เต่า
turtle
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 turtle、tortoise
- 2 underarm
เต่า refers to a turtle or tortoise. It is also slang for underarm odor.
turtle、tortoise
A general term for shelled reptiles, including turtles and tortoises.
underarm
An informal, often teasing term for unpleasant underarm odor.
Learning notes
Explanation
Use the classifier ตัว when counting turtles: เต่าสองตัว means “two turtles,” and เต่าตัวนี้ means “this turtle.” The word เต่า covers both aquatic turtles and land-dwelling tortoises. For underarm odor, the common expression is กลิ่นเต่า, with กลิ่น meaning “smell.” เต่าแรง is a very informal way to say that someone's underarm odor is strong.
Usage
The animal sense appears in conversations about pets, aquariums, wildlife, and conservation. The odor sense occurs in casual talk about sweating, exercise, and deodorant.
Caution
Using the odor sense about someone directly can be insulting. กลิ่นรักแร้ is more appropriate in a medical consultation. เต่า itself does not name or diagnose a medical condition.