nickname
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 nickname、everyday name
A name used in everyday life instead of a person’s full legal name. In Thailand, most people have one from childhood and commonly use it at school, work, and in social settings.
nickname、everyday name
A person’s established everyday name, used by family, friends, classmates, and coworkers instead of the person’s formal name.
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ชื่อเล่นของฉันคือมุก chʉ̂ʉ lên khɔ̌ɔŋ chǎn khʉʉ múk My nickname is Mook. ชื่อเล่นของฉันคือมุก details
Learning notes
Explanation
ชื่อเล่น is formed from ชื่อ “name” and เล่น “play,” but it is best learned as a single word meaning an everyday name used instead of a formal name. In Thailand, most people receive a ชื่อเล่น in childhood. It is not necessarily a humorous or temporary nickname: it often functions as the name used at school, at work, and in ordinary social life. A full or formal name is called ชื่อจริง. The classifier used for names is ชื่อ.
Usage
This word is especially common in introductions and when asking what to call someone. It may also appear as a separate field from the full name on school or workplace lists and informal registration forms.
Caution
Unlike a teasing or spontaneously invented nickname, a Thai ชื่อเล่น is often a stable everyday name and carries no inherently humorous tone. Official identification and legal documents normally require the ชื่อจริง, not the ชื่อเล่น.
Differences from similar words
1 nickname synonyms
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ฉายา is a nickname, epithet, or moniker given because of someone’s appearance, personality, or achievements. ชื่อเล่น is an established everyday name that the person normally uses.