บ่ายหน้า

Explanation

บ่ายหน้า combines บ่าย with หน้า, “face” or “front.” Here, บ่าย is not the noun meaning “afternoon”; it relates to changing direction. Its core image is turning one’s face or front in a particular direction. From this come two uses: heading toward a destination and turning one’s face away from someone. The travel sense often appears in descriptive narration, such as stories and travel writing, where the direction of movement matters.

Usage

It is used when describing a person or group setting off toward a home, station, town, or compass direction. It can also describe someone turning away from another person, for example in anger or annoyance. It is especially natural in narrative passages that portray movement or gestures in some detail.

Caution

Use the following phrase to identify the intended sense. A destination or direction usually signals “head toward,” while จาก followed by a person can signal “turn one’s face away from.” For an ordinary neutral statement about turning one’s face, หันหน้า is generally more common.

1 head toward (a place or direction) synonyms

• มุ่งหน้า

  มุ่งหน้า commonly means to head purposefully in a particular direction. บ่ายหน้า has a more descriptive feel, suggesting that someone turns toward a destination and proceeds that way.

• ไป

  pay go

  ไป is the ordinary everyday verb “to go.” บ่ายหน้า is more descriptive and draws attention to the destination or direction of travel.

2 turn one’s face away synonyms

• หันหน้า

  หันหน้า is the neutral, general expression for turning or facing a particular way. บ่ายหน้า is more descriptive and, depending on context, can mean turning away from someone.

• เบือนหน้า

  เบือนหน้า explicitly means to avert one’s face and can imply rejection, displeasure, or unwillingness to engage. In this sense, บ่ายหน้า is similar but focuses more literally on turning the face another way.