beggar
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 beggar
- 2 beg、ask for alms
This word refers to begging for money, food, or other necessities, or to a person who lives by doing so.
beggar
A person who asks others for money, food, or other necessities in order to live.
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มีขอทานอยู่หน้าสถานี mii khɔ̌ɔthaan yùu nâa sathǎanii There is a beggar in front of the station. มีขอทานอยู่หน้าสถานี details
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เขาให้เงินขอทาน khǎw hây ŋən khɔ̌ɔthaan He gave some money to a beggar. เขาให้เงินขอทาน details
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ขอทานสองคน khɔ̌ɔthaan sɔ̌ɔŋ khon two beggars ขอทานสองคน details
beg、ask for alms
To seek money, food, or other necessities from people as a means of survival.
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เขาไปขอทานในตลาด khǎw pay khɔ̌ɔthaan nay talàat He went to the market to beg. เขาไปขอทานในตลาด details
Learning notes
Explanation
The word is formed from ขอ, “to ask for,” and ทาน, “alms” or “a charitable offering.” In modern usage, it is best learned as a single word. Depending on its position in a sentence, ขอทาน can be a verb describing the act of begging or a noun referring to a beggar. When counting people, it takes the classifier คน, as in ขอทานสองคน, “two beggars.” It does not mean “homeless person” in general. The word focuses on asking for alms, not on whether someone has housing.
Usage
It is used when talking about people asking for money or food in places such as streets, markets, stations, or near temples. It also appears in news and public discussions of poverty, welfare, exploitation, and trafficking.
Caution
Using ขอทาน as a direct label for a person can sound blunt or demeaning. In sensitive contexts, ผู้ขอทาน, literally “a person who begs,” may be more appropriate. Also, ขอทาน is not used for an ordinary request; use ขอ for simply asking for something.
Differences from similar words
1 beggar synonyms
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ผู้ขอทาน explicitly means “a person who begs” and fits formal, news, or administrative contexts. ขอทาน is the shorter and more direct label for a beggar.