Shangri LinguaHow to say “like” in Thai
ชอบ
/t͡ɕʰɔ̂ːp/
ชอบ means to like.
Pronunciation and usage
Tone: falling
Put what you like straight after this word, whether it’s a thing or an activity. Thai usually leaves out “I” when it’s obvious.
Reading the romanization: the mark over a vowel shows its tone. bp and dt are a p and a t with no puff of air, while plain p, t and k have the puff. The IPA shows the exact sounds, and Learn the IPA explains how to read it.
Examples
- ชอบกินหมู
chôp gin mǒo/t͡ɕʰɔ̂ːp kin mǔː/
I like eating pork.
- ไม่ชอบเผ็ด
mâi chôp pèt/mâj t͡ɕʰɔ̂ːp pʰèt/
I don’t like it spicy.
- ฉันชอบแมว
chǎn chôp maew/t͡ɕʰǎn t͡ɕʰɔ̂ːp mɛːw/
I like cats.
How it’s spelled
Thai is written in a fixed order, which isn’t always the order you hear. Here’s each letter of ชอบ in the order you’d write it.
- ช
“ch” starts the word.
cho chang, from ช้าง (elephant)Low class
Like ข, with a tail flicking off the top right.
- อ
Here อ is the vowel, like the “aw” in “saw”.
o ang, from อ่าง (basin)Mid class
A closed egg shape with a small head inside at the top. Carries a vowel when a syllable starts with one.
- บ
“p” ends the word.
bo baimai, from ใบไม้ (leaf)Mid class
A loop at the top left, a flat base, and a right side that stops level. Compare ป.
Why the tone is falling
- It starts with ช, which is low class.
- There’s no tone mark, so the kind of syllable decides.
- It ends in “p”, a sound that stops short, so the syllable is dead.
- Low class and dead depends on the vowel too. This one is long, which gives a falling tone.
New to consonant classes and live or dead syllables? See how Thai tones work.
Learn to write it
The Shangri Lingua app teaches ชอบ in its Thai writing course. You write the word one letter at a time, with your finger or Apple Pencil, and the app checks each letter and gives you more help if you get stuck. Get it on the App Store.
More likes and feelings
Learn these words together in the lesson Have you eaten yet?, or browse all Thai vocabulary.