ขาย

Explanation

The central idea of ขาย is to offer or hand over something from one’s own side in return for money or another benefit. It is the ordinary, widely used Thai verb for selling. The basic pattern is ขาย + item, as in ขายบ้าน “sell a house” and ขายอาหาร “sell food.” The buyer or recipient is commonly introduced with ให้: ขาย + item + ให้ + person. When describing how well something sells, ขาย usually combines with another word, as in ขายดี “sell well,” ขายหมด “sell out,” and ขายไม่ออก “not sell; be unsellable.” With objects such as ไอเดีย “idea” or จุดเด่น “strong point,” it can mean to pitch something or present it as a selling point. In expressions such as ขายเพื่อน “sell out a friend” and ขายชาติ “sell out one’s country,” it strongly condemns betrayal for personal advantage.

Usage

It is common in shops, markets, online commerce, real estate, and conversations about selling goods or services. It is also used in sales and presentations when pitching ideas or emphasizing strengths. Its betrayal sense appears when strongly condemning someone for sacrificing an ally or group for personal gain.

Caution

On its own, ขาย normally means “to sell.” To say that something sells or is sellable, Thai commonly uses combinations such as ขายดี, ขายได้, or ขายไม่ออก. Be careful with ขายตัว, which can mean to sell one’s body or engage in prostitution. For the neutral idea of promoting oneself, โปรโมตตัวเอง or นำเสนอตัวเอง is clearer. Expressions such as ขายเพื่อน and ขายชาติ are strongly accusatory and are inappropriate for a minor disagreement.

1 sell synonyms

• จำหน่าย

  จำหน่าย is a somewhat formal term for distributing or offering goods for sale and is common in business notices and commercial contexts. ขาย is the ordinary everyday verb and also extends to pitching and betraying.

• โปรโมต

  โปรโมต means to promote or publicize a product, idea, or person to increase awareness. ขาย can refer to an actual sale or to persuading someone to accept an idea or recognize a particular strength.