เม็ด
grain
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 grain、small bead or rounded piece
- 2 [classifier for grains, pills, seeds, beads, and small gems]
เม็ด refers to a small, separate grain, bead, or rounded piece. It is also commonly used as a classifier for things such as grains, pills, seeds, and small gems.
grain、small bead or rounded piece
A small, distinct grain, bead, or rounded unit, including grains of rice, particles of sand, and beads of sweat or rain.
-
เม็ดข้าว mét khâaw a grain of rice เม็ดข้าว details
-
เม็ดฝนหล่นบนหลังคา métfǒn lòn bon lǎŋkhaa Raindrops fall on the roof. เม็ดฝนหล่นบนหลังคา details
Show more (1)
-
เหงื่อออกเป็นเม็ด ŋʉ̀a ɔ̀ɔk pen mét Sweat forms in beads. เหงื่อออกเป็นเม็ด details
[classifier for grains, pills, seeds, beads, and small gems]
A classifier used to count small grains, pills, seeds, beads, gems, and similar compact or rounded objects.
-
ข้าวสามเม็ด khâaw sǎam mét three grains of rice ข้าวสามเม็ด details
Show more (2)
-
เพชรสิบเม็ด phét sìp mét ten diamonds เพชรสิบเม็ด details
-
สิวเม็ดนี้เจ็บมาก sǐw mét níi cèp mâak This pimple really hurts. สิวเม็ดนี้เจ็บมาก details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central image of เม็ด is a small, distinct unit that can be seen or handled as one grain or bead. It applies not only to solid particles such as rice and sand but also to visible beads of rain or sweat. As a noun, it commonly appears with another word identifying the substance: เม็ดข้าว means “a grain of rice,” and เม็ดทราย means “a grain of sand.” ยาเม็ด literally presents medicine in small solid units and means a tablet or pill. As a classifier, it follows the usual pattern “noun + number + classifier.” For example, ยาสองเม็ด means “two pills,” while ข้าวหนึ่งเม็ด means “one grain of rice.” ทีละเม็ด means “one grain or pill at a time.” The object does not have to be perfectly round. What matters is that it is small and perceived as an individual unit.
Usage
เม็ด is used when talking about everyday small particles such as grains of rice, sand, raindrops, and beads of sweat. It is especially common in pharmacies and medical settings for tablets and dosage. It also counts seeds, beads, pearls, small gems, and individual pimples.
Caution
เม็ด is not a general-purpose classifier. Use เมล็ด when specifically referring to a plant seed, หยด for a drop of liquid, and ก้อน for a larger lump or chunk. Since เม็ด alone may not show what the particle is, name the item in contexts where it is not already clear.
Differences from similar words
1 grain synonyms
2 [classifier for grains, pills, seeds, beads, and small gems] synonyms
-
ก้อน counts lumps, chunks, and blocks such as rocks or pieces of ice. เม็ด counts smaller, individually distinguishable grains or rounded pieces.
-
ลูก classifies many larger, self-contained objects such as fruit, balls, and eggs. เม็ด is used for much smaller grain-like or compact objects such as pills and small gems.