ໃຫຍ່
h[ɲaj˧]
The English word "big" is translated into Lao as ໃຫຍ່ or ໂຕ.
Meaning: of a great size (adj)
Ways to say it
| Lao | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ໃຫຍ່ | h | [ɲaj˧] (narrow) [ɲaɰ˧˨] (narrow) |
| ໂຕ | tō | [toː˩(˧)] (narrow) [toː˩˨] (narrow) |
Both forms are used to describe something of a great size.
How do you pronounce it?
h
Did you know?
- The word ໂຕ shares an ancient root with the Chinese character for 'head', suggesting an ancestral connection between the concept of 'size' and the concept of 'the head' or 'the body'.
- In Lao culture, describing someone as ໂຕໃຫຍ່ ('big body') can be a neutral observation of size rather than a judgment on weight.
- While ໃຫຍ່ is the standard adjective for 'big', the word ໂຕ is often used as a classifier for animals, similar to how one might count 'units' of a creature.
Examples in context
- ບ້ານໃຫຍ່ (bān yai)Big house
- ເຮົາມີເຮືອນໃຫຍ່.hao mi heuan nyai.We have a big house.
- ແມວໂຕນັ້ນໃຫຍ່ຫຼາຍ.maew to nan nyai lai.That cat is very big.
- ຂ້ອຍຕ້ອງການຖົງໃຫຍ່.khoy tong kan thong nyai.I want a big bag.
Example conversation
Two people are looking at a piece of fruit at a market.
- Aເບິ່ງໝາກໂມ້ໜ່ວຍນີ້ດູ, ມັນໃຫຍ່ແທ້!Beung mak mo nuay ni du, man nyai thae!Look at this watermelon, it is really big!
- Bແມ່ນແລ້ວ, ມັນໃຫຍ່ກວ່າໝ່ວຍອື່ນ.Maen laew, man nyai kwa nuay eun.Yes, it is bigger than the others.
- Aເຈົ້າຄິດວ່າລາຄາມັນຈະແພງບໍ່?Chao khit wa lakham man cha phaeng bo?Do you think the price will be expensive?
- Bອາດຈະແພງ ເພາະວ່າມັນໃຫຍ່.At cha phaeng phaw wa man nyai.Maybe, because it is big.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “big” translations and entries ໃຫຍ່, ໂຕ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ໂຕ, ໃຫຍ່, CC BY-SA 4.0.
