cry
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- 1 cry
This is the standard everyday verb for shedding tears or making crying sounds because of sadness, pain, joy, or another strong feeling.
cry
To shed tears or make crying sounds in response to emotion, pain, or distress.
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ร้องไห้ทำไม rɔ́ɔŋ hây thammay Why are you crying? ร้องไห้ทำไม details
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เธอร้องไห้ด้วยความดีใจ thəə rɔ́ɔŋ hây dûay khwaam dii cay She cried with joy. เธอร้องไห้ด้วยความดีใจ details
Learning notes
Explanation
ร้องไห้ is the neutral, everyday Thai verb for “cry.” It can describe tears caused not only by sadness but also by pain, fear, frustration, relief, joy, or being deeply moved. Although it contains ร้อง and ไห้, learners should normally treat ร้องไห้ as a single verb. ร้อง by itself can have other meanings, including “sing” and “call out.” Common patterns include กำลังร้องไห้ “be crying,” ร้องไห้ไม่หยุด “cry without stopping,” and ร้องไห้ออกมา “burst into tears/start crying.”
Usage
It is commonly used when babies or children cry, when someone is upset after a loss or disappointment, when pain brings someone to tears, or when a person cries because they are moved or happy. It also appears naturally in comforting expressions such as อย่าร้องไห้นะ, “Don't cry, okay?”
Caution
ร้องไห้ describes the act of crying. เสียใจ describes feeling sad, sorry, or regretful and does not necessarily mean that tears are involved. If tears merely flow because of smoke, yawning, or eye irritation, น้ำตาไหล is usually more natural.
Differences from similar words
1 cry synonyms
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ร่ำไห้ describes weeping or lamenting in deep sorrow and has a more literary, emotionally intense tone. ร้องไห้ is the neutral everyday verb for crying, regardless of the reason or manner.