insider
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- 1 insider、someone on the inside
Refers to someone who belongs to a group or organization and has access to its internal affairs.
insider、someone on the inside
A member of a group or organization who is in a position to know information unavailable to outsiders.
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เรื่องนี้ต้องถามคนใน rʉ̂aŋ níi tɔ̂ŋ thǎam khon nay We need to ask someone on the inside about this. เรื่องนี้ต้องถามคนใน details
Learning notes
Explanation
คน means “person,” and ใน means “inside” or “within,” giving the expression the basic image of a person on the inside of a boundary. When used on its own, คนใน usually means someone belonging to an organization or group, rather than merely someone physically inside a building. Depending on context, it can imply access to information or circumstances that outsiders do not know. A following phrase can identify the relevant group, as in คนในบริษัท, “someone in the company,” or คนในวงการบันเทิง, “someone in the entertainment industry.” In expressions such as คนในบ้าน, “the people in the house,” and คนในครอบครัว, “a family member,” the construction may simply be คน modified by a phrase beginning with ใน rather than a separate dictionary sense of คนใน. Its usual opposite is คนนอก, meaning an outsider. The regular classifier for people, คน, is used when counting.
Usage
It is commonly used when discussing someone within a company, organization, or industry, especially as a source of internal information. It appears naturally in statements such as “I heard it from someone on the inside” or “Only insiders know this.” It is also used in contrast with คนนอก to distinguish members of a group from outsiders.
Caution
Although “insider” is often a suitable translation, คนใน does not by itself imply illegal insider trading. It normally has the broader meaning of someone within a group or organization. More specific terminology is used when the financial or legal sense must be made explicit.