which person
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- 1 which person、who (from a known group)
This expression asks which person is meant from a known or limited group. It can also follow a noun referring to people, as in “which student.”
which person、who (from a known group)
It asks or specifies which person among a set of possible people.
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คุณชอบคนไหน khun chɔ̂ɔp khon nǎy Which person do you like? คุณชอบคนไหน details
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นักเรียนคนไหนยังไม่มา nákrian khon nǎy yaŋ mây maa Which student hasn't arrived yet? นักเรียนคนไหนยังไม่มา details
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คนไหนก็ได้ khon nǎy kɔ̂ɔ dâay Anyone is fine. คนไหนก็ได้ details
Learning notes
Explanation
คนไหน is formed from คน (“person”) and ไหน (“which”). Its core meaning is “which person.” It can stand alone like a pronoun or follow a noun referring to people, as in นักเรียนคนไหน (“which student”) and ผู้หญิงคนไหน (“which woman”). Thai normally leaves the question expression in the position where the answer would occur. For example, คุณชอบคนไหน literally follows the order “you like which person?” With ก็ได้, as in คนไหนก็ได้, it means “anyone is fine.” The pattern คนไหนก็ followed by a predicate can mean “any person” or “whoever.” This meaning comes from the construction with ก็ or ก็ได้ rather than from a separate meaning of คนไหน by itself.
Usage
It is commonly used when looking at a photo or group and asking which person is meant, or when selecting among a limited set of students, employees, candidates, or other people. The phrase คนไหนก็ได้ is also common when the choice of person does not matter.
Caution
Use ใคร for a general “who?” when no limited group of candidates is assumed. Also, คนอะไร does not normally mean “which person”; depending on context, it can ask what kind of person someone is or where they are from, so it should not be confused with คนไหน.
Differences from similar words
1 which person synonyms
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ใคร is the general word for “who” and does not require a limited set of candidates. คนไหน asks “which person” within a visible, mentioned, or otherwise understood group.