Classifying Classifiers

[Pescator]

Just when you thought learning thai was simple

 

The following is the most complete list of classifiers I have ever come across.

Mayby someone else would like to keep this list as a reference.

 

It is an except from a post on thaivisa.com.

 

Cheers

Hua Nguu

 

 

Åѡɳ¹Òà "lak-sa-na nahm"=Classifiers

 

1.¤¹ "kon"

person,persons

 

2.楀 "dtoo-ah"

animals,insects,fish,birds,tables,chairs,desks,shirts,pants,dresses,coats,digits

and

letters of different alphabets,parts such as nails

 

3.¤Ñ¹ "kan"

cars and other vehicles except carts,things with handles,utensils made of wood such as spoons and forks,umbrellas

 

4.àÅèà "lem"

books,carts,candles,knives,swords,axes,pins,needles

 

5.ËÅѧ "lang"

houses,mosquito nets

 

6.âç "rohng"

buildings

 

7.¡éù "gorn"

cubes of sugar,lumps,chunks,pieces of charcoal,bricks,blocks,,rocks,clouds

 

8.¤Ùè "koo"

pairs of various things such as shoes,pairs of animals (but not if joined together)

 

9.Ãѹ "ahn"

small objects such as toothpicks,THIS CLASSIFIER THAT CAN BE USED INSTEAD OF ALL THE OTHERS

 

10.·Õè "tee"

places,seats

 

11.Ëèà "hor"

things wrapped,bundles,packages

 

12.àÊé¹ "saen"

ropes,lines,thread,strands of hair,string,cables,roads,long things

 

13.ÊÒÂ "saai"

ropes,kite string,belts,bracelets,necklaces,roads,power lines,streams,rivers

 

14.ÅÓ "lahm"

airplanes,boats,ships,long slender tapering objects,sugar cane,bamboo

 

15.á¶Ç "taeow"

loaves of bread,columns,row,line,string,file

 

16.»Ã¹´ì "pohn"

loaves of bread,a pound weight

 

17.¼Å "pon"

all kinds of fruit

 

18.ÅÙ¡ "loohk"

all kinds of fruit,certain small round objects,balls,hills and mountains,typhoons

 

19.àÃç´ "met"

gems,pills,tablets,seeds,buttons,pits in fruits

 

20.á¼è¹ "paen"

slices of bread,sheets of paper,CD's,boards,flat and thin objects,grammophone records

 

21.㺠"bai"

fruit,eggs,containers,bags,boxes,cups,certificates,tickets,cans,buckets,round and hollow objects

 

22.µé¹ "dton"

trees,plants,pillars,columns,posts

 

23.©ºÑº "cha-bahp"

documents,letters,papers with printings and writings on them

 

24.ªØ´ "choht"

suits,sets of furniture,series of things,team of players

 

25.ªÔé¹ "chin"

pieces of anything,pices of bread,fruit,bread,cloth,furniture

 

26.¼×¹ "peun"

pieces of cloth made to a specific size for clothes

 

27.¿Ã§ "forng"

eggs

 

28.áËè§ "haeng"

places

 

29.ªèà "chor"

bouquets of flowers,fruit in clusters

 

30.¢¹Ò´

sizes and dimensions

 

31.´Ã¡ "dork"

flowers,tire treads,patterns on clothes and cloth

 

32.ª¹Ô´ "cha-nit"

types,kinds and sorts of things

 

33.ÃÂèÒ§ "yahng"

fashion,manner,method and also used instead of ª¹Ô´ "cha-nit"

 

34.¢ºÇ¹ "kah-boan"

trains,processions,convoys,marching soldiers,

 

35.¡ÅÑ¡ "gluck"

small boxes like paper boxes for matches

 

36.Ãǹ "moo-an"

cigarettes and rolled things

 

37.«Ã§ "sorng"

envelopes,packets of cigarettes

 

38.´Ç§ "doo-ang"

stars,lights,postage stamps

 

39.ç¤ì "ong"

images of Buddha,palaces, pagodas;monks;king;royalty; royal-blooded persons;a god; a goddess; angels;inner organs;

 

40Ãéǹ "moo-an"

tapes;rolled up things like silk;mats;tobacco;rolls of paper

 

41.µÅѺ "dta-lahp"

tapes;cassettes; small boxes; cases

 

42.àª×á "cheu-ak"

tame elephants bound with rope

 

43.â¢Å§ "klong"

a herd of wild elephants

 

44.¡Ãúá "kra-bohk"

classifier of flask; numeration of flask;classifier of gun; numeration of gun,glutinous rice roasted in bamboo joints

 

45.¡Ñ³±ì "gahn"

section; piece; part;sermon;preaching

 

46.¡ÅØèà glohm"

group,thread; string; cord; yarn,hemp

 

47.¡à "goh"(Ã.)

clump; cluster; tussock; grove; tuft,bamboo,bunches of plants

 

