News and societyera, age, period noun
- yúk high
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
times, period; term (of office) noun times, days
- sà low
- mǎi 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?”
How to use it
ยุคyúk is an era or age. Thais name decades with it, reading the digits one by one: ยุคเก้าศูนย์yúk gâao sǔun, "the era nine-zero", is the nineties.
สมัยsà-mǎi is the times, and it's all over everyday speech: สมัยก่อนsà-mǎi gàwn, in the old days, สมัยนี้sà-mǎi níi, nowadays, and สมัยเรียนsà-mǎi rian, back in my student days. Modern or up to date is ทันสมัยtan-sà-mǎi, "keeping up with the times", and a politician serves a สมัยsà-mǎi, a term in office.
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:
- yook
- samay
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones