Niece or nephew in Thai
A niece in Thai is หลานสาวlǎan-sǎao and a nephew หลานชายlǎan-chaai, the same words as granddaughter and grandson.
niece; granddaughter noun
- lǎan rising
- sǎao rising
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
Classifier: คนkon · person, people
nephew; grandson noun
- lǎan rising
- chaai mid
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
Classifier: คนkon · person, people
How to use it
Thai uses หลานlǎan for grandchildren and for nieces and nephews alike: หลานสาวlǎan-sǎao is a niece or a granddaughter, หลานชายlǎan-chaai a nephew or a grandson. Context usually tells you which; to be precise, say whose child it is: ลูกของพี่สาวlûuk kǎwng pîi-sǎao, my older sister's child.
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:
- lan sao
- lan chai
More family in Thai
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones