A flock of birds, two bushels of hay, a swarm of bees, seven piles of clothes, a divided stack of cards \u2013 these are all examples of \u2018unit words\u2019 in English. Unit words aren\u2019t used very much in English, I\u2019d estimate maybe 10% of the time.<\/p>\n
However, in Thai, unit words are used closer to 90% of the time. This means that you not only need to memorize all the nouns in Thai, but also the unique unit words for each noun. The Thai word for \u2018unit word\u2019, which translates closer to \u2018noun classifier\u2019, is \u0e25\u0e31\u0e01\u0e29\u0e13\u0e19\u0e32\u0e21<\/strong> (lak sa nanaam).<\/p>\n The general rule is you say your sentence, followed by the noun, then the quantity, and finally the unit word.<\/p>\n I want -> pencil -> three -> [unit word here]<\/p>\n There are hundreds of unit words. As this is more of a beginner level blog, I\u2019ll stick to the unit words that\u2019ll get you correct most of time. Let\u2019s start . . .<\/p>\n \u0e2d\u0e31\u0e19<\/strong> an 1<\/p>\n Use this word for small random items, especially when different things are mixed. You can use them for pens, erasers, stickers, packs of post-it notes, etc. Each of these nouns have their own unit words, but using \u0e2d\u0e31\u0e19<\/strong> will still be correct usage and make things easier for you. If you are clueless as to what unit word to use for something, and none of the below unit words fit, you\u2019ll at least be understood if you use \u0e2d\u0e31\u0e19<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u0e1c\u0e21\u0e40\u0e2d\u0e32\u0e1b\u0e31\u0e01\u0e01\u0e32\u0e2b\u0e49\u0e32\u0e2d\u0e31\u0e19 I want five pens.<\/p>\n \u0e15\u0e31\u0e27<\/strong> dtua 1<\/p>\n Use this word for animals, clothing, and furniture.<\/p>\n \u0e21\u0e35\u0e42\u0e15\u0e4a\u0e30\u0e01\u0e35\u0e48\u0e15\u0e31\u0e27? How many tables are there?<\/p>\n \u0e21\u0e35\u0e42\u0e15\u0e4a\u0e30\u0e2b\u0e49\u0e32\u0e15\u0e31\u0e27 There are five tables.<\/p>\n You can also just answer with \u0e2b\u0e49\u0e32\u0e15\u0e31\u0e27<\/strong>, leaving out the noun.<\/p>\n \u0e04\u0e19 <\/strong>kon 1<\/p>\n Probably the easiest of all unit words, \u0e04\u0e19 <\/strong>not only means \u2018people\u2019, it\u2019s the unit word for people as well. Typically, when the unit word is the same as the actual word, the noun is left out. For example:<\/p>\n \u0e21\u0e35\u0e01\u0e35\u0e48\u0e04\u0e19? How many people are there?<\/p>\n \u0e21\u0e35\u0e2b\u0e49\u0e32\u0e04\u0e19 There are five people.<\/p>\n \u0e04\u0e31\u0e19 <\/strong>kan 1<\/p>\n This is the unit word for cars\/vehicles, and for some odd reason umbrellas.<\/p>\n \u0e23\u0e27\u0e22\u0e41\u0e25\u0e49\u0e27\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e32\u0e01\u0e44\u0e14\u0e49\u0e23\u0e16\u0e2b\u0e25\u0e32\u0e22\u0e04\u0e31\u0e19 When I\u2019m rich, I want to have many cars.<\/p>\n \u0e25\u0e39\u0e01 <\/strong>look 3<\/p>\n Use this unit word for small round objects, such as eggs, steamed buns, and all types of fruit (including bananas). Also, for mountains \u2013 again, the odd ball out . . .<\/p>\n \u0e02\u0e2d\u0e0b\u0e32\u0e25\u0e32\u0e40\u0e1b\u0e32\u0e2a\u0e32\u0e21\u0e25\u0e39\u0e01\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a May I have three steamed buns, please?<\/p>\n \u0e17\u0e35\u0e48 <\/strong>tee 3<\/p>\n Use this unit word for places. Note that \u0e17\u0e35\u0e48 also means place\/location.<\/p>\n \u0e1c\u0e21\u0e0a\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e2b\u0e25\u0e32\u0e22\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e39\u0e48\u0e40\u0e21\u0e37\u0e2d\u0e07\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22 I like many places in Thailand.<\/p>\n There are, of course, many more!<\/p>\n Now, for the \u2018Thai unit word\u2019 song . . . it\u2019s a bit advanced, so you\u2019ll probably need to pause it often to read each example.<\/p>\n