นาย
boss
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 boss、employer、master、person in charge
- 2 Mr. [before a man's name]、male title [official]
- 3 you [casual, familiar]
- 4 [classifier for police officers, soldiers, male officials]
นาย centers on the idea of a person, often male, who has status, authority, or an official identity. It can mean a boss or employer, serve as the formal title “Mr.” before a man’s name, work as a casual “you,” and function as a classifier for certain male officials.
boss、employer、master、person in charge
This sense refers to someone in charge, such as a boss, employer, master, or person with authority over others. It is especially common inside compounds.
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นายสั่งให้ทำงานนี้ naay sàŋ hây tham ŋaan níi The boss ordered us to do this work. นายสั่งให้ทำงานนี้ details
Mr. [before a man's name]、male title [official]
This is the formal title placed before a man’s name, similar to “Mr.” It is common in documents, lists, news, and official contexts rather than as a general polite form of address in conversation.
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นายสมชาย ใจดี naay sǒmchaay cay dii Mr. Somchai Jaidee นายสมชาย ใจดี details
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ผู้สมัครหมายเลข 3 คือ นายวิชัย phûu samàk mǎay lêek sǎam khʉʉ naay wíchay Candidate number 3 is Mr. Wichai. ผู้สมัครหมายเลข 3 คือ นายวิชัย details
you [casual, familiar]
As a pronoun, นาย means “you” in a familiar, casual way, often toward a male friend or someone of similar status. It is not appropriate for formal or respectful situations.
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นายไปไหนมา naay pay nǎy maa Where have you been? นายไปไหนมา details
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นายคิดว่ายังไง naay khít wâa yaŋ ŋay What do you think? นายคิดว่ายังไง details
[classifier for police officers, soldiers, male officials]
As a classifier, นาย is used for counting certain male officials, especially police officers, soldiers, or officers in official contexts.
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ตำรวจ 3 นาย tamrùat sǎam naay three police officers ตำรวจ 3 นาย details
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ทหาร 10 นาย thahǎan sìp naay ten soldiers ทหาร 10 นาย details
Learning notes
Explanation
นาย can refer to a person above others in a hierarchy, such as a boss, employer, master, or person in charge. It also appears in many compounds, such as เจ้านาย “boss,” นายจ้าง “employer,” and นายกรัฐมนตรี “prime minister.” Before a man’s name, as in นายสมชาย, it is an official title like “Mr.” In casual conversation, it can also be a familiar “you,” used with someone close.
Usage
You will often see นาย in documents, news reports, lists, elections, legal contexts, and labor-related contexts as a male title or part of an official job title. In everyday speech, it commonly appears in words like เจ้านาย “boss” and นายจ้าง “employer.” As a pronoun meaning “you,” it belongs to casual conversation among close people.
Caution
นาย is not a general polite title you can use for anyone in conversation. For polite address, คุณ is usually safer. As a title before a name, นาย is for men; women use titles such as นาง or นางสาว.
Differences from similar words
1 boss synonyms
2 Mr. [before a man's name] synonyms
3 you [casual, familiar] synonyms
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เธอ can also mean “you” in familiar speech and is used more broadly. นาย often sounds more masculine and informal.
4 [classifier for police officers, soldiers, male officials] synonyms
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คน is the general classifier for people. นาย is used for certain official roles, especially police officers and soldiers.