โค้ง
kóong/kʰoːŋ˦˥/
To bow in Thai is to say โค้ง (kóong) or คำนับ.
Meaning: to bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference (verb)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| โค้ง | kóong | /kʰoːŋ˦˥/ |
| คำนับ |
The term refers to the act of bending oneself as a gesture of respect or deference. Note that โค้ง is also used to describe physical objects that are curved, such as a line or a road. The related noun คันชัก refers to a rod used for playing stringed instruments.
Which one should you use?
While both terms relate to bowing, คำนับ is used specifically for the formal or social gesture of bowing to show respect. โค้ง is more general and can also mean to curve a physical object.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
For example, การโค้ง means the act of curving and การคำนับ means the act of bowing.
How do you pronounce it?
kóong
Did you know?
- While โค้ง describes a bow, the traditional Thai gesture of respect is actually the ไหว้ (wai), where palms are pressed together. A deep bow is usually reserved for the most formal royal or religious contexts.
- When bowing to a monk or a royal person, a Thai person may perform กราบ (krab), which involves a full prostration on the floor rather than just a bend of the waist.
- The Thai word โค้ง is a cognate of the Chinese word 拱 (gǒng), showing a deep linguistic link between the two languages regarding the concept of bending.
Examples in context
- เราควรโค้งคำนับเมื่อพบผู้ใหญ่rao khuan khong kham-nap muea phop phu-yaiWe should bow when meeting elders.
- เด็กน้อยโค้งแสดงความเคารพdek noi khong sa-daeng khwam khao-ropThe little child bows to show respect.
Example conversation
Nicha is teaching Theeraphat about etiquette before a meeting.
- ณิชา Nichaธีรภัทร ต้องโค้งตอนเจอท่านประธานนะTheeraphat tong khong ton choe than prathan naTheeraphat, you must bow when you meet the president.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatต้องโค้งต่ำแค่ไหนครับtong khong tam khae nai khrapHow low should I bow?
- ณิชา Nichaแค่โค้งศีรษะลงเล็กน้อยก็พอkhae khong sisa long lek noy ko phoJust bowing your head slightly is enough.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatเข้าใจแล้วครับ ขอบคุณครับkhao chai laeo khrap khop khun khrapI understand now. Thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bow” translations and entries โค้ง, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries โค้ง, CC BY-SA 4.0.
