โจ๊ก
congee
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 congee、rice porridge
- 2 joke、funny story
- 3 joker (playing card)
This word most commonly refers to congee, a thick rice porridge cooked until the grains break down. As a separate English-derived loanword, it can also mean a joke or a joker playing card.
congee、rice porridge
A thick, smooth rice porridge made by cooking rice until the grains largely break down.
joke、funny story
An English-derived word for a joke or humorous story, often used in casual contexts.
joker (playing card)
A joker, the special playing card that may serve a flexible or game-specific role.
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ไพ่ใบนี้เป็นโจ๊ก phây bay níi pen cóok This card is a joker. ไพ่ใบนี้เป็นโจ๊ก details
Learning notes
Explanation
The food term โจ๊ก is a Chinese loanword. In Thailand, it is a familiar breakfast or light meal, commonly served with pork, egg, ginger, scallions, and pepper. A serving can be counted with ถ้วย, as in โจ๊กหนึ่งถ้วย, “one bowl of congee.” Dish names commonly follow the pattern โจ๊ก + ingredient, as in โจ๊กหมู, “pork congee,” or โจ๊ก + ใส่ + added ingredient, as in โจ๊กใส่ไข่, “congee with an egg.” The meanings “joke” and “joker” are separate English-derived uses. Context normally makes the intended meaning clear: กิน and หมู suggest food, เล่า suggests a joke, and ไพ่ indicates a playing card. The expression เละเป็นโจ๊ก literally evokes something reduced to the consistency of congee and means “to become a complete mess” or “to be smashed into a mush.”
Usage
For the food meaning, this word is common at breakfast stalls and restaurants, when discussing light meals, and when choosing an easy-to-eat dish for someone who is unwell. The “joke” meaning appears in casual discussions of humor or funny stories, while the “joker” meaning is used in card-game contexts.
Caution
Although ข้าวต้ม may also be translated as “rice porridge,” it is generally soupier and retains distinct rice grains; โจ๊ก is thicker and cooked until the grains break down. Do not use โจ๊ก as a universal equivalent of “joke.” พูดเล่น is often more natural for “say something jokingly,” ล้อเล่น for “be kidding,” and มุก for a gag or piece of comic material.
Differences from similar words
1 congee synonyms
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ข้าวต้ม is a soupier rice dish in which the grains generally remain intact. โจ๊ก is cooked longer, making it thicker and smoother as the grains break down.
2 joke synonyms
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มุก is very common in conversation and often refers to a gag, punch line, or piece of comic material. โจ๊ก is an English-derived term more likely to refer to a joke or humorous story as a whole.
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เรื่องตลก is a broadly understood expression for a funny story or joke. โจ๊ก has the flavor of a borrowed term and is more casual.
3 joker (playing card) synonyms
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โจ๊กเกอร์ is the more immediately recognizable modern form for “joker.” โจ๊ก is also used, but ไพ่โจ๊กเกอร์ can make the playing-card meaning explicit.