เช้า
cháao/t͡ɕʰaːw˦˥/
In Thai, the word for morning is เช้า (cháao). Wiktionary also lists ตอนเช้า (dtɔɔn-cháao).
Meaning: part of the day between dawn and midday (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| เช้า | cháao | /t͡ɕʰaːw˦˥/ /t͡ɕʰaw˦˥/ |
| ตอนเช้า | dtɔɔn-cháao | /tɔːn˧.t͡ɕʰaːw˦˥/ |
The term is used to describe the part of the day between dawn and midday. You can use ตอนเช้า to refer to the period of time 'in the morning' or 'during the morning'.
Which one should you use?
While เช้า means 'morning', it can also mean 'early' when used as an adverb or adjective, such as in ตื่นเช้า (wake up early).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'this morning', you add the demonstrative นี้ after the word เช้า to form เช้านี้.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is cháao.
Did you know?
- The Thai word เช้า is a linguistic relative of the Vietnamese word chào, though in Vietnamese the latter is used as a common greeting rather than a time of day.
- In Thailand, the ตอนเช้า is the primary time for 'tak bat', the ritual of offering food to Buddhist monks who walk through the community.
- In traditional Thai time-keeping, the boundaries of เช้า are often defined by the light of the sun rather than a strict clock time like 6:00 AM.
Examples in context
- สวัสดีตอนเช้า ทอมGood morning, Tom.The sentence is useful for seeing how to use ตอนเช้า in a greeting.Tatoeba #8719811 by pastelite, translation #2549163 by CK
- เช้านี้ผมลืมกินยาI forgot to take my medicine this morning.The sentence is useful for seeing how to use เช้า to refer to 'this morning'.Tatoeba #10568781 by Somsak, translation #7010731 by CK
- เธอตื่นเช้าทุกเช้าShe gets up early every morning.The sentence is useful for seeing how เช้า can mean 'early' in the context of waking up.Tatoeba #8675911 by pastelite, translation #317082 by CK
- สวัสดีตอนเช้าครับGood morning, sir.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Vithawat and Phimon are talking about their weekend routines.
- วิทวัส Witthawatคุณทำอะไรตอนเช้าบ้าง?khun tham a-rai torn chao bang?What do you do in the morning?
- พิมล Pimonฉันไปวิ่งที่สวนสาธารณะค่ะchan pai wing thee suan sa-tha-ra-na khaI go running at the park.
- วิทวัส Witthawatผมชอบออกกำลังกายตอนเช้าเหมือนกันphom chob ok kam-lang-kay torn chao muean-kanI also like to exercise in the morning.
- พิมล Pimonอากาศตอนเช้าดีมากเลยนะคะa-kat torn chao dee mak loey na khaThe morning air is very nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “morning” translations and entries เช้า, ตอนเช้า, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ตอนเช้า, เช้า, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
