Counting words

Thai classifiers

Thai does not say "three dogs". It says "dog three คน" - noun, number, classifier. Every countable noun has one, and using the wrong one is the fastest way to sound like you learned Thai from a book.

The pattern

Noun + number + classifier. หมา สาม ตัว (mǎa sǎam dtua) is "three dogs", literally "dog three body". With นี้ or นั้น it becomes noun + classifier + this/that: หมา ตัว นี้, "this dog".

When you do not know the right classifier, อัน (an) is the general-purpose fallback for small objects. It is not always correct, but it is always understood.

The 20 you will actually use

Learn the rest in the app

All 34 chapters, every word with native-quality Thai audio. Free, forever.

Get told when it launches