พี่ชาย
pîi-chaai/pʰiː˥˩.t͡ɕʰaːj˧/
The Thai word for "older brother" is พี่ชาย (pîi-chaai).
พี่ชาย is used to refer specifically to an older brother. In casual conversation, the second syllable is often dropped and people simply use พี่ to address an older brother or any older person they are close to.
Meaning: single-word translations (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word consists of พี่ (pîi), meaning older sibling and ชาย (chaai), meaning male.
Which one should you use?
While พี่ชาย refers to an older brother, พี่สาว is used to refer to an older sister.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is pîi-chaai (/pʰiː˥˩.tɕʰaːj˧/). It consists of 2 syllables.
When do people say it?
Thai speakers frequently use the term พี่ as a pronoun or a title to address people who are slightly older than them, even if there is no biological relation.
Did you know?
- Thai speakers often use พี่ as a first-person pronoun, meaning they will refer to themselves as 'older brother' when speaking to someone younger.
- The term พี่ is famously used in Thai pop songs and romantic lyrics to describe a slightly older lover. It creates a sense of protective, sweet intimacy that a formal name cannot capture.
- The word พี่ชาย is cognate with the Ahom term pi chai, showing deep linguistic ties between ancient Southeast Asian language families.
Examples in context
- อันที่จริงทอมเป็นพี่ชายของฉันActually, Tom is my older brother.This sentence is useful for showing how to identify someone as a brother using พี่ชาย.Tatoeba #10736592 by Somsak, translation #7733730 by CK
- พี่ชายของฉันใจดีมากphi chai khong chan chai di makMy older brother is very kind.
Example conversation
Pimon and Witthawat are talking about their families.
- พิมล Pimonวิทวัสมีพี่ชายไหมคะWitthawat mi phi chai mai khaDo you have an older brother, Witthawat?
- วิทวัส Witthawatมีครับ พี่ชายของผมเรียนอยู่ที่ญี่ปุ่นmi khrap phi chai khong phom rian yu thi yipunYes, my older brother is studying in Japan.
- พิมล Pimonว้าว น่าอิจฉาจังเลยค่ะwao na itcha chang loei khaWow, that is so enviable.
- วิทวัส Witthawatไม่ขนาดนั้นหรอกครับmai khanat nan rok khrapIt is not that great.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry พี่ชาย, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries พี่ชาย, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
