ยาก
difficult
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 difficult、hard、not easy
- 2 with difficulty、hard to ～、unlikely to ～
Describes something that is not easy and requires effort or skill. After a verb, it means that the action is difficult to do or unlikely to happen easily.
difficult、hard、not easy
Describes a task, subject, or situation that requires considerable effort, skill, or thought.
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ภาษาไทยยากไหม phaasǎa thay yâak mǎy Is Thai difficult? ภาษาไทยยากไหม details
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ข้อสอบนี้ยากมาก khɔ̂ɔ sɔ̀ɔp níi yâak mâak This exam is very difficult. ข้อสอบนี้ยากมาก details
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งานนี้ไม่ยาก ŋaan níi mây yâak This job isn't difficult. งานนี้ไม่ยาก details
with difficulty、hard to ～、unlikely to ～
Placed after a verb to show that an action is hard to perform, or that something is not easily found, achieved, or likely to occur.
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เข้าใจยาก khâwcay yâak It is hard to understand. เข้าใจยาก details
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หนังสือเล่มนี้อ่านยาก nǎŋsʉ̌ʉ lêm níi àan yâak This book is difficult to read. หนังสือเล่มนี้อ่านยาก details
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ของแบบนี้หายาก khɔ̌ɔŋ bɛ̀ɛp níi hǎa yâak Things like this are hard to find. ของแบบนี้หายาก details
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เรื่องแบบนี้เกิดขึ้นได้ยาก rʉ̂aŋ bɛ̀ɛp níi kə̀ət khʉ̂n dâay yâak Something like this is unlikely to happen. เรื่องแบบนี้เกิดขึ้นได้ยาก details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core idea is that something is “not easy.” After a noun, it describes the difficulty of that thing, as in ข้อสอบยาก, “the exam is difficult.” A particularly useful pattern is verb + ยาก, such as เข้าใจยาก, “hard to understand.” Common degree forms include ยากมาก, “very difficult,” and ยากเกินไป, “too difficult.” ไม่ยาก means “not difficult,” while ยากกว่า and ยากที่สุด mean “more difficult” and “the most difficult.” Although ยาก is historically associated with poverty in some expressions, modern learners should normally use and memorize ยากจน as the complete word meaning “poor.”
Usage
Used widely when discussing the difficulty of studying, exams, work, tasks, decisions, and procedures. It also describes things that are hard to read, understand, find, obtain, or expect to happen. It is common in both conversation and writing.
Caution
Do not confuse ยาก, “difficult,” with อยาก, “want to.” ทำยาก means “hard to do,” while อยากทำ means “want to do.” Also, ยาก focuses on difficulty, whereas ลำบาก emphasizes hardship, inconvenience, or strain.
Differences from similar words
1 difficult synonyms
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ลำบาก emphasizes hardship, inconvenience, or personal strain. ยาก focuses more directly on how difficult something is to do or understand.