Describing thingshard, stiff, firm; tough (meat) adjective
- kǎeng rising
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
How to use it
แข็งkǎeng is hard or stiff: a firm mattress, tough meat, stale bread. Hard as in difficult is another word, ยากyâak. It builds useful compounds: ice is น้ำแข็งnáam-kǎeng, "hard water", and healthy and fit is แข็งแรงkǎeng-raeng, "hard and strong". A "hard neck", คอแข็งkaw kǎeng, isn't a stiff neck: it's someone who can hold their drink.
Don't mix it up
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แข่งkàeng
to compete, race
Low tone: to compete, as in a race.
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:
- khaeng
- kang
- khang
- kheng
More describing things in Thai
All describing things
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones