Betray in Thai

“Betray” in Thai is หักหลังhàk-lǎng.

หักหลัง hàk-lǎng

to betray, to double-cross verb

hàk low
lǎng rising

Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”

Parts: หักhàk to break, to snap หลังlǎng back

How to use it

หักหลังhàk-lǎng, "break the back", is betrayal by someone you trusted, a favourite plot of Thai TV dramas, ละครlá-kawn. Cheating on a partner is นอกใจnâwk-jai, and getting even is แก้แค้นgâe-káen.

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:

hak lung

More verbs in Thai

All verbs

เป็น bpen Be
to be (a nationality, a job, a role)
มี mii Have
to have
ไป bpai Go
to go
มา maa Come
to come
กิน gin Eat
to eat
ดื่ม dùuem Drink
to drink

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones