เนย
butter
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 butter
This is the everyday Thai word for butter, especially the dairy product used as a spread or in cooking and baking. In casual contexts, it may also be used loosely for butter-like spreads.
butter
Butter used as a spread or as an ingredient in cooking and baking.
Learning notes
Explanation
This is a common everyday noun used in cooking and shopping. Typical combinations include ทาเนย “spread butter,” ใส่เนย “add butter,” and ละลายเนย “melt butter.” The classifier depends on the form or packaging. For example, เนยหนึ่งก้อน means “one lump or block of butter,” while เนยหนึ่งแพ็ก means “one pack of butter.” เนย is also used as a personal name or nickname, but that is a proper-name use rather than a separate general dictionary meaning.
Usage
It is commonly used in home cooking, baking recipes, grocery shopping, and conversations about butter at restaurants or cafés.
Caution
In casual speech, เนย may be used loosely for margarine or similar spreads. When the distinction matters, margarine is called เนยเทียม. Also, เนยแข็ง means “cheese,” not literally “hard butter,” although ชีส is also widely used in modern conversation.