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Animals

Butterfly in Thai

“Butterfly” in Thai is ผีเสื้อpǐi-sûea.

ผีเสื้อ pǐi-sûea

butterfly noun

  • pǐi rising
  • sûea falling
  • Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
  • Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”

Classifier: ตัวdtua · counting word for animals, clothes, tables and chairs

How to use it

ผีเสื้อpǐi-sûea, rising tone then falling, joins ผีpǐi, spirit, and an old meaning of เสื้อsûea, a guardian spirit (today the everyday word for a shirt): butterflies were once thought to carry the spirits of ancestors. A moth is ผีเสื้อกลางคืนpǐi-sûea glaang-kuuen, "night butterfly".

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:

  • phi suea
  • pee suea
  • phisuea
  • pee sua
  • phi seua

More animals in Thai

All animals

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