ถูก
tùuk/tʰuːk̚˨˩/
The Thai word for cheap is ถูก (tùuk).
ถูก is the most general term used to describe something that is low and/or reduced in price.
Meaning: low and/or reduced in price (adj)
Which one should you use?
Be aware that ถูก is ambiguous because it can mean both 'cheap' and 'correct' or 'right' depending on the context of your sentence.
How does it change in a sentence?
To emphasize that something is very cheap or to describe things in a general sense of being low-priced, you can use the reduplicated form ถูก ๆ.
How do you pronounce it?
tùuk
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because ถูก is a homonym for both 'cheap' and 'correct', English speakers often confuse the two meanings and may accidentally use it when they mean 'right' or vice versa.
Did you know?
- Thai has a specific grammatical construction where ถูก acts as a passive voice marker to indicate someone was affected by an action.
- While ถูก means 'correct' and 'cheap', these two meanings are not logically related in English, but both imply a 'hit' or 'strike' on a target in ancient usage.
- The Thai word ถูก shares a common ancestor with the Middle Chinese word for 'to touch'.
Examples in context
- มันไม่ถูกIt isn't cheap.This sentence shows how to negate the adjective ถูก.Tatoeba #8817555 by pastelite, translation #4397618 by CK
- ทุกอย่างราคาถูกEverything is cheap.This sentence demonstrates using ถูก to describe the price of everything.Tatoeba #8722727 by pastelite, translation #3735321 by CK
- ฉันต้องการซื้อพจนานุกรมถูก ๆI want to buy a cheap dictionary.This sentence shows the use of the reduplicated form ถูก to describe a dictionary.Tatoeba #8675886 by pastelite, translation #778137 by marloncori
- นี่ราคาถูกมากThis is very cheap.
- ผ้าที่นี่ไม่แพงThis fabric is not expensive.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are shopping at a local market.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitสิรินทร์ ดูสิ ร้านนี้ขายของถูกด้วยSirin du si ran ni khai khong thuk duaiSirin, look, this shop sells things cheaply too.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinจริงด้วย ชลสิทธิ์ ของน่ารักทั้งนั้นเลยching duai Chonlasit khong na-rak thang nan loeiThat's true, Chonlasit, all the things are so cute.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitเราซื้อของที่นี่กันเถอะrao sue khong thi ni kan thoeLet's buy things here.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinตกลงค่ะ ฉันชอบร้านแบบนี้tok-long kha chan chop ran baep niOkay, I like shops like this.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cheap” translations and entries ถูก, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ถูก, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
