lay eggs
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 lay eggs
This everyday verb means that an egg-laying animal produces or lays eggs. It is especially common when talking about hens.
lay eggs
Describes a bird, reptile, or another egg-laying animal laying eggs. With hens, it can also refer to producing eggs regularly.
Learning notes
Explanation
ออก means “to go or come out,” and ไข่ means “egg,” so the expression evokes an egg coming out of an animal’s body. The usual pattern is “animal + ออกไข่.” For example, ไก่ออกไข่ means “a hen lays eggs,” while เริ่มออกไข่ means “begin laying eggs.” With hens, the expression can describe either a particular act of laying or regular egg production. The classifier for eggs is ฟอง. For example, ออกไข่วันละหนึ่งฟอง means “lay one egg per day.”
Usage
It is commonly used in poultry farming when discussing when, how often, or how many eggs hens lay. It also appears in everyday descriptions of the breeding behavior of turtles and other egg-laying animals, such as in wildlife programs, zoos, and animal care.
Caution
Do not use this expression for humans or mammals such as dogs and cats; คลอดลูก is used for giving birth to live young. Also, ตกไข่ commonly means “to ovulate” in modern everyday Thai, so it should not automatically be substituted for ออกไข่.
Differences from similar words
1 lay eggs synonyms
-
วางไข่ also means “to lay eggs” and is especially natural when describing fish, insects, or reptiles depositing eggs in a particular place. ออกไข่ focuses more on the production of eggs and is particularly common when talking about hens.