รถ
rót/rot̚˦˥/
In Thai, the word for car is รถ (rót). Wiktionary also lists รถยนต์ (rót-yon).
Meaning: automobile, a vehicle steered by a driver (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| รถ | rót | /rot̚˦˥/ /ra˦˥.tʰa˨˩./ |
| รถยนต์ | rót-yon | /rot̚˦˥.jon˧/ |
The word refers to an automobile or a vehicle steered by a driver. In daily conversation, Thai speakers almost always use the short form รถ instead of the full version.
What does it mean word for word?
The formal term รถยนต์ is a compound word where รถ means vehicle and ยนต์ refers to mechanical or engine-driven power.
Which one should you use?
รถ is the common, everyday word for car or vehicle, whereas รถยนต์ is the formal term specifically for an automobile or motor vehicle.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is rót.
Did you know?
- The word รถ was borrowed from the Pali word ratha, which specifically meant 'chariot'.
- While รถ refers to a car, Thai uses the same base word for an entire category of transport, including รถไฟ for 'train' and รถเมล์ for 'bus'.
- Although รถยนต์ is technically the correct word for an automobile, using the shorter รถ is so dominant that using the full version in casual speech can sound unnaturally stiff.
Examples in context
- หยุดรถStop the car.This sentence is useful for practicing the command to stop the form รถ.Tatoeba #8681580 by pastelite, translation #1860591 by CK
- หยุดรถ!Stop the car!Tatoeba #8681579 by pastelite, translation #4904122 by Shangri_La93
- ฉันมีรถยนต์I own a car.This sentence is useful for expressing ownership of the form รถยนต์.Tatoeba #7766158 by JipThaiTeacher, translation #1102980 by jamessilver
- ฉันขับรถไปทำงานทุกวันI drive a car to work every day.
- ใครเป็นเจ้าของรถสีเขียว?Who owns the green car?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
ธนกฤต and สิรินทร์ are talking about a new vehicle in a parking lot.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritรถคันนี้สวยมากครับrot khan ni suai mak khrapThis car is very beautiful.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinใช่ค่ะ ฉันชอบรถคันนี้chai kha chan chop rot khan niYes, I like this car.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritคุณจะซื้อรถใหม่เหรอครับkhun cha sue rot mai ro khrapAre you going to buy a new car?
- สิรินทร์ Sirinกำลังตัดสินใจอยู่ค่ะkamlang tat sin chai yu khaI am currently deciding.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “car” translations and entries รถ, รถยนต์, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries รถ, รถยนต์, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
