Sports and hobbies
chess; Thai chess (makruk) noun
- màak low
- rúk high
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
How to use it
หมากรุกmàak-rúk is Thai chess, makruk, the game you'll see older men playing on a small table in front of a shophouse, often with a crowd giving advice. It's a cousin of Western chess with slower pieces and different rules, so Thais call the international game หมากรุกสากลmàak-rúk sǎa-gon, "universal chess".
Say it low, then high: หมากmàak is a game piece, and on its own also the betel nut that older people chew.
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:
- mak ruk
- makruk
- mark rook
More sports and hobbies in Thai
All sports and hobbies- กอล์ฟ gáwp Golf
- เทนนิส ten-nít Tennis
- แบดมินตัน bàet-min-dtân Badminton
- วอลเลย์บอล wawn-lêe-bawn Volleyball
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones