Core Vocabulary
~5 minBuilds on
people vocabulary
Today
place family terms by generation and age
Feeds
Memory Builder
Grandparents distinguish the parental side
ปู่
father’s father
ย่า
father’s mother
ตา
mother’s father
ยาย
mother’s mother
Aunts and uncles distinguish age and parental side
ลุง
older brother of either parent
ป้า
older sister of either parent
น้า
younger sibling of one’s mother
อา
younger sibling of one’s father
The next generation
ลูก
child
หลาน
grandchild / niece / nephew
พี่ and น้อง encode relative age
พี่
older sibling; also an older peer addressed relationally
น้อง
younger sibling; also a younger peer addressed relationally
Worked payoff — age changes the term
พี่สาว ↔ น้องสาว
older sister ↔ younger sister
Thai kin terms can extend beyond literal family, but relationship and age still matter.
Where this goes next
Next lessonThai Festivals & Buddhist Observances
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