สนามบิน
sà-nǎam-bin/sa˨˩.naːm˩˩˦.bin˧/common
The Thai word for airport is สนามบิน (sà-nǎam-bin). Wiktionary also lists ท่าอากาศยาน (tâa-aa-gàat-sà-yaan).
Meaning: place designated for airplanes (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| สนามบิน | sà-nǎam-bin | /sa˨˩.naːm˩˩˦.bin˧/ | common |
| ท่าอากาศยาน | tâa-aa-gàat-sà-yaan | /tʰaː˥˩.ʔaː˧.kaːt̚˨˩.sa˨˩.jaːn˧/ | formal |
The word refers to a place designated for airplanes.
What does it mean word for word?
The common term สนามบิน is a compound of สนาม (field/ground) and บิน (to fly). The formal term ท่าอากาศยาน is composed of ท่า (port/station), อากาศ (air) and ยาน (vehicle).
Which one should you use?
ท่าอากาศยาน is the formal term used in official contexts, news or signage, whereas สนามบิน is the common everyday term.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
สนามบิน is the common everyday term. ท่าอากาศยาน is a formal term.
How do you pronounce it?
sà-nǎam-bin
Did you know?
- The word บิน for 'to fly' is also used colloquially to describe someone being 'kicked out' or 'banned' from an online community or game.
- The formal term อากาศยาน (aircraft) is a Sanskrit-derived word, which is why it sounds much more prestigious and 'official' than the native Thai-based สนามบิน.
- The word ท่า in the formal term for airport originally refers to a river pier or quay. This shows how Thai treats the air as a sea and the airport as a harbor.
Examples in context
- ทอมอยู่ที่สนามบินTom is at the airport.This sentence shows how to use สนามบิน to say someone is at the airport.Tatoeba #8695453 by pastelite, translation #1868226 by CK
- ฉันอยู่ที่สนามบินI'm at the airport.This sentence shows how to use สนามบิน to say you are at the airport.Tatoeba #8720092 by pastelite, translation #2548735 by CK
- สนามบินอยู่ไกลแค่ไหน?How far is it to the airport?This sentence uses สนามบิน to ask about the distance to the airport.Tatoeba #8679072 by pastelite, translation #18189 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are discussing travel plans at home.
- พิมล Pimonธีรภัทรจะไปสนามบินกี่โมงคะ?Theeraphat cha pai sanam bin ki mong kha?What time will you go to the airport, Theeraphat?
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatผมจะไปสนามบินตอนหกโมงเช้าครับPhom cha pai sanam bin ton hok mong chao khrapI will go to the airport at six in the morning.
- พิมล Pimonให้พิมลขับรถไปส่งไหมคะ?Hai Phimon khap rot pai song mai kha?Do you want Phimon to drive you there?
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatขอบคุณครับ พิมลช่วยขับไปส่งผมด้วยนะKhop khun khrap Phimon chuay khap pai song phom duay naThank you, Phimon, please drive me there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “airport” translations and entries สนามบิน, ท่าอากาศยาน, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ท่าอากาศยาน, สนามบิน, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
