ดื่ม
dʉ̀ʉm/dɯːm˨˩/
To drink in Thai is ดื่ม (dʉ̀ʉm).
The verb ดื่ม means to consume liquid through the mouth. It is often used when referring to drinking alcohol or drinking in a more formal/refined context, such as drinking tea or water in a polite setting. There is also a specific term for non-alcoholic beverages, เครื่องดื่มไม่มีแอลกอฮอล์ (krêuang-dèum mâi mii ael-gòn-hô).
Meaning: consume liquid through the mouth (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The noun for 'beverage' is formed by combining เครื่อง (machine/tool/apparatus) with ดื่ม (to drink), literally meaning 'the thing used for drinking'.
Which one should you use?
While ดื่ม is the specific verb for drinking, the more common, informal verb กิน can be used to mean both 'to eat' and 'to drink' in casual conversation. Additionally, เหล้า (láo) primarily means liquor or alcoholic drink.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The word ดื่ม is more formal and polite than the colloquial usage of กิน for drinking. For the noun, เครื่องดื่ม (krêuang-dèum) specifically refers to beverages and is more formal.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
dʉ̀ʉm /dɯːm˨˩/
Did you know?
- The noun เครื่องดื่ม (krêuang-dèum) classifies a beverage as a 'tool' or 'apparatus', using the same word for 'machine' found in เครื่องบิน (airplane).
- The Thai word ดื่ม (dʉ̀ʉm) is a cognate with the Zhuang words ndut and ndumq, reflecting ancient linguistic connections across Southeast Asia.
- When taking medicine, Thai speakers often use the verb กิน (kin), meaning 'to eat', instead of a specific word for drinking. This treats the act of consuming medicine more like eating a food item than drinking a liquid.
Examples in context
- ฉันดื่มนมI drink milk.This sentence shows the use of ดื่ม with a noun.Tatoeba #8675810 by pastelite, translation #3304449 by pne
- คุณดื่มอะไร?What did you drink?This sentence uses ดื่ม to ask what someone drank.Tatoeba #8679147 by pastelite, translation #619660 by ulyssemc1
- ฉันไม่เคยดื่มI never drink.This sentence shows the use of ดื่ม in a negative context.Tatoeba #8692052 by pastelite, translation #1355398 by CK
- ขอโทษครับ ผมจะหา เครื่องดื่ม ที่ไหนครับ?Excuse me, where can I find beverages?
- ไปดื่มกันนะครับคืนนี้!Let's go out for a drink tonight!
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a cafe in the afternoon.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinคุณจะดื่มกาแฟไหมคะ?khun cha duem ka-fae mai kha?Would you like to drink coffee?
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitครับ ผมอยากดื่มชาเย็นครับkhrap, phom yak duem cha yen khrap.Yes, I want to drink iced tea.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinรับน้ำแข็งด้วยไหมคะ?rap nam khaeng duai mai kha?Would you like ice with that?
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitไม่เป็นไรครับ ขอบคุณครับmai pen rai khrap, khop khun khrap.That's okay, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “drink” translations and entries ดื่ม, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ดื่ม, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
