Body and healthDisease in Thai
“Disease” in Thai is โรคrôok; you'll also hear โรคประจำตัวrôok-bprà-jam-dtua (medical condition).
disease, illness noun
- rôok falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
chronic illness, medical condition noun
- rôok falling
- bprà low
- jam mid
- dtua mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
How to use it
Names of illnesses start with โรคrôok, said with a falling tone and a long oo: heart disease is โรคหัวใจrôok hǔa-jai and diabetes โรคเบาหวานrôok bao-wǎan. You are an illness in Thai, with เป็นbpen: เป็นโรคเบาหวานbpen rôok bao-wǎan is to have diabetes.
At almost every Thai clinic or hospital visit, a nurse asks two questions first: มีโรคประจำตัวไหมmii rôok-bprà-jam-dtua mǎi, do you have any medical conditions, and แพ้ยาอะไรไหมpáe yaa à-rai mǎi, are you allergic to any medicine?
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:
- rok
- rohk
- roke
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