News and societyDepartment in Thai
“Department” in Thai is ฝ่ายfàai; you'll also hear แผนกpà-nàek (company, hospital, store) and กรมgrom (government).
department (of a company); side noun in a company
- fàai low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
department, section (of a hospital, a store or a company) noun
- pà low
- nàek low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
department (of the government) noun
- grom mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
How to use it
Thai has three words for a department. In a company it's ฝ่ายfàai: ฝ่ายขายfàai kǎai (sales), ฝ่ายบัญชีfàai ban-chii (accounts), ฝ่ายบุคคลfàai bùk-kon (HR). Companies also use แผนกpà-nàek, often for a smaller section inside a ฝ่ายfàai, and hospitals and department stores are divided into แผนกpà-nàek too. In the government it's กรมgrom, a department under a ministry, such as กรมสรรพากรgrom sǎn-paa-gawn, the Revenue Department.
ฝ่ายfàai also means a side in a dispute or a game: ทั้งสองฝ่ายtáng sǎwng fàai is both sides.
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:
- fai
- phanaek
- krom
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones