ลูกชาย
lûuk-chaai/luːk̚˥˩.t͡ɕʰaːj˧/
The Thai word for son is ลูกชาย (lûuk-chaai).
The term refers to a male person in relation to his parents.
Meaning: a male person in relation to his parents (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
ลูกชาย is composed of ลูก (lûuk), meaning child and ชาย (chaai), meaning male.
Which one should you use?
To refer to a daughter, you would change the second syllable to สาว (sǎao) to create ลูกสาว.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word ลูกชาย can be shortened to just ลูก (lûuk) when the gender is already understood from the context of the conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
lûuk-chaai
Did you know?
- The word ลูก (child) is also used as a prefix for many common objects, such as ลูกบอล (ball) or ลูกโป่ง (balloon), treating the object as a 'round offspring'.
- In very formal or royal contexts, the word for son changes completely to terms like พระโอรส (phra-o-rot), which is never used for commoners.
- The concept of 'son' in Thai culture often carries a heavy weight of 'filial piety', where the term implies a lifelong debt of gratitude to the parents.
Examples in context
- ผมมีลูกชายอายุสามขวบI've got a three-year-old son.This sentence uses ลูกชาย to describe a son's age.Tatoeba #10504820 by Somsak, translation #8208764 by CK
- เหมือนพ่อ เหมือนลูกชายLike father, like son.This sentence uses ลูกชาย in a proverb about a son resembling his father.Tatoeba #7878450 by pastelite, translation #2345 by brauliobezerra
- ลูกชายของฉันอยู่ในกองทัพMy son is in the army.This sentence uses ลูกชาย to state a son's occupation or location.Tatoeba #11051336 by Somsak, translation #7733655 by CK
- คุณมีลูกชายหรือเปล่า?Do you have a son?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nicha and Chonsit are looking at old family photos.
- ณิชา Nichaคนนี้คือลูกชายของคุณใช่ไหมคะkhon ni khue luk chai khong khun chai mai khaIs this person your son?
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitใช่ครับ เขาเรียนอยู่ที่มหาวิทยาลัยchai khrap khao rian yu thi mahawitthayalaiYes, he is studying at a university.
- ณิชา Nichaลูกชายของคุณหน้าตาเหมือนคุณมากเลยค่ะluk chai khong khun na ta muean khun mak loei khaYour son looks exactly like you.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitขอบคุณครับ เขาได้จมูกมาจากแม่เขาkhop khun khrap khao dai jamuk ma chak mae khaoThank you, he got his nose from his mother.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “son” translations and entries ลูกชาย, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
