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=== Pronouns === Subject [[pronoun]]s are [[pronoun avoidance|often omitted]], with [[nickname]]s used where English would use a pronoun. See [[Thai name#Nicknames]] for more details. Pronouns, when used, are ranked in [[Thai honorifics|honorific registers]], and may also make a [[T–V distinction#Thai|T–V distinction]] in relation to [[kinship terminology|kinship]] and [[social status]]. Specialised pronouns are used for royalty, and for Buddhist monks. The following are appropriate for conversational use: {|class="wikitable" |- !Word || [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]] || [[Help:IPA|IPA]] || Meaning |- | {{lang|th|ข้าพเจ้า}} | {{lang|th|khaphachao}} | {{IPA|/kʰâː.pʰáʔ.tɕâːw/}} | I/me (very formal) |- | {{lang|th|กระผม}} | {{lang|th|kraphom}} | {{IPA|/kràʔ.pʰǒm/}} | I/me (masculine; formal) |- | {{lang|th|ผม}} | {{lang|th-Latn|phom}} | {{IPA|/pʰǒm/}} | I/me (masculine; common) |- | {{lang|th|ดิฉัน}} | {{lang|th-Latn|dichan}} | {{IPA|/dìʔ.tɕʰǎn/}} | I/me (feminine; formal) |- | {{lang|th|ฉัน}} | {{lang|th-Latn|chan}} | {{IPA|/tɕʰǎn/}} | I/me (mainly used by women; common) Commonly pronounced as {{IPA|[tɕʰán]}} |- | {{lang|th|ข้า}} | {{lang|th-Latn|kha}} | {{IPA|/kʰâː/}} | I/me (from high-status to low-status or familiar; informal) |- | {{lang|th|กู}} | {{lang|th-Latn|ku}} | {{IPA|/kūː/}} | I/me (impolite/vulgar) |- | {{lang|th|หนู}} | {{lang|th-Latn|nu}} | {{IPA|/nǔː/}} | I/me (used by women when speaking to people much older than themselves; informal)<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Many Different Ways To Say "I" |work=Beginner Thai Speaking |date=28 September 2021 |url=https://learnthaiinsingapore.com/the-many-different-ways-to-say-i-in-thai/ |access-date=2021-11-12 |language=en-SG }}</ref> |- | {{lang|th|เรา}} | {{lang|th-Latn|rao}} | {{IPA|/rāw/}} | we/us (common), I/me (casual), you (sometimes used but only when older person speaks to younger person) |- | {{lang|th|คุณ}} | {{lang|th-Latn|khun}} | {{IPA|/kʰūn/}} | you (common) |- | {{lang|th|ท่าน}} | {{lang|th-Latn|than}} | {{IPA|/tʰâːn/}} | you (highly [[honorific]]; formal) Commonly pronounced as {{IPA|[tʰân]}} |- | {{lang|th|แก}} | {{lang|th-Latn|kae}} | {{IPA|/kɛ̄ː/}} | you (familiar; informal)<ref>{{Cite web |author=Joanne Tan |title=How to say You in Thai Language |website=Learn Thai in Singapore |url=https://learnthaiinsingapore.com/how-to-say-you-in-thai-language/ }}</ref> |- | {{lang|th|เอ็ง}} | {{lang|th-Latn|eng}} | {{IPA|/ʔēŋ/}} | you (from high-status to low-status or familiar; informal) |- | {{lang|th|เธอ}} | {{lang|th-Latn|thoe}} | {{IPA|/tʰɤ̄ː/}} | you (informal), she/her (informal) |- | {{lang|th|มึง}} | {{lang|th-Latn|mueng}} | {{IPA|/mɯ̄ŋ/}} | you (impolite/vulgar) |- | {{lang|th|พี่}} | {{lang|th-Latn|phi}} | {{IPA|/pʰîː/}} | older brother, sister (also used for older acquaintances; common) |- | {{lang|th|น้อง}} | {{lang|th-Latn|nong}} | {{IPA|/nɔ́ːŋ/}} | younger brother, sister (also used for younger acquaintances; common) |- | {{lang|th|เขา}} | {{lang|th-Latn|khao}} | {{IPA|/kʰǎw/}} | he/him (common), she/her (common) Commonly pronounced as {{IPA|[kʰáw]}} |- | {{lang|th|มัน}} | {{lang|th-Latn|man}} | {{IPA|/mān/}} | it, he/she (offensive if used to refer to a person) |- |} The