คืน
night
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 night、evening
- 2 night [classifier]、overnight stay [classifier]
- 3 return、give back、refund、restore
- 4 back
คืน is commonly used for “night,” including nights counted in stays, and also means “to give back” or “restore.” Its meaning is usually clear from nearby words, such as time words, numbers, money, or objects being returned.
night、evening
This sense refers to the time from evening until morning. It appears very often in everyday time expressions such as “tonight” and “last night.”
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คืนนี้ khʉʉn níi tonight คืนนี้ details
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เมื่อคืน mʉ̂a khʉʉn last night เมื่อคืน details
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ทั้งคืน tháŋ khʉʉn all night ทั้งคืน details
night [classifier]、overnight stay [classifier]
As a classifier, คืน counts nights, especially overnight stays or the number of nights something lasts.
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สองวันหนึ่งคืน sɔ̌ɔŋ wan nʉ̀ŋ khʉʉn two days and one night สองวันหนึ่งคืน details
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พักที่โรงแรมสามคืน phák thîi rooŋ rɛɛm sǎam khʉʉn stay at a hotel for three nights พักที่โรงแรมสามคืน details
return、give back、refund、restore
This verb means to return something to its owner or original place. It can also mean to restore something abstract, such as rights, status, or a former condition.
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คืนเงิน khʉʉn ŋən refund money คืนเงิน details
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คืนหนังสือให้ห้องสมุด khʉʉn nǎŋsʉ̌ʉ hây hɔ̂ŋ sàmùt return a book to the library คืนหนังสือให้ห้องสมุด details
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คืนสิทธิ์ khʉʉn sìt restore rights คืนสิทธิ์ details
back
After a verb, คืน adds the idea of “back,” as in getting money back, paying money back, or taking something back.
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ได้เงินคืน dâay ŋən khʉʉn get the money back ได้เงินคืน details
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จ่ายคืน càay khʉʉn pay back จ่ายคืน details
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ขอเงินคืน khɔ̌ɔ ŋən khʉʉn ask for a refund ขอเงินคืน details
Learning notes
Explanation
คืน is easiest to learn as two main ideas: “night” and “back to where it belongs.” As a noun, it is common in time expressions such as คืนนี้ “tonight,” เมื่อคืน “last night,” and ทั้งคืน “all night.” With numbers, it counts nights or overnight stays, such as หนึ่งคืน “one night” and สองคืน “two nights.” As a verb, the basic pattern is คืน + object, or คืน + object + ให้ + person, meaning to return something to someone. It can also be used abstractly for restoring rights, status, or a previous condition.
Usage
You will hear คืน in everyday talk about time, plans, and past events, especially “tonight” and “last night.” It is also common in travel and hotel contexts for counting nights, and in shopping, borrowing, lending, and refunds. In news or official contexts, it can mean restoring rights, status, trust, or a former condition.
Caution
คืน by itself is not the usual verb for a person going home; use กลับ for that. Read the surrounding words carefully: with time expressions such as คืนนี้ or เมื่อคืน, it means “night,” while with objects or money such as คืนเงิน or คืนหนังสือ, it means “return” or “give back.”
Differences from similar words
1 night synonyms
3 return synonyms
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กลับคืน often means that something returns to its former state or comes back. คืน more readily takes an object and means to return or restore that thing.
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ส่งคืน emphasizes sending or handing something back, often in return-by-mail or formal return contexts. คืน is broader and can cover giving something back directly or refunding money.
4 back synonyms
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กลับ is the basic word for going or coming back. คืน focuses on something returning to its owner, original place, or former state, so it often appears with refunds, returns, and restoration.