Verbsto crumble, to disintegrate; to dissolve verb
- sà low
- lǎai rising
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
You'll hear it in Luk Om (ลูกอม).
How to use it
สลายsà-lǎai is something breaking up until nothing is left of it. Songs use it for hearts, ใจสลายjai sà-lǎai, heartbroken, and for dreams, ฝันสลายfǎn sà-lǎai, shattered dreams. Beauty clinics advertise สลายไขมันsà-lǎai kǎi-man, fat reduction, and packaging that breaks down in nature is ย่อยสลายได้yâwy-sà-lǎai dâi, biodegradable. A glass that breaks is แตกdtàek, and a machine that stops working พังpang.
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:
- salai
- sa lai
Read more
More verbs in Thai
All verbs
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones