เพลง
pleeng/pʰleːŋ˧/
The English word 'song' is translated into Thai as เพลง (pleeng).
เพลง is used for any piece of music with lyrics, whether it is a pop song, a folk song or a traditional piece.
Meaning: music with words (noun)
Which one should you use?
The term บทเพลง is a more formal or literary way to refer to a song or a musical composition.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is pleeng. The IPA is /pʰleːŋ˧/.
Did you know?
- Thai culture has a specific genre called เพลงลูกทุ่ง (luk thung), which literally translates to 'child of the fields'. It is the music of the rural working class and is a massive industry in Thailand.
- Thai music traditionally uses a seven-tone equidistant scale, which differs from the Western twelve-tone system. This means a Thai เพลง may sound slightly 'out of tune' to an English speaker's ear.
- The word เพลง actually traces its origins back to Middle Khmer, where it described playing music or a musical ensemble.
Examples in context
- ผมยินดีที่จะสอนเพลงนั้นให้คุณI would be happy to teach you that song.This sentence shows how to use เพลง when offering to teach a specific song.Tatoeba #10554197 by Somsak, translation #2044916 by CK
- ร้องเพลงTo sing a songThis phrase demonstrates the common verb-noun pairing for singing a song using เพลง.
- คุณรู้สึกอะไรบ้างเมื่อคุณร้องเพลง?What do you feel when you sing a song?
- เพิ่งฟังเพลงใหม่ของบอยแบนด์I just listened to the new song by the Boy Band.
- เพลงนี้เพราะมากเลยphleng ni phro mak loeiThis song is very beautiful.
Example conversation
A woman and a man are listening to music in a cafe.
- พิมล Pimonคุณชอบเพลงนี้ไหมคะkhun chop phleng ni mai khaDo you like this song?
- ธนกฤต Thanakritชอบครับ เพลงเพราะดีchop khrap phleng phro diI do. The song is nice.
- พิมล Pimonพิมลก็ชอบเพลงนี้ค่ะphimon ko chop phleng ni khaI like this song too.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritเราฟังเพลงนี้กันต่อเถอะrao fang phleng ni kan tor thoeLet's keep listening to this song.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “song” translations and entries เพลง, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries เพลง, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
