Small wordsAs much as in Thai
“As much as” in Thai is เท่าtâo; you'll also hear เท่ากับtâo-gàp (equals).
as much as, as … as; times (twice, three times) adverb
- tâo falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
equals, is the same as verb
- tâo falling
- gàp low
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
How to use it
เท่าtâo says "as much as": สูงเท่าพ่อsǔung tâo pâw, as tall as Dad, and เท่ากันtâo-gan, equal, the same amount. With a number it's "times": สองเท่าsǎwng tâo, double, and สามเท่าsǎam tâo, three times as much. It's the first half of เท่าไหร่tâo-rài, how much?, and เท่านั้นtâo-nán, only. In maths, เท่ากับtâo-gàp is "equals". Mind the tone: falling เท่าtâo; mid เทาtao is grey, and high เท้าtáao is a foot.
Don't mix it up
-
เทาtao
grey
Mid tone: grey.
-
เท้าtáao
foot, feet
High tone, said long: a foot.
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:
- thao
Read more
More small words in Thai
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones