ผีเสื้อ
pǐi-sʉ̂ʉa/pʰiː˩˩˦.sɯa̯˥˩/
The English word "butterfly" is ผีเสื้อ (pǐi-sʉ̂ʉa) in Thai.
ผีเสื้อ is a noun used to refer to the insect known as a butterfly.
Meaning: insect (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables: pǐi-sʉ̂ʉa. The romanization is pǐi-sʉ̂ʉa.
Did you know?
- In Thai culture, the word ผี (spirit) within the word for butterfly hints at an ancient belief that these insects are actually ancestral spirits visiting the living.
- Thai uses the word ผีเสื้อ to name the butterflyfish because of its colors and appearance.
- The word for 'ghost' or 'spirit' in Thai is ผี, which is the first half of the word ผีเสื้อ.
Examples in context
- ผมได้เห็นผีเสื้อสวยงามบินอยู่ในสวนI saw a beautiful butterfly flying in the garden.
- มีผีเสื้อตัวใหญ่บนดอกไม้mi phi-suea tua yai bon dok maiThere is a large butterfly on the flower.
- ฉันเห็นผีเสื้อหลากสีสันในสวนchan hen phi-suea lak si san nai suanI saw many colorful butterflies in the garden.
- ผีเสื้อบินไปมาอย่างสวยงามphi-suea bin pai ma yang suai ngamThe butterflies are flying around beautifully.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are walking in a park.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanดูนั่นสิ ธนกฤต มีผีเสื้อด้วยdu nan si Thanakit mi phi-suea duaiLook at that, Thanakit, there is a butterfly too.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritมันสวยมากเลยครับ กนกวรรณman suai mak loei khrap KanokwanIt is very beautiful, Kanokwan.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanผีเสื้อตัวนั้นสีฟ้าสดใสมากphi-suea tua nan si fa sot sai makThat butterfly is a very bright blue.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritผมชอบผีเสื้อสีสวยๆ แบบนี้ครับphom chop phi-suea si suai suai baep ni khrapI like butterflies with beautiful colors like this.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “butterfly” translations and entries ผีเสื้อ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ผีเสื้อ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
