หยาบคาย
yàap-kaai/jaːp̚˨˩.kʰaːj˧/
The Thai word for 'rude' is หยาบคาย (yàap-kaai).
หยาบคาย is used to describe someone or something as bad-mannered. If you want to refer specifically to 'rude words' or 'profanity', you should add the word คำ (meaning 'word') before it to form คำหยาบคาย.
Meaning: bad-mannered (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word consists of two syllables. The first syllable หยาบ (yàap) literally means coarse, rough or crude.
Which one should you use?
หยาบคาย implies a level of crudeness or vulgarity that is stronger than ไม่สุภาพ, which simply means 'impolite'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is yàap-kaai. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In Thai social hierarchy, being 'rude' is often less about using 'bad' words and more about failing to use the correct pronouns. Using the wrong pronoun for someone of higher status is considered a form of being หยาบคาย.
- In Thai culture, speaking คำหยาบคาย is not always seen as 'rude' among very close friends, where it can actually signal intimacy and trust.
- The word หยาบ is also used in the context of 'rough' or 'unrefined' estimates. If a person gives a 'rough' number in a business meeting, a Thai speaker might use a word derived from this same root.
Examples in context
- เขาเป็นคนที่หยาบคายHe is a rude person.This sentence uses หยาบคาย to describe a person.Tatoeba #8722734 by pastelite, translation #303973 by CK
- คุณพูดแบบไม่สุภาพYou speak in an impolite manner.
- เขาพูดหยาบคายมากHe/she speaks very rudely.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are discussing a person's behavior at a party.
- วิทวัส Witthawatผู้ชายคนนั้นทำตัวหยาบคายมากเลยphu chai khon nan tham tua hap khrai mak loeiThat man was acting very rude.
- ณิชา Nichaใช่ค่ะ ฉันเห็นด้วยกับคุณchai kha chan hen duai kap khunYes, I agree with you.
- วิทวัส Witthawatเขาพูดจาหยาบคายใส่พนักงานด้วยkhao phut cha hap khrai sai phanak ngan duaiHe also spoke rudely to the staff.
- ณิชา Nichaน่าเกลียดจริงๆ ค่ะna kliat ching ching khaThat is really unpleasant.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry หยาบคาย, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
