ไว้
do and keep that way
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 do and keep that way、leave something done、do in advance
- 2 wear or keep (hair, beard, mustache)
- 3 later、next time、put off until later
ไว้ carries the idea of leaving something in place or keeping it for later. It can mean to keep or put something somewhere, mark an action as done and left in that state, or refer to doing something later in casual conversation.
do and keep that way、leave something done、do in advance
Placed after a verb, ไว้ shows that the result of the action is kept, left in place, or done in advance for later use.
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จำไว้ cam wáy Remember it. จำไว้ details
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เปิดไฟไว้ pə̀ət fay wáy Leave the light on. เปิดไฟไว้ details
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เขียนชื่อไว้ khǐan chʉ̂ʉ wáy Write the name down in advance. เขียนชื่อไว้ details
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จองโต๊ะไว้แล้ว cɔɔŋ tó wáy lɛ́ɛw I already reserved a table. จองโต๊ะไว้แล้ว details
wear or keep (hair, beard, mustache)
As a verb, ไว้ means to keep, preserve, leave, or place something somewhere. It is also used for keeping a hairstyle or facial hair.
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เก็บไว้ kèp wáy Keep it. เก็บไว้ details
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วางไว้ตรงนี้ waaŋ wáy troŋ níi Leave it here. วางไว้ตรงนี้ details
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เก็บนมไว้ในตู้เย็น kèp nom wáy nay tûu yen Keep the milk in the refrigerator. เก็บนมไว้ในตู้เย็น details
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ไว้หนวด wáy nùat Grow a mustache. ไว้หนวด details
later、next time、put off until later
In conversation, ไว้ can point to a later time: not now, but later, next time, or when there is a chance. It is common in friendly leave-taking expressions.
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ไว้ก่อน wáy kɔ̀ɔn Later for now. ไว้ก่อน details
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ไว้ทีหลัง wáy thii lǎŋ Later. ไว้ทีหลัง details
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ไว้ค่อยคุยกัน wáy khɔ̂y khuy kan Let's talk later. ไว้ค่อยคุยกัน details
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ไว้เจอกัน wáy cəə kan See you later. ไว้เจอกัน details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core idea of ไว้ is that something is kept, left, or set aside for later. With different verbs, the natural translation changes: วางไว้ means to leave something placed somewhere, จำไว้ means to keep something in mind, and จองไว้ means to reserve something in advance. It is common in both speech and writing, especially in everyday phrases like เก็บไว้, เอาไว้, ไว้ก่อน, and ไว้เจอกัน.
Usage
Use it when keeping something, reserving a seat, writing something down for later, leaving a light on, remembering information, postponing a plan, or saying “see you later” when parting.
Caution
Do not treat ไว้ as only “put.” It can apply to memories, reservations, records, plans, and many other things that are kept for later. Also, ทำไว้แล้ว means something was done and left ready, while ทำแล้ว simply means it was done.
Differences from similar words
1 do and keep that way synonyms
2 wear or keep (hair, beard, mustache) synonyms
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เก็บ directly means to put away, collect, or store. ไว้ often works with another verb and adds the idea of keeping the result for later.