Small wordsAlmost in Thai
“Almost” in Thai is เกือบgùeap; you'll also hear แทบtâep (almost; hardly (with not)).
almost, nearly adverb
- gùeap low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
almost adverb almost; hardly (with not)
- tâep falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
You'll hear แทบtâep in Just Being Friendly (เพื่อนเล่น ไม่เล่นเพื่อน).
How to use it
เกือบgùeap is the everyday "almost": เกือบลืมgùeap luuem, I almost forgot. แทบtâep is "almost" for something extreme, แทบบ้าtâep bâa, it nearly drove me crazy, and with "not" it means "hardly": แทบไม่เชื่อtâep mâi chûea, I can hardly believe it.
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- kueap
- kuap
- thaep
More small words in Thai
All small words
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones