ยัง

Explanation

The core idea of ยัง is that something remains true or unfinished at a reference point. In positive statements, it means “still,” as in ยังอยู่ “still there” or ยังมี “there is still.” With ไม่, it becomes ยังไม่, meaning “not yet.” In questions such as กินข้าวหรือยัง, it naturally asks “Have you eaten yet?” It also extends to adding information, as in แล้วยัง...ด้วย or แถมยัง...อีก, meaning “also” or “on top of that.”

Usage

ยัง is extremely common in everyday Thai. You use it to talk about waiting, whether someone has eaten, progress on work or homework, and whether time or things remain. In writing, it also appears as a preposition marking a destination, as in ไปยัง.

Caution

In questions like กินข้าวหรือยัง, don’t translate ยัง as “still”; the natural meaning is “Have you eaten yet?” Also, colloquial forms related to อย่าง, such as ยังงี้, are best learned separately from the core word ยัง.

1 still synonyms

• คง

  khoŋ keep

  คง often means “probably” or “remain/keep.” ยัง focuses on something still being true at a reference point, not on guessing.

• ไม่

  mây not

  ไม่ is plain negation. ยังไม่ means “not yet,” with the sense that the situation may change later.

2 have you...yet? synonyms

• แล้วหรือยัง

  แล้วหรือยัง more explicitly asks whether something is already completed. หรือยัง and รึยัง are shorter and very natural in conversation.

3 also synonyms

• นอกจากนี้

  นอกจากนี้ introduces an additional point, often at the start of a sentence. ยัง adds another quality or event within the sentence.

• อีกทั้ง

  อีกทั้ง is a somewhat more formal way to say “furthermore.” ยัง is broader and common in both speech and writing, especially in patterns like แล้วยัง...ด้วย.

4 to synonyms

• สู่

  sùu to

  สู่ has a stronger “toward/into” feel and is common in formal writing or slogans. ยัง is a neutral preposition marking a destination or recipient.

• ไป

  pay go

  ไป is the everyday word for “go” or “to.” ไปยัง is more written or formal and clearly marks the destination.