ภูเขา
mountain
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 mountain
This is the standard Thai word for a mountain, a natural landform rising prominently above the surrounding area.
mountain
A neutral, everyday noun for an individual mountain or mountains as part of a landscape.
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บริเวณนี้มีภูเขาหลายลูก bɔɔríween níi mii phuukhǎw lǎay lûuk There are several mountains in this area. บริเวณนี้มีภูเขาหลายลูก details
Learning notes
Explanation
ภูเขา is the standard noun used for mountains in everyday conversation, travel information, and geographical descriptions. The usual classifier for individual mountains is ลูก. For example, ภูเขาหนึ่งลูก means “one mountain,” and ภูเขาหลายลูก means “several mountains.” Although the word can be analyzed as ภู plus เขา, learners will generally find it most useful to memorize ภูเขา as a single word.
Usage
It is commonly used when talking about trips to the mountains, hiking, scenery, geography, and the natural features of an area—for example, when saying that you are going to the mountains, can see a mountain, or that a mountain is high.
Caution
Use เทือกเขา when referring specifically to an entire mountain range. Also, the proper name of a mountain does not always include ภูเขา, so use its established Thai name.
Differences from similar words
1 mountain synonyms
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เขา can also mean “mountain,” but it has other common meanings, including “he or she” and “horn.” ภูเขา is the clearer, less ambiguous word for a mountain.
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เทือกเขา means a mountain range—a connected series of mountains. ภูเขา normally refers to an individual mountain or to mountains as a general type of landform.