เก้า
gâao/kaːw˥˩/
The English number nine is เก้า (gâao) in Thai.
เก้า is the cardinal number for nine. It can be used in various contexts, such as in large numbers like เก้าพัน (nine thousand) or when specifying time, such as เก้าโมงเช้า to mean nine o'clock in the morning.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting objects, the number เก้า is typically followed by a classifier before the noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is gâao. The IPA is /kaːw˥˩/.
Did you know?
- In Thai culture, the number เก้า is considered highly auspicious because it sounds exactly like the word for 'moving forward' or 'stepping forward', which is ก้าว.
- Thai people often choose the number เก้า for auspicious dates, such as wedding days or the time a building is opened, to ensure moving forward in life.
- The Thai word เก้า is a cognate of the word for nine in several other languages, including Lao ເກົ້າ and Shan ၵဝ်ႈ.
Examples in context
- ทอมทำงานตั้งแต่เก้าโมงเช้าถึงห้าโมงเย็นTom works from nine to five.This sentence demonstrates using เก้า to express time.Tatoeba #8673106 by pastelite, translation #1023880 by CK
- มีส้มเก้าผลในตะกร้าmi som kao phon nai ta-kraThere are nine oranges in the basket.
- ฉันต้องการหนังสือเก้าเล่มchan tong kan nang-sue kao lemI want nine books.
Example conversation
Thanakrit and Nicha are at a stationery shop.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritณิชา อยากได้ดินสอกี่แท่งครับNicha yak dai din-so ki thaeng khrapNicha, how many pencils do you want?
- ณิชา Nichaเอาเก้าแท่งค่ะao kao thaeng khaI want nine, please.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritได้ครับ เก้าแท่งนะครับdai khrap. kao thaeng na khrapOkay, nine pencils, right?
- ณิชา Nichaใช่ค่ะ ขอบคุณค่ะchai kha. khop khun khaYes, thank you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry เก้า, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries เก้า, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
