พยาบาล
pá-yaa-baan/pʰa˦˥.jaː˧.baːn˧/
In Thai, the word for nurse is พยาบาล (pá-yaa-baan).
พยาบาล refers to a person trained to provide care for the sick.
Meaning: person trained to provide care for the sick (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify the gender of a nurse, you can add a gender marker after the noun: use พยาบาลชาย for a male nurse and พยาบาลหญิง for a female nurse.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced pá-yaa-baan.
Did you know?
- The word พยาบาล can be used as both a noun for a 'nurse' and a verb meaning 'to nurse' or 'to treat'.
- The word พยาบาล was borrowed from the Sanskrit word व्यापार, which originally meant 'service' or 'serving'.
- In many high-register or formal Thai contexts, words derived from Sanskrit like พยาบาล are used to provide a sense of professionalism and respect.
Examples in context
- เธออยากเป็นพยาบาลมากthoe yak pen phayaban makShe really wants to be a nurse.
- พยาบาลกำลังตรวจคนไข้phayaban kamlang truat khon khaiThe nurse is checking the patient.
- พี่ชายของฉันเป็นพยาบาลphi chai khong chan pen phayabanMy older brother is a nurse.
Example conversation
A woman is telling her friend about her new job.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitณิชาทำงานที่ไหนตอนนี้nicha tham ngan thi nai ton niNicha, where are you working now?
- ณิชา Nichaฉันเป็นพยาบาลที่โรงพยาบาลใหม่chan pen phayaban thi rong phayaban maiI am a nurse at a new hospital.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitเก่งมากเลยนะkeng mak loei naThat is very impressive.
- ณิชา Nichaขอบคุณค่ะkhop khun khaThank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nurse” translations and entries พยาบาล, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries พยาบาล, CC BY-SA 4.0.
