Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| มีชีวิต | mii-chii-wít | /miː˧.t͡ɕʰiː˧.wit̚˦˥/ |
| อยู่ | yùu | /juː˨˩/ |
Use มีชีวิต to describe the state of being biologically alive or to function as an adjective meaning 'living' or 'alive'. If you want to say someone is 'living' or 'residing' in a location, use อยู่. For a related meaning of 'live' as in 'as it happens' (such as a live broadcast), the word สด is used.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase มีชีวิต literally means 'to have life', where มี means 'to have' and ชีวิต means 'life'.
Which one should you use?
Use มีชีวิต when emphasizing the biological state of being alive as opposed to being dead. Use อยู่ when referring to living, residing or staying in a specific location.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To say that someone is 'still alive', you can combine terms to form the phrase ยังมีชีวิตอยู่.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for มีชีวิต is mii-chii-wít.
Did you know?
- If you are watching a 'live' television broadcast or concert in Thailand, you will not hear the word for 'alive', but rather the word สด, which literally means 'fresh'.
- While English uses 'live' to mean 'reside', the Thai word อยู่ is more versatile and can also be used as a grammatical marker to indicate that an action is currently happening.
- The Thai word for residing, อยู่, shares its linguistic ancestry with the Lao word ຢູ່ (yū), reflecting the close ties between Tai language families.
Examples in context
- ฉันอาศัยอยู่ที่นี่I live here.This sentence uses อยู่ to show residence in a location.Tatoeba #7878695 by pastelite, translation #444986 by CK
- เราอยู่อย่างสงบสุขWe live in peace.This sentence uses อยู่ to describe living in a certain way.Tatoeba #8669496 by pastelite, translation #249344 by CM
- ปลาอาศัยอยู่ในทะเลFish live in the sea.This sentence uses อยู่ to describe where an animal lives.Tatoeba #8692117 by pastelite, translation #19350 by CK
- เขาอาศัยอยู่ในกรุงเทพฯHe lives in Bangkok.
- เขาอยู่ไหนขณะนี้?Where is he staying currently?
- ฉันอยากอยู่ในธรรมชาติI want to live in nature.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a small plant that almost died.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitต้นไม้ต้นนี้ยังคงมีชีวิตอยู่ไหมครับton mai ton ni yang khong mi chi wit yu mai khrapIs this plant still alive?
- สิรินทร์ Sirinใช่ค่ะ มันยังมีชีวิตอยู่chai kha man yang mi chi wit yuYes, it is still alive.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitผมดีใจที่มันไม่ตายphom di chai thi man mai taiI am glad it didn't die.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinสิรินทร์จะดูแลมันให้ดีที่สุดค่ะsirin cha du lae man hai di thi sut khaSirin will take the best care of it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “live” translations and entries มีชีวิต, อยู่, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries มีชีวิต, อยู่, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
