ทะเล
tá-lee/tʰa˦˥.leː˧/
The Thai word for 'sea' is ทะเล (tá-lee). Wiktionary also lists ห้วงน้ำ (hûuang-náam) and สมุทฺท.
Meaning: body of water (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ทะเล | tá-lee | /tʰa˦˥.leː˧/ |
| ห้วงน้ำ | hûuang-náam | /hua̯ŋ˥˩.naːm˦˥/ |
| สมุทฺท |
The term refers to a body of water.
Which one should you use?
ทะเล is the standard, everyday word for 'sea' used in conversation and general writing. In contrast, ห้วงน้ำ is a more poetic or literary term used to describe a vast expanse of water.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is tá-lee (two syllables).
Did you know?
- Though it means 'sea', the word ทะเล can also be part of the word for 'desert', which is ทะเลทราย (literally 'sea of sand').
- While ทะเล is common, the term สมุทฺท is a loanword from Sanskrit and is typically reserved for formal royal language or religious texts.
- Thai people often use the word ทะเล to refer to a 'beach' or 'seaside' trip, even if they are spending their time on the sand rather than in the water.
Examples in context
- ปลาอาศัยอยู่ในทะเลFish live in the sea.This sentence shows the use of ทะเล regarding where fish live.Tatoeba #8692117 by pastelite, translation #19350 by CK
- แมรีและทอมกำลังฝันถึงทะเลMary and Tom are dreaming about the sea.This sentence shows the use of ทะเล in the context of dreaming.Tatoeba #10777050 by thas, translation #7936486 by AlanF_US
- มีเกาะมากมายในทะเลThere are islands in the sea.This sentence shows the use of ทะเล when discussing islands.Tatoeba #3663720 by Balamax, translation #3663249 by shekitten
- ฉันชอบทะเลมากค่ะI really love the sea.
- ทะเลสวยงามมากในประเทศไทยThe sea is incredibly beautiful in Thailand.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sea” translations and entries ทะเล, ห้วงน้ำ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
