ตนเอง
oneself
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 oneself、himself, herself, or themselves
This reflexive pronoun refers back to the person established by the sentence, emphasizing that very person rather than someone else. It is somewhat more formal than ตัวเอง.
oneself、himself, herself, or themselves
It refers back to the subject or another contextually established person. Common patterns express doing something personally or something belonging to that person.
-
เขาต้องดูแลตนเอง khǎw tɔ̂ŋ duulɛɛ ton eeŋ He must take care of himself. เขาต้องดูแลตนเอง details
Learning notes
Explanation
ตนเอง combines ตน, meaning the self or the person concerned, with the emphatic เอง. Its central idea is “that very person, not somebody else.” Its referent changes with the subject or topic. In เขาดูแลตนเอง, it refers to เขา; with ทุกคน, it normally means each person individually. Two especially common patterns are ด้วยตนเอง, meaning “personally” or “without someone else doing it,” and ของตนเอง, meaning “one’s own.” The word itself remains a pronoun in these patterns. It is understandable in conversation but sounds somewhat more formal and impersonal than ตัวเอง.
Usage
It is common in forms and official instructions requiring someone to act personally, as well as in educational writing and discussions of self-reliance, self-understanding, personal care, responsibility, and individual rights.
Caution
Because its referent depends on context, ตนเอง can be ambiguous in a long sentence involving several people. In casual speech, ฉันทำเอง is the natural way to say “I’ll do it myself”; ฉันทำด้วยตนเอง sounds more formal and emphatic.
Differences from similar words
1 oneself synonyms
-
เอง is a general emphatic word used after a pronoun or verb to mean “oneself” or “personally.” ตนเอง is specifically a reflexive pronoun referring back to the relevant person in the sentence.