หิวไหม
hiu mai
To say "are you hungry?" in Thai, use หิวไหม (hiu mai).
This phrase is used to ask if someone wants to eat food.
What does it mean word for word?
The core of the phrase is หิว (hiu), which means "hungry". The word ไหม (mai) is a question particle added to the end of a statement to turn it into a yes/no question.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The short form หิวไหม? is informal. For a more formal approach, you can use คุณหิวไหมครับ/คะ?
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the nuance of the question by adding หรือยัง (rue yang) to the end of หิว, resulting in หิวหรือยัง, which means "are you hungry yet?"
How do you pronounce it?
hiu mai
When do people say it?
In Thai culture, a common informal way to ask if someone is hungry is to ask กินข้าวยัง? (Have you eaten?).
Did you know?
- Thai has a specific concept called หิวแสง (hiu saeng), which literally means 'hungry for light' but actually describes someone seeking attention or fame.
- When asking a child or someone much younger if they are hungry, the pronoun หนู (nu), meaning 'little mouse', is often used instead of คุณ (khun).
- While หิว (hiu) means 'hungry', Thais frequently use it as a prefix for cravings, such as หิวขนม ('hungry for sweets') or หิวชาไข่มุก ('hungry for bubble tea').
Examples in context
- คุณหิวไหมครับ?Are you hungry?
- ตอนนี้หิวไหมton ni hiu maiAre you hungry right now?
- เด็กๆ หิวไหมdek dek hiu maiAre the children hungry?
Example conversation
Chonsit is asking Nicha if she wants to eat dinner.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitณิชา หิวไหมNicha hiu maiNicha, are you hungry?
- ณิชา Nichaหิวมากเลยค่ะhiu mak loei khaI am very hungry.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitไปหาอะไรกินกันไหมpai ha a rai kin kan maiShall we go find something to eat?
- ณิชา Nichaไปค่ะpai khaYes, let's go.
