แข็งแรง
kɛ̌ng-rɛɛng/kʰɛŋ˩˩˦.rɛːŋ˧/
The Thai word for strong is แข็งแรง (kɛ̌ng-rɛɛng).
แข็งแรง is used to describe someone who is physically robust or in good health, not just someone with high muscle power.
Meaning: capable of producing great physical force (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of two parts: แข็ง (kɛ̌ng), meaning 'hard' or 'solid' and แรง (rɛɛng), meaning 'force' or 'power'.
Which one should you use?
While แข็งแรง (kɛ̌ng-rɛɛng) refers to physical strength or health, the single word แข็ง (kɛ̌ng) is used to describe the texture of objects, meaning 'hard' or 'solid'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kɛ̌ng-rɛɛng. The IPA is /kʰɛŋ˩˩˦.rɛːŋ˧/.
Did you know?
- In Thai, describing a 'strong' coffee or tea uses the word เข้ม (kʰêm), which literally means 'dark' or 'intense'.
- To describe someone who is 'strong-willed' or mentally tough, Thai speakers use เข้มแข็ง (kʰém-kʰɛ̌ng) rather than แข็งแรง.
- Using แข็ง to describe a person's personality can imply they are 'stubborn' or 'hard-headed' rather than 'strong'.
Examples in context
- คุณดูแข็งแรงYou look strong.This sentence is useful for showing how to use แข็งแรง to describe someone's appearance.Tatoeba #8743262 by pastelite, translation #3330956 by CK
- เขามีจิตใจเข้มแข็ง(He/She) has a strong spirit.
- เขาดูแข็งแรงมากkhao du khaeng-raeng makHe looks very strong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “strong” translations and entries แข็งแรง, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
