ฉันหิว
Chan hiw
To say "I am hungry" in Thai, you use ฉันหิว (Chan hiw).
This phrase is used to state that you feel a need to eat food. A common way to express this is by saying หิวข้าว, which literally translates to being hungry for rice or food.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ primarily based on the gender of the speaker and the level of politeness. ผมหิวครับ is a version used by males to express hunger formally. For a more intense feeling, you can use the informal phrase หิวมาก to say you are very hungry.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Formality in Thai depends heavily on the pronouns and particles used. For women, ฉันหิว is a common form, but ฉัน (chan) can sound informal or even poetic depending on the context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word หิว (hiw) is an adjective that functions as a verb in Thai. Because of this, you do not need a separate word for "am" to link the subject to the state of being hungry.
How do you pronounce it?
Chan hiw
Did you know?
- If you are extremely hungry, you might say หิวจนไส้จะขาด (hiw jon sai ja khaad), which translates to 'so hungry my intestines are about to break'.
- Using the textbook pronoun ฉัน (chan) to say 'I am hungry' can sometimes make you sound like a character in a soap opera rather than a person in real life.
- Among close friends, the very informal pronoun กู (gu) can be used for 'I' when expressing hunger, though it is considered rude with strangers.
Examples in context
- หิวมากเลย ไปเถอะI am very hungry, let's go.
- ตอนนี้ฉันหิวton ni chan hiuI am hungry right now.
Example conversation
Two friends are walking in a shopping mall.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritสิรินทร์ ฉันหิวแล้วSirin, chan hiu laeoSirin, I am hungry now.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinฉันก็หิวเหมือนกันchan ko hiu muean kanI am hungry too.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritไปหาอะไรกินกันเถอะpai ha arai kin kan thoeLet's go find something to eat.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinตกลง ไปกันเลยtok long, pai kan loeiAgreed, let's go.
