ทน

Explanation

The core idea of ทน is holding up under pressure. For people, it means enduring pain, heat, hunger, sleepiness, stress, or an unpleasant relationship or situation. For objects, it means being durable or resistant, as in ทนน้ำ “water-resistant” and ทนความร้อน “heat-resistant.” Common patterns include ทนได้ “can stand it,” ทนไม่ได้ “cannot stand it,” and ทนไม่ไหว “can’t take it anymore.”

Usage

In everyday conversation, ทน is common when talking about putting up with heat, pain, tiredness, stress, or an unpleasant situation. In product or material descriptions, it is also used for resistance to water, heat, impact, and similar conditions.

Caution

ทน implies enduring something unpleasant or burdensome, so it should not be used for simply “waiting”; use รอ for that. In relationships, it can sound like you are putting up with someone despite being unhappy.

1 endure synonyms

• รอ

  rɔɔ wait for

  รอ means “to wait.” ทน is not just waiting; it implies enduring something unpleasant, painful, or burdensome.

• อดทน

  òtthon endure

  อดทน often suggests patience or perseverance as an attitude or character trait. ทน is more basic and can refer to enduring a specific pain, discomfort, or unpleasant situation.

2 durable synonyms

• คงทน

  khoŋthon durable

  คงทน means “lasting” or “durable” and sounds a bit more formal. ทน is more everyday and can describe both people enduring something and objects being durable.

• ทนทาน

  thonthaan durable

  ทนทาน clearly means “durable” or “long-lasting,” especially for objects and product descriptions. ทน is shorter and more general, and it can be followed by what the thing resists, as in ทนความร้อน “heat-resistant.”