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Thai

ชื่อ

Pronunciation

chʉ̂ʉ

ชื่อ

chʉ̂ʉ

name

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  1. 1 name、title
  2. 3 reputation、good name
  3. 4 [classifier for names]

Refers to the name used to identify a person, animal, place, object, or work. It is also used to say that someone or something is named a particular name.

Learning notes

Explanation

The core idea of ชื่อ is what a person or thing is called in order to distinguish it from others. It applies not only to people but also to animals, shops, companies, places, products, movies, paintings, and more. As a noun, it appears in phrases such as ชื่อร้าน, “the shop’s name.” It also functions as a verb in the basic pattern A ชื่อ B, meaning “A is named B.” With อะไร, the pattern A ชื่ออะไร? asks what A is called. In Thailand, a ชื่อเล่น, or nickname, is an important everyday name and may be used much more often than a person’s official name. ชื่อ also serves as its own classifier: สองชื่อ means “two names.” Its reputation-related sense is most often found in established expressions such as เสียชื่อ, “damage one’s reputation,” and ชื่อเสียง, “reputation” or “fame.”

Usage

Used constantly in introductions, when asking someone’s name, when filling in forms, and when discussing the names of shops, companies, places, products, or creative works. It is also common when talking about naming someone or choosing a nickname.

Caution

ชื่อ does not specifically mean “surname.” Use นามสกุล for a family name; ชื่อและนามสกุล or ชื่อ-นามสกุล means a full name. Also, ชื่อ cannot freely be substituted for “reputation” in every context, so its reputation-related uses are best learned as complete expressions.

Differences from similar words

1 name synonyms

  • ชื่อเรื่อง specifically means the title of a story, article, movie, or similar work. ชื่อ is broader and can refer to almost any kind of name.

  • นาม also means “name,” but is more formal and is especially common in compounds. ชื่อ is the ordinary word used in everyday speech.

3 reputation synonyms

  • ชื่อเสียง explicitly means “reputation” or “fame” and is the clearer general term. ชื่อ in this sense usually appears only in established phrases.

Component words

Other words containing ชื่อ

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