48.¡Ã§ "gohng"

piled up stuff; heaps,troops; armed forces; army; forces;groups of people working on the same task

 

49.¡Ó "gahm"

a handful of stuff; bunch; wisp; bundles of grass and vegetables;ear of rice; ear of paddy

 

50.¡Ôè§ "ging"

classifier of ivory;branch; twig; bough

 

51.¡ØÅÕ "guh-lee"

package of 20 pieces of cloth; one score

 

52.à¡Åç´ "glet"

scale; fish scale,snow flake,borneol; borneo camphor

 

53.¢´ "kot"

coils of rope and wire; ring;rattan (palm);wicker (palm)

 

54.¢¹Ñ´ "ka-naht"

plot; plot of land; bed; piece of land;garden

 

55.¢¹Ò¹ "ka-nahn"

numerative noun for drugs and medicines; kind

 

56.¢Ç´ "koo-at"

bottles;ink bottles;the volume of a bottle

 

57.¢Ã¹ "kohn" Used for singular numbers or for one pair on the same side such as bracelets (one "sohn" of bracelet) and conch shell (one "sohn" of conch shell)

(a conch shell is used as a horn for pouring lustral water at weddings)

 

58.à¢ç´ "ket"

a hank of yarn

 

59.àºç´ "bet"

plows

 

60.¤ÑÃÀÕÃì "kam-pee"

scripture; bible; treatise; textbook

 

61.¤Ó "kahm"

A mouthful;a bite;a line of poetry called ¡Åù "glohn";a part of speech;a remark

 

62.à¤Ã×à "kreu-a"

bunch of bananas

 

63.§Ò¹ "ngaan"

a unit of area equal to 400 square metres or a quarter of a "rai"=100 wah;a social function or festival

 

64.¨Ñè¹ "jan"

a spadix of a palm;a hurling device for lances

 

65.¨Ñº "jahp" ( alsoËÑÇ "ho-a")

Thai rice noodles

 

66.©Ò¡ "chaak"

backdrop;backgrounds;scenery;screen

 

67.«Õè "see"

teeth;metal bars

 

68.´éÒà "daam"

pens;rifle stocks;handles of tools like pickaxes

 

69.´Øé¹ "dohn"

piece; stick of cut wood (as firewood);long stick (different from ·èù "tohn")

 

70.µ¹ "dton"

numerical designation for giants;ascetic; recluse; hermit; holy man;ghost; spirit; demon; jinn; jinnie; genie;anchorite;one who has magical power; angel;priest; minister

 

71.楧 "dtap"

rack of firearms;row; line

 

72.äµÃ "dtrai"

set of monk's robes; Buddhist monk's suit (robe, sarong, extra robe)

 

73.à¶Ò "taow"

vine; creeping plant; climber; liana

 

74.ᶺ "taep"

area; zone; region; side; sphere; district; belt

 

75.·ÃÅÒÂ "ta-laai"

numerative of coconuts

 

76.·èù "toohn"

bit; piece; strip; section; fraction;a length;a lump;

 

77.à· "tae"

capacity measure; unit of capacity

 

78.á·è§ "taeng"

numerative noun for bars, ingots, pencils

 

79.¹Ñ´ "nut"

gun bullets;numerative for fired shots;cartridges;shells;fireworks; crackers; firecrackers;appointments;a date

 

80.¹ÒÂ "naai"

chief;master;boss;leader; commander;government officer; government employee;officials of the king; governmental employers in the palace but outside the inner quarter

 

81.º· "bot"

chapter; lesson;spell; incantation; magic;poem; poetry; verse;statement; term; message; text; passage; account;content

 

82.ºÒ· "baht"

canto; stanza;weight;foot,feet;ancient time unit;Thai currency

 

83.ºÒ¹ "baan"

a numerical noun for some flat thing like doors,windows,mirrors,frames

 

84.»Ñé¹ "pan"

clod; mass;chunks of material for molding

 

85.»Ò¡ "paak"

snares formed like figures;fishnets;cast nets;fish trap; fish trap consisting of a long net laid across part of the river

 

86.»Ö¡ "peuk"

beeswax;wax; lumps of sugar;wad; mass; lump; cake; batch; pack; clod; block;stacks of paper

 

87.»×é¹ "peun"

numerative noun for saws;long flat objects;thin bamboo strips

 

88.¼Ù¡ "poohk"

a bundle of palm leaves with written texts of sermons on them;a sheaf;bundle

 

89.ἧ "paeng"

screen;flap;bamboo mat for partitioning or roofing

 

90.½Ñ¡ "fahk"

pod;hull;an ear of corn;peel of the tamarind fruit;fish's egg

 

91.½Ò "faah"

lids of earthern jars;Thai sweetmeat "kanom-krok";shells of molluscs such as snails

 

92.½Ù§ "foohng"

animals of the same species appearing together in groups;crowds of people

 

93.¾ÃÃç¤ì "pra-ong"

used for revered people like Siddhartha Gautama=the Buddha;kings;a god; a goddess; angels;royalty; royal-blooded persons;His Majesty;Her Majesty etc.

