เข็ม
needle
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 needle、injection needle、pin
- 2 clock hand、gauge needle、pointer
- 3 dose; shot [classifier for injections]
- 4 foundation pile、piling
- 5 ixora
The core image is a thin, pointed needle. The word also extends to needle-shaped objects such as clock hands and gauge pointers, foundation piles, and the ixora plant.
needle、injection needle、pin
A thin, pointed tool used for sewing, piercing, injecting, or fastening. Depending on context, it may be a sewing needle, medical needle, or pin.
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ระวังเข็มตำมือ ráwaŋ khěm tam mʉʉ Be careful not to prick your hand with the needle. ระวังเข็มตำมือ details
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ฉันกลัวเข็ม chǎn klua khěm I'm afraid of needles. ฉันกลัวเข็ม details
clock hand、gauge needle、pointer
A thin pointer on a clock, gauge, or similar instrument that indicates a time, value, or direction.
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เข็มสั้นชี้เลขสาม khěm sân chíi lêek sǎam The hour hand points to three. เข็มสั้นชี้เลขสาม details
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เข็มวัดน้ำมันอยู่ที่ศูนย์ khěm wát nám man yùu thîi sǔun The fuel gauge needle is at zero. เข็มวัดน้ำมันอยู่ที่ศูนย์ details
dose; shot [classifier for injections]
A classifier used to count injections or vaccine doses.
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ฉีดวัคซีนสองเข็ม chìit wáksiin sɔ̌ɔŋ khěm Get two doses of a vaccine. ฉีดวัคซีนสองเข็ม details
foundation pile、piling
A long structural pile driven into the ground to support a building, usually expressed as เสาเข็ม.
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ตอกเสาเข็มก่อนสร้างบ้าน tɔ̀ɔk sǎw khěm kɔ̀ɔn sâaŋ bâan Drive the foundation piles before building the house. ตอกเสาเข็มก่อนสร้างบ้าน details
ixora
The ixora, a shrub bearing clusters of small red, orange, white, or other colored flowers. Its slender buds resemble needles.
Learning notes
Explanation
The basic image behind เข็ม is something thin and pointed. By itself, it normally means a sewing needle in a sewing context and a medical needle when discussing hospitals, injections, or vaccinations. Physical needles are commonly counted with เล่ม, as in เข็มสองเล่ม, “two needles.” เข็ม can itself function as a classifier for injections or vaccine doses, as in วัคซีนสองเข็ม, “two vaccine doses.” On a clock, เข็มสั้น is the hour hand and เข็มยาว is the minute hand. For the plant, ดอกเข็ม specifies an ixora flower, while ต้นเข็ม refers to the shrub. Ixora flowers also appear in Thailand’s wai khru ceremonies as a symbol of sharp intelligence.
Usage
It is common in discussions of sewing, injections, vaccinations, clocks, and analog gauges. In construction it usually appears as เสาเข็ม “foundation pile,” while gardening and school-ceremony contexts use ต้นเข็ม and ดอกเข็ม for the ixora shrub and its flowers.
Caution
On its own, เข็ม may mean either a sewing needle or a medical needle depending on context. Use a specific term such as เข็มเย็บผ้า or เข็มฉีดยา when the intended type might be unclear. เข็มทิศ normally refers to the whole compass, not only its magnetic needle. Also, เข็มขัด is the established word for “belt” and should be learned as a complete compound rather than interpreted word by word.
Differences from similar words
2 clock hand synonyms
3 dose; shot [classifier for injections] synonyms
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ครั้ง counts occurrences of actions or events in general. เข็ม is specifically used when counting injections or vaccine doses.