eyeball
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 eyeball
This word refers to the eye as a physical, rounded organ—an eyeball—rather than to eyesight or the eye in a broad or expressive sense.
eyeball
The physical, rounded organ of the eye, especially when discussing its shape, condition, or movement.
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เขากลอกลูกตาไปมา khǎw klɔ̀ɔk lûuk taa pay maa He looked around, shifting his eyes from side to side. เขากลอกลูกตาไปมา details
Learning notes
Explanation
ลูกตา is formed from ลูก, which can describe a small rounded object, and ตา, meaning “eye.” It therefore presents the eye as a rounded physical organ. It is an ordinary word, but ตา is more natural in many general expressions involving the eyes. ลูกตา is especially useful when referring concretely to an eyeball’s shape, condition, movement, or contact with a foreign object. Its classifier is ลูก. In ordinary conversation, however, ตาสองข้าง is usually more natural than ลูกตาสองลูก for “both eyes.”
Usage
It is commonly used when something gets into the eye, when describing an eyeball’s physical condition or shape, when talking about eye movement, and in examinations where the eye is treated as a specific body organ.
Caution
ลูกตา refers to the eyeball as a whole, not specifically to the pupil; the pupil is รูม่านตา. It should not replace ตา in every expression involving the eyes. Common phrases such as หลับตา “close one’s eyes” and คันตา “have itchy eyes” normally use ตา.
Differences from similar words
1 eyeball synonyms
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ดวงตา has a softer, more expressive tone and is often used when describing beautiful or expressive eyes. ลูกตา is more physical and direct, emphasizing the eyeball itself.
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ตา is the ordinary, general word for “eye” and is used in most everyday expressions. ลูกตา more specifically presents the eye as a physical eyeball.