เหนื่อย
nʉ̀ai/nɯa̯j˨˩/
เหนื่อย (nʉ̀ai) is the Thai word for tired.
เหนื่อย is used to describe being in need of rest or sleep, covering both physical exhaustion and mental fatigue.
Meaning: in need of rest or sleep (adj)
Which one should you use?
While เหนื่อย covers general tiredness, use ง่วง if you specifically mean that you are feeling sleepy. To express a higher degree of exhaustion, you can use เหนื่อยมาก to mean 'tired a lot' or 'exhausted'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say you are 'very tired', place the word มาก (mâak) after the word เหนื่อย to form เหนื่อยมาก.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as nʉ̀ai and pronounced /nɯa̯j˨˩/.
Did you know?
- Thai speakers often pair เหนื่อย with the word ใจ (heart) to create the phrase เหนื่อยใจ, which means to be weary of a situation or disappointed in someone.
- The word เหนื่อย has relatives in Northern Thai dialects that actually mean 'to have a slight fever' rather than being tired.
- In Thai culture, saying เหนื่อย can be a social cue to express emotional burnout or life stress rather than just a lack of sleep.
Examples in context
- ฉันเหนื่อยI'm tired.This sentence is useful for saying 'I'm tired' using เหนื่อย.Tatoeba #7878430 by pastelite, translation #1705 by brauliobezerra
- เขาดูเหนื่อยHe seems tired.This sentence is useful for saying 'He seems tired' using เหนื่อย.Tatoeba #8714328 by pastelite, translation #302948 by CK
- คุณเหนื่อยไหมAre you tired?This sentence is useful for asking 'Are you tired?' using เหนื่อย.Tatoeba #7878444 by pastelite, translation #317830 by CK
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A husband and wife are talking at home in the evening.
- วิทวัส Witthawatวันนี้คุณเหนื่อยไหมครับwan-ni khun nueai mai khrapAre you tired today?
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanเหนื่อยมากเลยค่ะnueai mak loei khaI am very tired.
- วิทวัส Witthawatไปพักผ่อนเถอะครับpai phak-phon thoe khrapGo get some rest.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanขอบคุณค่ะkhop khun khaThank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tired” translations and entries เหนื่อย, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries เหนื่อย, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
