Culture and festivalsEvent in Thai
“Event” in Thai is งานngaan; you'll also hear เหตุการณ์hèet-gaan (something that happened).
work, job; event, party noun an event
- ngaan mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
Also an event: a งานวัดngaan wát is a temple fair, with food stalls, music and games.
event, incident, what happened noun something that happened
- hèet low
- gaan mid
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
Taught in Unit 14 · Lesson 2: Telling the time of the free course.
Practise it freeHow to use it
งานngaan, work, is also any planned event, and the kind comes after it: a temple fair is a งานวัดngaan wát, a wedding a งานแต่งngaan dtàeng, a funeral a งานศพngaan-sòp and a party a งานเลี้ยงngaan-líang. So ไปงานbpai ngaan can mean going to work or going to an event: context tells you which. Something that happened, in news language, is a เหตุการณ์hèet-gaan.
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:
- ngan wat
- ngaan wat
More culture and festivals in Thai
All culture and festivals- เพลงชาติ pleeng-châat National anthem
Learn this word in Unit 14, free
Unit 14 · A day in my life · Telling the time. Short lessons with audio for every word, speaking practice and spaced review. No sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones