Body and health มะเร็ง má-reng
cancer noun
- má high
- reng mid
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
How to use it
Illnesses come after เป็นbpen: เป็นมะเร็งbpen má-reng, to have cancer. The type follows the word: breast cancer is มะเร็งเต้านมmá-reng dtâo-nom and lung cancer มะเร็งปอดmá-reng bpàwt. The news often avoids the word and says someone died of โรคร้ายrôok ráai, "the wicked disease". Thai cigarette packs carry big photos of what smoking does.
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:
- mah reng
More body and health in Thai
All body and health
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones