เต็ม
full
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 full、filled、fully occupied
- 2 complete、a full (amount or period)、maximum (score)
เต็ม describes something as reaching its capacity, limit, or required amount, with no space or shortfall left. It is used for physical fullness, unavailable seats or rooms, complete amounts, and doing something to the fullest extent.
full、filled、fully occupied
Describes a container, space, or available capacity as filled so that no room remains. It also applies to fully occupied seats, rooms, and vehicles.
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น้ำเต็มแก้ว náam tem kɛ̂ɛw The glass is full of water. น้ำเต็มแก้ว details
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รถเต็มแล้ว rót tem lɛ́ɛw The vehicle is full now. รถเต็มแล้ว details
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ห้องเต็มไปด้วยคน hɔ̂ŋ tem pay dûay khon The room is full of people. ห้องเต็มไปด้วยคน details
complete、a full (amount or period)、maximum (score)
Describes an amount, period, score, or other measure as complete or reaching its required maximum without any shortfall.
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ได้คะแนนเต็ม dâay khanɛɛn tem I got a perfect score. ได้คะแนนเต็ม details
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นอนเต็มแปดชั่วโมง nɔɔn tem pɛ̀ɛt chûamooŋ I slept for a full eight hours. นอนเต็มแปดชั่วโมง details
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รอหนึ่งชั่วโมงเต็มๆ rɔɔ nʉ̀ŋ chûamooŋ tem tem I waited for a whole hour. รอหนึ่งชั่วโมงเต็มๆ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central idea of เต็ม is that a container, available space, required amount, or other limit has been reached with nothing missing or no room left. It can serve directly as a predicate describing a state, as in แก้วเต็ม, “the glass is full.” To state what fills a place or situation, Thai commonly uses เต็มไปด้วย + noun, meaning “full of” or “filled with.” Its use extends beyond physical containers: ร้านเต็ม means a restaurant has no available seats, โรงแรมเต็ม means a hotel has no available rooms, and คะแนนเต็ม means the maximum possible score. After a quantity or period, เต็ม—and the conversational emphatic form เต็มๆ—means “a full” or “a whole,” with no shortage. For degree or effort, the especially important expression is เต็มที่, meaning “fully” or “to the utmost.”
Usage
เต็ม is common when a drink or container reaches capacity, when a vehicle, restaurant, or hotel has no places left, and when a score, period, or quantity reaches its full required amount. It is also used when someone makes the most of an activity, as in ทำให้เต็มที่, “do your best,” or สนุกให้เต็มที่, “enjoy yourself to the fullest.”
Caution
เต็ม does not simply mean “many” or “a lot.” It normally implies that a capacity, space, or standard has been filled. Use มีคนเยอะ for “there are many people,” but เต็มไปด้วยคน for “it is full of people.” Also, to express the transitive action “fill something up” or “top it up,” Thai normally uses เติม, not เต็ม.
Differences from similar words
1 full synonyms
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เปี่ยม often describes emotions or qualities as abundant or overflowing and has a somewhat literary tone. เต็ม is the more general everyday word and also applies to containers, spaces, and available places.
2 complete synonyms
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ครบ emphasizes that all required items, numbers, or periods are accounted for. เต็ม emphasizes that an amount or measure reaches its full extent or limit.