รบกวน
disturb
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- 1 disturb、bother、interfere with (sound, signals, or normal operation)
- 2 ask someone to do something [considerately]、trouble someone to do something
This word describes disturbing someone or interfering with a normal state. It is also commonly placed before a request to acknowledge the trouble involved and make the request more considerate.
disturb、bother、interfere with (sound, signals, or normal operation)
Describes disturbing a person, causing someone inconvenience, or interfering with something so that it does not function normally.
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อย่ารบกวนเขา yàa rópkuan khǎw Don't disturb him. อย่ารบกวนเขา details
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ฉันไม่อยากรบกวนคุณ chǎn mây yàak rópkuan khun I don't want to bother you. ฉันไม่อยากรบกวนคุณ details
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เสียงข้างนอกรบกวนการนอน sǐaŋ khâaŋ nɔ̂ɔk rópkuan kaan nɔɔn The noise outside is disturbing my sleep. เสียงข้างนอกรบกวนการนอน details
ask someone to do something [considerately]、trouble someone to do something
Introduces a considerate request by acknowledging that the requested action may take the other person's time or effort.
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รบกวนขอชื่อหน่อยค่ะ rópkuan khɔ̌ɔ chʉ̂ʉ nɔ̀ɔy khà May I have your name, please? รบกวนขอชื่อหน่อยค่ะ details
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รบกวนด้วยนะ rópkuan dûay ná Please take care of it, okay? รบกวนด้วยนะ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central idea is that an outside action disrupts someone's peace or prevents something from continuing normally. It can describe a clear disturbance, such as interrupting work or sleep, as well as the minor inconvenience of taking someone's time or asking for help. This latter idea gives rise to its very common use in requests. Placed before the requested action, รบกวน signals consideration similar to “Sorry to trouble you, but…” or “Could you please…?” A common pattern is รบกวน + ช่วย + verb + หน่อย + ครับ/ค่ะ, though not every element is required. In requests, the word is not simply a direct equivalent of “please.” It politely acknowledges the time or effort being asked of the other person.
Usage
It is common when talking about interruptions to work, study, or sleep, and when apologizing for taking someone's attention or time. It is also widely used to introduce requests in offices, reception areas, phone calls, messages, and customer-service interactions. In audio and communications contexts, it can refer to noise or signal interference.
Caution
รบกวน does not automatically make an entire sentence maximally polite. With superiors or in formal situations, add ครับ/ค่ะ and use a suitably gentle request form and tone. If you have caused serious trouble or actual hardship, ขอโทษที่รบกวน may sound too mild. In that situation, an expression such as ทำให้เดือดร้อน more clearly acknowledges the harm or difficulty caused.
Differences from similar words
1 disturb synonyms
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กวน is more colloquial and can suggest teasing or deliberately pestering someone. รบกวน is more neutral and also works naturally in professional or courteous contexts.
2 ask someone to do something [considerately] synonyms
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กรุณา is a formal “please” commonly used in instructions, notices, and polite requests. รบกวน more explicitly acknowledges the imposition and often sounds natural in considerate spoken or written requests.
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ขอ is the basic verb for asking for something or requesting permission. รบกวน adds consideration for the inconvenience caused, and the two words can appear together.