ตื่น
dtʉ̀ʉn/tɯːn˨˩/
To wake up in Thai is to say ตื่น (dtʉ̀ʉn). Wiktionary also lists ตื่นนอน (dtʉ̀ʉn-nɔɔn).
Meaning: to (become) awake (verb)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ตื่น | dtʉ̀ʉn | /tɯːn˨˩/ |
| ตื่นนอน | dtʉ̀ʉn-nɔɔn | /tɯːn˨˩.nɔːn˧/ |
The primary way to express waking up is with ตื่น. This word can also be used to describe a state of being startled, frightened or suddenly alert to a situation. You can specify the time of waking by following the verb with a time of day, such as ตื่นเที่ยง for waking up at noon or ตื่นเย็น for waking up in the evening.
Which one should you use?
While ตื่น can mean to wake up or to be startled/alert, ตื่นนอน specifically refers to the act of waking up from sleep.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that someone has already woken up, you can add the particle แล้ว after the verb to form ตื่นแล้ว.
How do you pronounce it?
dtʉ̀ʉn
Did you know?
- In Northern Thai, the word for wake up is written using a distinct script that differs from the standard Thai alphabet used for ตื่น.
- The word ตื่น can be used metaphorically to describe someone becoming 'awakened' or alert to a social or political reality.
Examples in context
- ทอม ตื่นTom, wake up.This sentence shows how to call someone's name to tell them to wake up using ตื่น.Tatoeba #8720245 by pastelite, translation #2429769 by CK
- ตื่นWake up.This sentence is a simple way to say wake up using ตื่น.Tatoeba #7784297 by pastelite, translation #1850243 by CK
- ตื่น!Wake up!This sentence shows a forceful command to wake up using ตื่น.Tatoeba #7784331 by pastelite, translation #323780 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At home in the morning, a man is trying to wake up his partner.
- วิทวัส Witthawatสิรินทร์ ตื่น ได้แล้วSirin tuean dai laeoSirin, wake up already.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinขออีกห้านาทีนะkho ik ha nathi naFive more minutes, please.
- วิทวัส Witthawatคุณต้องตื่น ไปทำงานนะkhun tong tuean pai tham ngan naYou have to wake up to go to work.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinโอเค ฉันตื่นแล้วok chan tuean laeoOkay, I'm awake.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wake up” translations and entries ตื่น, ตื่นนอน, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ตื่น, ตื่นนอน, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
