ลา
say goodbye
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 say goodbye、take one’s leave、bid farewell
- 2 take leave、take time off、request leave
- 3 donkey
- 4 la [musical note]
ลา is commonly used as a verb with the idea of leaving a place, person, or duty: saying goodbye or taking leave from work or school. As separate noun meanings, it can also mean “donkey” or the musical note “la.”
say goodbye、take one’s leave、bid farewell
This means to take one’s leave by signaling goodbye through words, gesture, or writing. It is often used in set expressions rather than as a casual standalone goodbye.
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ลาก่อน laa kɔ̀ɔn Goodbye. ลาก่อน details
take leave、take time off、request leave
This means to take approved time off from work or school. It commonly combines with words for the reason or type of leave, such as sickness, personal business, or vacation.
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ลาป่วย laa pùay take sick leave. ลาป่วย details
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ขอลาหนึ่งวัน khɔ̌ɔ laa nʉ̀ŋ wan I’d like to take one day off. ขอลาหนึ่งวัน details
Show more (1)
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วันนี้ผมลา wan níi phǒm laa I’m on leave today. วันนี้ผมลา details
donkey
This is the noun for a donkey, an animal similar to a small horse with long ears. It is separate from the verb meanings of ลา.
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ขี่ลา khìi laa ride a donkey. ขี่ลา details
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ลาตัวนี้เชื่องมาก laa tua níi chʉ̂aŋ mâak This donkey is very tame. ลาตัวนี้เชื่องมาก details
la [musical note]
In music, ลา can refer to the solfège syllable “la,” the sixth note of the major scale.
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โน้ตลา nóot laa the note la. โน้ตลา details
Learning notes
Explanation
As a verb, ลา has the core idea of formally or visibly leaving: leaving a person by saying goodbye, or leaving work or school temporarily by taking approved leave. In the compound ลาออก, it means leaving an organization or position, so the compound means “to resign” or “to quit.” The noun ลา meaning “donkey” is a separate word with the same spelling; its classifier is ตัว.
Usage
You will hear ลา often at work or school when someone takes sick leave, personal leave, or vacation leave. For farewells, it appears in phrases like ลาก่อน or ลา + person. In animal-related contexts it means “donkey,” and in music it can mean the note “la.”
Caution
Do not use ลา for simply resting; พัก is the usual word for resting or taking a break. Also, ลาก่อน can sound heavier or more final than a casual “see you,” so แล้วเจอกัน or ไปก่อนนะ may be more natural in everyday partings.
Differences from similar words
1 say goodbye synonyms
2 take leave synonyms
3 donkey synonyms
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ล่อ means “mule,” a hybrid of a horse and a donkey. ลา means “donkey” itself.