมู “pork liver” and ตับไก่ “chicken liver.” Its other central image is a close row of similar objects. It often appears as เป็นตับ to describe many things lined up together, such as a row of parked cars. From this idea of a connected row, ตับ is also used as a classifier for strips or rows of linked items, especially firecrackers. It has additional specialized uses involving traditional roofing materials and Thai music, but these are not priorities for general learners.
Usage
It is used for the organ in hospitals and conversations about health, medical tests, or the effects of alcohol. In markets, restaurants, and cooking, it refers to liver as food. The row sense is used when describing many objects lined up together, such as parked cars or displayed goods. Its classifier use is especially common when counting connected strips of firecrackers.
Caution
Unlike “liver” in some figurative expressions, ตับ does not normally mean courage or the essential point of something. As a classifier, ตับ is limited to particular things joined or arranged in a row. It is not a general classifier for paper, boards, pieces of meat, or arbitrary objects.