Body and health เข่า kào
knee noun
- kào low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
How to use it
เข่าkào is short, with a puff of air and a low tone. To kneel is คุกเข่าkúk-kào, as people do to bow to a monk or a Buddha image. Temples ask visitors to cover their knees as well as their shoulders, so pack long trousers or a long skirt.
Don't mix it up
-
เก่าgào
old (things); former
No puff of air on the g: old, as in an old phone.
-
เข้าkâo
to enter
Falling tone: to go in.
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:
- kow
- khow
- kaow
More body and health in Thai
All body and health
Learn Thai with the free course
A complete course from your first phrase to real conversations, with audio for every word and AI speaking practice. Free, no sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones