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Thai

เรียก

Pronunciation

rîak

เรียก

rîak

call out to

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  1. 1 call out to、call someone’s name
  2. 2 summon、call for、send for
  3. 3 call (someone or something a particular name)、refer to as、describe as
  4. 4 demand、claim (payment or compensation)、charge (an amount)

This verb centers on calling: getting someone’s attention, asking someone or something to come, giving something a name, or demanding something such as payment.

1

call out to、call someone’s name

Verb⭐️5 Essential

To use one’s voice or someone’s name to get their attention.

2

summon、call for、send for

Verb⭐️4 Often used

To ask, signal, or arrange for a person, service, or vehicle to come.

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3

call (someone or something a particular name)、refer to as、describe as

Verb⭐️5 Essential

To identify or describe a person, thing, or situation by a particular name or label, commonly with เรียก A ว่า B.

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4

demand、claim (payment or compensation)、charge (an amount)

Verb⭐️3 Common

To demand or claim an amount of money, compensation, or another payment.

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Learning notes

Explanation

The central idea of เรียก is directing a person or thing toward the speaker—through one’s voice, a name, a summons, or a demand. เรียกฉัน means “call me” to get the person’s attention. In expressions such as เรียกหมอ, it means to get a doctor to come; this may involve calling by phone or making other arrangements rather than literally shouting. A key naming pattern is เรียก A ว่า B, meaning “call A B.” The order A เรียกว่า B can mean “A is called B.” เรียกว่า can also label or evaluate a situation, giving meanings such as “this is what you call…” or “this can be described as….” With money, the item being demanded usually follows เรียก, as in เรียกค่าเสียหาย, “claim damages.”

Usage

It is common in everyday situations such as calling someone’s name, getting a server’s attention, sending for a doctor, arranging a taxi, or announcing a name or queue number. The เรียกว่า… pattern is frequently used to ask for or explain names and terms. In business and legal settings, เรียก also appears when calling meetings or claiming fees and compensation.

Caution

Do not normally use เรียก for the simple act of phoning someone; use โทรหา instead. เรียกหมอ focuses on getting a doctor to come, while โทรหาหมอ focuses on making a phone call to the doctor. To say “call A B,” the usual order is เรียก A ว่า B. Also, เรียก does not freely mean “demand” with every kind of object. Its demanding sense commonly occurs in established patterns involving money, such as เรียกค่า… and เรียกเก็บ….

Differences from similar words

1 call out to synonyms

2 summon synonyms

  • เชิญ politely invites or asks someone to do something. เรียก is the general verb for calling or arranging for someone to come and does not itself convey a polite invitation.

3 call (someone or something a particular name) synonyms

  • ขนานนาม is a formal or literary verb meaning to name or dub. เรียก is neutral and common in everyday speech.

  • ตั้งชื่อ means to give or assign a name. เรียก more broadly means to call or refer to something by a name, whether or not the speaker created that name.

4 demand synonyms

  • ขอ broadly means to ask or request and can form a polite request. เรียก is used when demanding or claiming something due, especially money, fees, or compensation.

Component words

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