Describing thingsold (people, animals); to age adjective
- gàe low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
old (things); former adjective
- gào low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
How to use it
English has one "old"; Thai has two. แก่gàe is for people and animals: a grandmother, a dog that's slowing down. เก่าgào is for things and former roles: an old phone, an old house, an ex, แฟนเก่าfaen-gào. Calling someone แก่gàe can sound rude, so for older people Thais say มีอายุmii aa-yú, "to have age", or ผู้ใหญ่pûu-yài, an elder.
Don't mix it up
-
แกgae
you (between close friends)
Mid tone, no drop: a casual you between close friends.
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:
- kae
- kao
- gair
- kaa
More describing things in Thai
All describing things
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