Small wordsBoth in Thai
“Both” in Thai is ทั้งสองtáng-sǎwng; you'll also hear ทั้งคู่táng-kûu (both of them).
both (of two) pronoun
- táng high
- sǎwng rising
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
both (of them), the pair pronoun
- táng high
- kûu falling
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
How to use it
ทั้งtáng means "all of, the whole": ทั้งสองtáng-sǎwng is "both of the two", and ทั้งคู่táng-kûu, "the whole pair", is mostly used for two people. Said twice, it's "both … and …": ทั้งถูกทั้งอร่อยtáng tùuk táng à-ràwy, both cheap and tasty, the classic praise for a street stall.
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:
- tang song
- thang song
- tang khu
- thang khu
- tung song
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