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Thai

ถั่ว

Pronunciation

thùa

ถั่ว

thùa

bean

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  1. 1 bean、pea、legume、nut [depending on the name or context]

A common word for edible beans, peas, legumes, and the plants that produce them. It also appears in the names of peanuts and some nuts.

1

bean、pea、legume、nut [depending on the name or context]

Noun⭐️4 Often used

Refers to an edible bean or pea, or to the plant that produces it. In specific food names, it can also refer to peanuts and other nuts.

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Learning notes

Explanation

ถั่ว is a neutral everyday word that can refer either to edible beans or peas themselves or to the plants that produce them. A following word usually identifies the variety, as in ถั่วลิสง “peanut” and ถั่วเหลือง “soybean.” Thai also uses ถั่ว in the names of foods that English speakers would classify as nuts. In a restaurant or cooking context, ถั่ว by itself may therefore mean peanuts, often chopped or crushed. Use เม็ด to count individual beans, as in ถั่วหนึ่งเม็ด “one bean,” and ฝัก to count pods, as in ถั่วสองฝัก “two bean pods.”

Usage

Commonly used when buying groceries, discussing ingredients and nutrition, or talking about growing crops. At food stalls and restaurants, it may refer specifically to peanuts used as a topping.

Caution

ถั่ว can be ambiguous between beans, peanuts, and other nuts. When discussing allergies, use the specific name, such as ถั่วลิสง for peanuts. Also, ถั่วเขียว is normally the name of a particular bean—mung bean—not merely any bean that happens to be green.

Differences from similar words

1 bean synonyms

  • พืชตระกูลถั่ว specifically means a leguminous plant or a member of the legume family. ถั่ว is the broader everyday term for edible beans, peas, their plants, and sometimes nuts in food names.

Component words

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