สวนสัตว์
sǔuan-sàt/sua̯n˩˩˦.sat̚˨˩/
The Thai word for "zoo" is สวนสัตว์ (sǔuan-sàt).
สวนสัตว์ refers to a park where live animals are exhibited.
Meaning: park where live animals are exhibited (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of สวน, meaning garden or park and สัตว์, meaning animal.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is sǔuan-sàt. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In Thai, you can describe a person as สัตว์ to imply they have lost their humanity, mirroring the English use of 'beast' but with a much stronger social stigma.
- The word สัตว์ for 'animal' is derived from the Sanskrit word sattva, which originally referred to a 'sentient being' or 'existence' rather than just a non-human creature.
- While สวนสัตว์ is the standard term, the word สวน can also refer to a plantation or orchard, meaning a 'zoo' is linguistically structured as an 'animal plantation'.
Examples in context
- สวนสัตว์มนุษย์Human zooThis example shows how to use สวนสัตว์ in the context of a human zoo.
- ใช่ค่ะ ไปสวนสัตว์ได้เลยYes, we can go to the zoo right away!
- สวนสัตว์แห่งนี้กว้างมากsuan-sat haeng ni kwang makThis zoo is very large.
- เราจะไปสวนสัตว์กันไหมrao cha pai suan-sat kan maiShall we go to the zoo?
Example conversation
Two friends are planning a weekend trip.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitวันเสาร์นี้ไปสวนสัตว์กันไหมwan sao ni pai suan-sat kan maiShall we go to the zoo this Saturday?
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanไปสิ ฉันอยากไปดูยีราฟpai si, chan yak pai du yi-rafLet's go, I want to see the giraffes.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitตกลง เดี๋ยวฉันจองตั๋วให้tok-long, diao chan jong tua haiOkay, I will book the tickets for us.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanขอบคุณมากนะkhop khun mak naThank you very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zoo” translations and entries สวนสัตว์, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
