News and societyFreedom in Thai
“Freedom” in Thai is เสรีภาพsěe-rii-pâap; you'll also hear อิสระìt-sà-rà (being free).
freedom, liberty (as a right) noun
- sěe rising
- rii mid
- pâap falling
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
independent, free adjective being free
- ìt low
- sà low
- rà low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
How to use it
เสรีภาพsěe-rii-pâap is freedom as a right: freedom of speech, of religion, of the press, the freedoms a constitution lists. It's a word of law, history and the news.
In everyday life, the freedom to do as you like is อิสระìt-sà-rà: grown-up children want อิสระìt-sà-rà, and a free spirit is a คนรักอิสระkon rák ìt-sà-rà. A nation's independence is เอกราชèek-gà-râat, and free of charge is ฟรีfrii.
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:
- seriphap
- se ri phap
- sereepap
- seri pap
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones