Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| เธอ | təə | /tʰɤː˧/ | |
| หล่อน | lɔ̀n | /lɔn˨˩/ | |
| เขา | kǎo | /kʰaw˩˩˦/ /kʰaw˦˥/ |
feminine, masculine |
The words in this group are third-person pronouns used to refer to a person. While เธอ is a common way to refer to a female peer or someone younger in modern spoken Thai, it can also function as the second-person pronoun 'you' in informal or intimate contexts.
Which one should you use?
เขา is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun used for both 'he' and 'she', whereas เธอ is specifically feminine. Additionally, เธอ can mean both 'she' and 'you' in intimate or informal settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
เธอ is a commonly used word that is neutral in terms of politeness and is widely accepted in formal settings. In contrast, หล่อน is a feminine pronoun typically found in older literature or novels and is rarely used in modern daily conversation. In very formal contexts, the word for woman, ผู้หญิง, can also be used to refer to 'she'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for เธอ is təə.
Did you know?
- The word เขา meaning 'he' or 'she' is a homonym for the Thai word for 'mountain'.
- While it is a common pronoun today, the word เธอ originated from a term used specifically to refer to a monarch.
- Thai speakers may avoid using any pronouns like เธอ or เขา entirely and instead use the person's name or nickname to avoid sounding too blunt.
Examples in context
- เธอผิดShe was wrong.This sentence is useful for showing the use of เธอ.Tatoeba #7784217 by pastelite, translation #1756893 by Spamster
- เธอยิ้มShe smiled.Tatoeba #7878466 by pastelite, translation #311898 by CK
- เธอเดินShe walks.Tatoeba #7878709 by pastelite, translation #316925 by CK
- เธอกำลังทำอะไรอยู่?What is she doing?
- น้ากินอะไรอยู่?What is she eating?
- 115 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nicha and Witthawat are talking about a woman they saw at the park.
- ณิชา Nichaเธอสวยมากthoe suai makShe is very beautiful.
- วิทวัส Witthawatใช่ เธอใจดีด้วยchai thoe chai di duaiYes, she is also kind.
- ณิชา Nichaเธอทำงานที่ไหนนะthoe tham ngan thi nai naWhere does she work?
- วิทวัส Witthawatไม่รู้ว่าเธอทำงานอะไรmai ru wa thoe tham ngan araiI don't know what she does for a living.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “she” translations and entries เธอ, หล่อน, เขา, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries เขา, เธอ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