reflexive pronoun is {{lang|th|ตัวเอง}} ({{lang|th-Latn|tua eng}}), which can mean any of: myself, yourself, ourselves, himself, herself, themselves. This can be mixed with another pronoun to create an [[intensive pronoun]], such as {{lang|th|ตัวผมเอง}} ({{lang|th-Latn|tua phom eng}}, lit: I myself) or {{lang|th|ตัวคุณเอง}} ({{lang|th-Latn|tua khun eng}}, lit: you yourself). Thai also does not have a separate [[possessive pronoun]]. Instead, possession is indicated by the particle {{lang|th|ของ}} ({{lang|th-Latn|khong}}). For example, "my mother" is {{lang|th|แม่ของผม}} ({{lang|th-Latn|mae khong phom}}, lit: mother of I). This particle is often implicit, so the phrase is shortened to {{lang|th|แม่ผม}} ({{lang|th-Latn|mae phom}}). Plural pronouns can be easily constructed by adding the word {{lang|th|พวก}} ({{lang|th-Latn|phuak}}) in front of a singular pronoun as in {{lang|th|พวกเขา}} ({{lang|th-Latn|phuak khao}}) meaning 'they' or {{lang|th|พวกเธอ}} ({{lang|th-Latn|phuak thoe}}) meaning the plural sense of 'you'. The only exception to this is {{lang|th|เรา}} ({{lang|th-Latn|rao}}), which can be used as singular (informal) or plural, but can also be used in the form of {{lang|th|พวกเรา}} ({{lang|th-Latn|phuak rao}}), which is only plural. Thai has many more pronouns than those listed above. Their usage is full of nuances. For example: * "{{lang|th|ผม เรา ฉัน ดิฉัน หนู กู ข้า กระผม ข้าพเจ้า กระหม่อม อาตมา กัน ข้าน้อย ข้าพระพุทธเจ้า อั๊ว เขา}}" all translate to "I", but each expresses a different gender, age, politeness, status, or relationship between speaker and listener. * {{lang|th|เรา}} ({{lang|th-Latn|rao}}) can be first person (I), second person (you), or both (we), depending on the context. * Children or younger female could use or being referred by word {{lang|th|หนู}} ({{lang|th-Latn|nu}}) when talking with older person. The word {{lang|th|หนู}} could be both feminine first person (I) and feminine second person (you) and also neuter first and neuter second person for children. ** {{lang|th|หนู}} commonly means rat or mouse, though it also refers to small creatures in general. * The second person pronoun {{lang|th|เธอ}} ({{lang|th-Latn|thoe}}) (lit: you) is semi-feminine. It is used only when the speaker or the listener (or both) are female. Males usually do not address each other by this pronoun. * Both {{lang|th|คุณ}} ({{lang|th-latn|khun}}) and {{lang|th|เธอ}} ({{lang|th-Latn|thoe}}) are polite neuter second person pronouns. However, {{lang|th|คุณเธอ}} ({{lang|th-Latn|khun thoe}}) is a feminine derogative third person. * Instead of a second person pronoun such as {{lang|th|คุณ}} ('you'), it is much more common for unrelated strangers to call each other {{lang|th|พี่ น้อง ลุง ป้า น้า อา ตา}} or {{lang|th|ยาย}} (brother, sister, aunt, uncle, granny). * To express deference, the second person pronoun is sometimes replaced by a profession, similar to how, in English, presiding judges are always addressed as "your honor" rather than "you". In Thai, students always address their teachers by {{lang|th|ครู}}, {{lang|th|คุณครู}} or {{lang|th|อาจารย์}} (each meaning 'teacher') rather than {{lang|th|คุณ}} ('you'). Teachers, monks, and doctors are almost always addressed this way.
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