คราว

Explanation

The central idea is not abstract or measurable time, but a distinct occasion associated with an event. This is why คราวนี้ “this time,” คราวก่อน “last time,” and คราวหน้า “next time” are especially common. ถึงคราว followed by a person or action means that someone’s turn has come or that the time has arrived to do something. It can refer to an ordinary turn or to a more significant moment for making a decision or taking action. คราว can also represent one occurrence, as in หลายคราว “many times” and คราวละสองเม็ด “two tablets at a time.” For straightforward counting, however, ครั้ง is generally more common. Its generation-related sense has a narrower range and is mainly found in age comparisons such as คราวเดียวกัน “of the same generation” and แก่คราวพ่อ “old enough to be someone’s father.”

Usage

It is common in everyday conversation when recalling a previous event, comparing the present occasion with an earlier one, or arranging to meet again. It works especially well with recurring events such as classes, trips, meetings, games, and visits. ถึงคราว is used when a person’s turn arrives or when circumstances make it time to decide or act. The generation sense appears mainly when describing or comparing people’s ages.

Caution

คราว is not used for clock time or duration. Use เวลา when asking the time and ชั่วโมง when giving a duration in hours. For simply counting events, หนึ่งครั้ง, สองครั้ง, and สามครั้ง are more usual. Expressions such as คราวนี้, คราวหน้า, and ถึงคราว are natural and frequent, while a numeral directly followed by คราว may sound somewhat literary in some contexts. Some dictionaries also record คราว as a term for an old, large male cat, but this rare sense is not a priority for general modern learners.

1 occasion synonyms

• ครั้ง

  khráŋ occasion

  ครั้ง is the usual word for objectively counting occurrences. คราว can also refer to an occurrence, but it more often presents it as a particular occasion, especially in expressions such as คราวนี้ and คราวหน้า.

• เวลา

  weelaa time

  เวลา refers to time in general, clock time, or duration. คราว instead identifies a particular occasion associated with an event.

• โอกาส

  ookàat occasion

  โอกาส often means an opportunity or a favorable chance to do something. คราว focuses more on the particular occasion when an event happens than on the possibility it offers.

2 generation synonyms

• รุ่น

  rûn generation

  รุ่น is a general word for a generation, cohort, class, or product model. คราว in this sense is more restricted and commonly appears in age comparisons such as คราวเดียวกัน or แก่คราวพ่อ.

• วัย

  way age range

  วัย describes a stage of life, such as childhood, youth, or old age. คราว instead places someone in a generation or compares their age with another person’s.