เหล่า
group
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 group、category、a collective of
- 2 group [classifier for groups or categories]
- 3 branch of the armed forces、military arm
This word presents people or things as a collective or category. It can mark a whole group, count categories, or refer to a branch of the armed forces.
group、category、a collective of
It groups people, animals, or other members of the same kind into a collective, often appearing before a noun to refer to the group as a whole.
group [classifier for groups or categories]
It serves as a classifier for groups or categories, especially when distinguishing several classes, divisions, or types.
branch of the armed forces、military arm
It refers to a branch, arm, or specialized division of the armed forces.
Learning notes
Explanation
The central idea of เหล่า is viewing people or things with a shared identity as one collective. Before a noun, as in เหล่านักเรียน (“the students”) or เหล่านักกีฬา (“the athletes”), it draws attention to the group as a whole. This use is especially common in writing, news reports, speeches, and storytelling. It also appears in demonstrative patterns such as คนเหล่านี้ (“these people”) and สิ่งเหล่านั้น (“those things”). นี้ points to what is near, while นั้น points to what is farther away or already under discussion. As a classifier, it counts categories divided by type, affiliation, or role, as in หลายเหล่า (“several classes or groups”). In military contexts, it occurs in expressions such as เหล่าทัพ (“service branch”) and เหล่าทหารราบ (“infantry arm”).
Usage
It is common in news, formal explanations, speeches, ceremonies, and stories when referring collectively to people who share a role or identity. The forms เหล่านี้ and เหล่านั้น also occur in everyday sentences pointing to multiple people or things. In military writing, the word is used formally for service branches and occupational arms.
Caution
Do not attach เหล่า mechanically to every plural noun. In everyday conversation, พวก, กลุ่ม, or no explicit plural marker may sound more natural. Also distinguish เหล่า from เหล้า, which means “alcohol” or “liquor”; the spelling and tone are different.
Differences from similar words
1 group synonyms
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กลุ่ม is the ordinary noun for a concrete group and is natural in everyday speech. เหล่า more often presents members of the same type or status collectively, especially before a noun.
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พวก is the common conversational word for a group or “people/things like these,” and can sometimes sound like “that lot.” เหล่า views the members as a collective and often has a more elevated or written tone.
3 branch of the armed forces synonyms
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กองทัพ refers to an army or an organized armed force. เหล่า focuses on a service branch or occupational arm defined by its role and specialty.