ฉลาด
chà-làat/t͡ɕʰa˨˩.laːt̚˨˩/
The Thai word for smart, meaning intelligent or showing knowledge like that found in books, is ฉลาด (chà-làat).
ฉลาด describes a person who is clever or intelligent. It works for people of any age and for clever ideas.
Meaning: exhibiting intellectual knowledge, such as that found in books (adj)
Which one should you use?
ฉลาด refers to intelligence. The word kèng is used instead for someone who is skilled or talented at a specific task, like being good at sports or cooking.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ฉลาด can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say very smart, add มาก (mâak) after the word, giving ฉลาดมาก. To say not smart, place ไม่ (mâi) in front, giving ไม่ฉลาด.
How do you pronounce it?
ฉลาด is said chà-làat, /tɕʰa˨˩.laːt̚˨˩/, in two syllables, both with a low tone. The second has a long a and an unreleased final t.
Did you know?
- Depending on the social hierarchy and the speaker's tone, calling someone ฉลาด can be interpreted as a sarcastic remark or a 'backhanded compliment'.
- The word ฉลาด (chà-làat) is not actually native to the Thai language. It was historically borrowed from Pre-Angkorian Old Khmer.
- While English uses 'smart' to describe both intellectual ability and a fashionable appearance, using ฉลาด to describe someone's outfit would be nonsensical in Thai.
Examples in context
- นั่นคือสิ่งที่คนฉลาดทำThat's what smart people do.คนฉลาด means smart people, with the word for person in front.Tatoeba #10264886 by Somsak, translation #4890405 by CK
- เธอฉลาดจริง ๆ ไม่ใช่หรือ?She's really smart, isn't she?ฉลาด describes her here, with a word for really after it.Tatoeba #8679102 by pastelite, translation #1864 by CK
- เขาเป็นเด็กที่ฉลาดมากkhao pen dek thi chalat makHe is a very smart child.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a difficult math problem in a library.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritกนกวรรณ คุณแก้โจทย์ข้อนี้ได้ยังไงครับKanokwan khun kae chot kho ni dai yang ngai krapKanokwan, how did you solve this problem?
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanฉันแค่อ่านวิธีทำในหนังสือค่ะchan khae an wi thi tham nai nang sue khaI just read the method in the book.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritคุณฉลาดจังเลยครับkhun chalat chang loei krapYou are so smart.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanขอบคุณค่ะ ธนกฤตkhop khun kha ThanakritThank you, Thanakrit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smart” translations and entries ฉลาด, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ฉลาด, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
