ซื้อ
buy
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 buy、purchase
- 2 buy off、bribe、win over
This is the basic everyday verb for buying or purchasing something by paying money. It can also extend to gaining things like votes, favor, or silence through money or benefits, depending on the context.
buy、purchase
Used when you pay money to get goods, food, tickets, services, or other things.
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ซื้อข้าว sʉ́ʉ khâaw buy food/rice ซื้อข้าว details
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ไปซื้อของ pay sʉ́ʉ khɔ̌ɔŋ go shopping ไปซื้อของ details
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คุณซื้อที่ไหน? khun sʉ́ʉ thîi nǎy Where did you buy it? คุณซื้อที่ไหน? details
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ฉันซื้อของขวัญให้แม่ chǎn sʉ́ʉ khɔ̌ɔŋ khwǎn hây mɛ̂ɛ I bought a gift for my mother. ฉันซื้อของขวัญให้แม่ details
buy off、bribe、win over
Used figuratively for gaining votes, cooperation, goodwill, silence, and similar things through money or benefits. It is often negative in bribery contexts, but some expressions can be neutral or positive.
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ซื้อเสียง sʉ́ʉ sǐaŋ buy votes ซื้อเสียง details
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ซื้อใจลูกค้า sʉ́ʉ cay lûuk kháa win customers over ซื้อใจลูกค้า details
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ซื้อความเงียบ sʉ́ʉ khwaam ŋîap buy someone’s silence ซื้อความเงียบ details
Learning notes
Explanation
ซื้อ has the core idea of getting something by paying for it. The basic pattern is ซื้อ + item, as in ซื้อกาแฟ “buy coffee” or ซื้อบ้าน “buy a house.” To say you buy something for someone, use ซื้อ + item + ให้ + person. ซื้อของ is a common fixed expression meaning “to go shopping” or “to buy things.” Its opposite is ขาย, “to sell.”
Usage
It is used in everyday buying situations: markets, convenience stores, restaurants, online orders, tickets, clothes, houses, cars, and more. In news or politics, it also appears in expressions about buying influence, such as ซื้อเสียง “buy votes.”
Caution
ยืม means to borrow with the expectation of returning it, and เช่า means to rent temporarily for a fee. ซื้อ means to buy and normally implies ownership, so it should not be used for borrowing or renting.
Differences from similar words
1 buy synonyms
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ซื้อหา suggests obtaining something by looking for it and buying it, and it sounds a bit more descriptive. ซื้อ is the normal everyday verb for simply buying something.