กาน้ำ

Explanation

The most common meaning is “kettle.” The word combines กา, a vessel with a spout and handle, with น้ำ, “water.” The usual classifier for the container is ใบ, as in กาน้ำหนึ่งใบ, “one kettle.” It can also mean “cormorant.” In that sense, the animal classifier ตัว is used. The fuller form นกกาน้ำ makes it explicit that the word refers to a bird.

Usage

In the kettle sense, it is common in everyday kitchen situations such as filling a kettle, boiling water, or pouring hot water. In the bird sense, it appears when discussing wildlife, birds, or aquatic habitats.

Caution

A teapot is specifically กาน้ำชา, while an insulated hot-water flask is กระติกน้ำร้อน. Without a bird-related context, กาน้ำ will usually be understood as “kettle,” so นกกาน้ำ is clearer when referring to a cormorant.

1 kettle synonyms

• กา

  kaa kettle

  กา can also refer to a spouted vessel, but it has other meanings, including “crow.” กาน้ำ makes the water-container meaning clearer.

• กาต้มน้ำ

  กาต้มน้ำ explicitly describes a vessel used to boil water. กาน้ำ is the shorter, broader everyday term and can also emphasize holding or pouring water.

2 cormorant synonyms

• นกกาน้ำ

  นกกาน้ำ is the explicit bird name, with นก meaning “bird.” กาน้ำ alone can have the same meaning, but นกกาน้ำ avoids confusion with “kettle.”