เด็กชาย
dèk-chaai/dek̚˨˩.t͡ɕʰaːj˧/
The English word 'boy' is translated into Thai as เด็กชาย (dèk-chaai) or เด็กผู้ชาย.
Meaning: male child (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| เด็กชาย | dèk-chaai | /dek̚˨˩.t͡ɕʰaːj˧/ |
| เด็กผู้ชาย | dèk-pûu-chaai | /dek̚˨˩.pʰuː˥˩.t͡ɕʰaːj˧/ |
Both terms refer to a male child.
What does it mean word for word?
The term เด็กชาย is composed of เด็ก (child) and ชาย (male). The term เด็กผู้ชาย is composed of เด็ก (child), ผู้ (person/one who) and ชาย (male).
Which one should you use?
เด็กชาย is more concise and is often used in formal contexts like news reports or official documents, whereas เด็กผู้ชาย is the more common, descriptive way to say 'boy' in everyday speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Thai, the word for boy does not change its form to indicate plurality. The number of boys must be indicated by adding a classifier elsewhere in the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for เด็กชาย is /dek̚˨˩.tɕʰaːj˧/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word ชาย in เด็กชาย also appears in the word for 'beach' (ชายหาด), as both refer to an 'edge' or 'border'.
- While เด็ก means 'child', it is often used colloquially to refer to someone's younger romantic partner or a protégé, regardless of their actual age.
- In official documents and school records, เด็กชาย is used as a formal title before a boy's name, similar to 'Mr.' for adults.
Examples in context
- เด็กชายโดนดุThe boy got scolded.The sentence shows how to use เด็กชาย when describing a boy being scolded.Tatoeba #8717312 by pastelite, translation #46398 by CK
- ฉันเป็นเด็กผู้ชายI am a boy.The sentence shows how to use เด็กผู้ชาย to state one's identity as a boy.Tatoeba #7765793 by JipThaiTeacher, translation #453328 by saasmath
- เด็กชายจับหมาที่หางThe boy caught the dog by the tail.The sentence shows how to use เด็กชาย in a sentence describing an action involving a dog.Tatoeba #10277377 by Somsak, translation #45405 by CK
- เด็กหนุ่มYoung boy
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chonsit and Nicha are looking at a photo of a child.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitเด็กชายในรูปนี้คือใครครับdek chai nai rup ni khue khrai krapWho is the boy in this picture?
- ณิชา Nichaเขาเป็นลูกชายของฉันค่ะkhao pen luk chai khong chan khaHe is my son.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitเด็กชายคนนี้หน้าตาเหมือนคุณมากdek chai khon ni na ta muean khun makThis boy looks a lot like you.
- ณิชา Nichaขอบคุณมากค่ะkhop khun mak khaThank you very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boy” translations and entries เด็กชาย, เด็กผู้ชาย, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