 

94.¾Ç§ "poo-ang"

bunch; string; cluster;a line of children;a lei;a wreath

 

95.¾Ñº "pahp"

roll; bolt;folded cloth or paper;

 

96.¾Ù "poo"

lobe shaped sections and parts such as one of the lobes that covers the fruit meat of a durian

 

97.á¾ "pae"

things arranged in a row;row of joss sticks;timber rafts;line of candles;fried rice stuck together;pounded unripe rice; shredded rice grain

 

98.ÃÑ´ "maht"

things tied together in a bundle; bunch; package; parcel; fagot of firewood; truss; sheaf

 

99.àÃÅç´ "ma-let"

seed; kernel; pit; grain; stone; pip

 

100.¡ "yok"

volume measurement for timber (about one third of a cubic metre);round of a boxing match; bout;a sheet of printed paper folded for binding into a book;flogging; whipping; beating; thrashing; lashing;delivering a sermon;preaching

 

101.傤 "yoo-ang"

the lumps of pulp in the jackfruit

 

102.Ãǧ "roo-ang"

ear of paddy; ear of grain

 

103.ÃÒ§ "rahng"

track;metal line;bamboo strips tied together by rattan used as matting in ship hold;carpenter's plane; abacus

 

104.àÃÕ§ "ree-ang"

overlapping betel leaves

 

105.àÃ×èç "reu-ang"

story; tale; account; narrative;statement; term; message; text; passage; account;content;lawsuit; case

 

106.äÃè "rai"

unit of area equal to 1,600 square metres or 400 wah

 

107.Ã…Ã’ "laa"

times;used as a numerative noun for number of times something is done

 

108.àÅÒ "laow"

flutes;pipe; wind instrument

 

109.ǧ "wong"

numerative noun for rings,circles and brass bands;a team of takrow players standing in a circle kicking the rattan ball;an orchestra;a music band;"sak-waa"song or poetry;a round metal gong;a circular trail

 

110.ËÃÇ´ "moo-at"

people,animals,and things put into the same category, group, type, division, section, sort, class, or grade

 

111.ËÃÙè "mooh"

people,animals and things that stay or live together in the same area as a group;collection; bevy; squad; crowd; herd; flock; party;a squad of soldiers;an altar table

 

112.ËÅѧ "lahng"

things that look like a roof such as dwelling; house;building;cabin;cottage;the howdah on the back of an elephant;cover; hood; top or a cab for a car, a wagon, or boat;shack; shad;movable throne; throne with four posts; movable pavilion with pointed roof;mosquito net; net;raft

 

113.ËÇÕ "wee"

cluster of bananas still joined together

 

114.ËÑÇ "ho-ah"

top and root of a plant;yam;wild yam;Thai rice noodle;taro root

 

115.ËèÒ "haa"

shower of rain; amount of rain that falls at one time;receptacle for collecting rain water

 

116.á˹º "naep"

bundle (of banana leaves folded and rolled up for sale);flat hard metals joined together;car's suspension;tweezers; tongs; pincers

 

117.ÃÙ» "roohp"

a numerative noun for pictures;figures;images;monks;priests;holy men;mendicants;novice monks;neophytes

[khwaimaisabai]

Hi hn,

Thanks - I have printed it and will add it to my stock of learning material. What a lot - I wonder if there are even more?

Khwai

[Pescator]

Hi Kwaimaisabai

 

 

 

I wonder if there are even more?

 

I hope not but I wouldn´t be surprised.

 

Ooops. Just thought of one "Lang" - classifier for a case of beer for instance. It is spelled differently from the ones in the list, without the Hor Heeb.

 

Cheers

Hua Nguu

[Guest]

Great list, but has somebody found some dictionary or some other resource that tells which classifier is used with each word?

The choice is nothing but obvious in far too many cases.

 

Wagner

[Pescator]

Hi Wsvinja,

 

You are quite right.

I have found this rather annoying myself, it should be an obvious thing to include.

 

Cheers

Hua Nguu

[Boo Radley]

wsvinja said:

Great list, but has somebody found some dictionary or some other resource that tells which classifier is used with each word?

The choice is nothing but obvious in far too many cases.

 

Wagner

Hi,

I seem to remember that Mary Haas wrote a Thai - English dictionary in the 1950s which lists the classifier for each noun. Its still in print as far as I recall.

[samak]

snakey

a good list! i thought there was only one classifier for elephant (chueak); now i learned that they distinguish between tame and wild elephants; however NEVER heard the latter one as i NEVER heard a lot of those classifiers. many thais either do not know or at least use many of them.

 

i have gone through the list and at first sight i miss

ruan for watches

kruang for all kind of machines and equipment