เกรง

Explanation

At its core, เกรง suggests holding back or becoming cautious because a person, circumstance, or possible consequence cannot be taken lightly. In contemporary Thai, เกรง is not often used by itself. On its own it can mean “to fear,” especially in formal writing, but learners will encounter it much more often in established combinations: เกรงว่า + clause: to express concern about a possibility or soften an unfavorable judgment เกรงใจ: to hesitate out of consideration for another person เกรงกลัว: to be clearly afraid เกรงขาม: to feel fear and respect toward someone powerful or imposing เกรงว่า often functions like “I’m afraid that ...” in polite refusals or bad news. It does not necessarily describe literal fear.

Usage

เกรงใจ is especially common in everyday interactions involving favors, gifts, invitations, or concern about inconveniencing someone. เกรงว่า is common in business communication, polite disagreement, refusals, and the delivery of unfavorable news. เกรงกลัว is used for fear of danger or punishment, while เกรงขาม is used for awe or respectful fear toward someone powerful or imposing.

Caution

Do not normally use เกรง by itself for ordinary fears such as being afraid of dogs or ghosts; กลัว is the natural choice. Also, เกรงใจ does not simply mean “to be shy” or “to respect someone.” It specifically involves holding back because you do not want to inconvenience or impose on another person.

1 fear synonyms

• กลัว

  klua be afraid of

  กลัว is the ordinary word for being directly afraid of something, such as a dog or a ghost. เกรง sounds more formal and is commonly used in set expressions involving concern, consideration, or respectful fear.

• หวั่น

  wàn feel apprehensive

  หวั่น emphasizes uneasiness or apprehension about a bad outcome and occurs in expressions such as หวั่นว่า and หวั่นเกรง. เกรง has a broader range in common combinations, including consideration for others and awe of authority.