Grab in Thai

“Grab” in Thai is คว้าkwáa.

คว้า kwáa

to snatch, to seize verb

kwáa high

High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.

You'll hear it in Catch the Black Crab (จับปูดำ ขยำปูนา).

How to use it

คว้าkwáa, with a high tone, is a quick grab: a bag, someone's hand, a chance. Sports news uses it for winning: คว้าแชมป์kwáa cháem, to take the title. Holding and catching are จับjàp. The ride app Grab is another word, แกร็บgráep.

Song Catch the Black Crab (จับปูดำ ขยำปูนา) A hand-play rhyme Thai grown-ups play with babies and toddlers: catch the crab, squeeze the crab, snatch the crab, then off to sleep in the cradle. It's short and bouncy, with four kinds of crab, three ways to grab with your hands and the Thai vowel am, and it's a classic that families sing at home.

More verbs in Thai

All verbs

เป็น bpen Be in Thai
to be (a nationality, a job, a role)
มี mii Have in Thai
to have
ไป bpai Go in Thai
to go
มา maa Come in Thai
to come
กิน gin Eat in Thai
to eat
ดื่ม dùuem Drink in Thai
to drink

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones

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