หมี
mǐi/miː˩˩˦/
The Thai word for the English noun 'bear' is หมี (mǐi).
หมี is used to refer to the large mammal of the family Ursidae.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is mǐi. The IPA is /miː˩˩˦/.
Did you know?
- The word หมี is believed by some linguists to be a corrupted form of the word หี, which is a highly vulgar Thai term for female genitalia.
- Because หมี sounds very similar to a vulgar Thai term for female genitalia, people often use it in puns or double entendres in casual speech.
- In Thai pop culture and memes, the bear is often associated with 'cuteness' and 'cuddliness' in a way that differs from the animal's dangerous reality.
Examples in context
- หมีเริ่มฉีกเตนท์The bear began tearing at the tent.This sentence shows how to use หมี when describing a bear's actions.Tatoeba #10289033 by Somsak, translation #18083 by CK
- เขาไปดู หมี ในสวนสัตว์He went to see bears at the zoo.
- หมี คือสัญลักษณ์ของป่าBears are symbols of the forest.
- ฉันเห็นหมีตัวใหญ่ในป่าchan hen mi tua yai nai paI saw a large bear in the forest.
- หมีชอบกินน้ำผึ้งมากmi chop kin nam phueng makBears like eating honey very much.
Example conversation
Nicha and Witthawat are looking at animals in a zoo.
- ณิชา Nichaวิทวัส ดูหมีตัวนั้นสิwitthawat du mi tua nan siWitthawat, look at that bear.
- วิทวัส Witthawatมันกำลังกินปลาอยู่man kam-lang kin pla yuIt is eating a fish.
- ณิชา Nichaหมีตัวใหญ่กว่าที่ฉันคิดmi tua yai kwa thi chan khitThe bear is bigger than I thought.
- วิทวัส Witthawatใช่ มันดูแข็งแรงมากchai man du khaeng-raeng makYes, it looks very strong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries หมี, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries หมี, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
