ทิศเหนือ
nʉ̌ʉa
In Thai, the word for north is ทิศเหนือ (nʉ̌ʉa). Wiktionary also lists เหนือ (nʉ̌ʉa).
Meaning: compass point (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ทิศเหนือ | nʉ̌ʉa | |
| เหนือ | nʉ̌ʉa | /nɯa̯˩˩˦/ |
The word is used to denote the compass point north. To describe the direction of travel, such as saying one is going north, speakers often add the word for path or way to form ทางเหนือ. To refer specifically to the Northern region of Thailand as a geographical area, use ภาคเหนือ.
What does it mean word for word?
The form ทิศเหนือ is composed of ทิศ, meaning direction and เหนือ, meaning north.
Which one should you use?
ทิศเหนือ specifically refers to the compass direction, whereas the shorter form เหนือ can also mean 'above' or 'upper' in many contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
nʉ̌ʉa
Did you know?
- Because เหนือ also means 'above', it can be used to describe social hierarchy or someone of higher status than oneself.
- The word ทิศ in ทิศเหนือ comes from the Sanskrit word 'diśa', which refers to a quarter of the sky or a direction.
- The word เหนือ originally meant 'upstream' or 'above' rather than a compass point. This reflects the early Tai people's reliance on river flow to determine direction.
Examples in context
- ซานต้าอยู่ที่ขั้วโลกเหนือSanta lives at the North Pole.This sentence is useful for seeing how เหนือ is used in a sentence about the North Pole.Tatoeba #3716045 by ojiisan, translation #3716026 by Jesse
- โรงเรียนอยู่ทาง ทิศเหนือThe school is located in the north.
- เมืองนี้ตั้งอยู่ทางทิศเหนือของประเทศmueang ni tang yu thang thit nuea khong prathetThis city is located in the north of the country.
- เดินตรงไปทางทิศเหนือจะเจอสวนสาธารณะdoen trong pai thang thit nuea cha cho suan satharanaWalk straight to the north and you will find the park.
Example conversation
Two people are looking at a map in a park.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitเราต้องเดินไปทางทิศเหนือใช่ไหมrao tong doen pai thang thit nuea chai maiWe need to walk towards the north, right?
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanใช่ค่ะ เดินไปทางนั้นเลยchai kha doen pai thang nan loeiYes, walk in that direction.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitในแผนที่บอกว่าทางทิศเหนือมีภูเขาnai phaen thi bok wa thang thit nuea mi phu khaoThe map says there are mountains to the north.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanงั้นเราควรจะรีบเดินกันเถอะค่ะngan rao khuan cha rip doen kan thoe khaThen we should hurry up and walk.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “north” translations and entries เหนือ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries เหนือ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
