Small wordsOnly in Thai
“Only” in Thai is แค่kâe; you'll also hear เท่านั้นtâo-nán (after the word).
only, just adverb
- kâe falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
only (after the thing: … only) adverb after the word
- tâo falling
- nán high
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
You'll hear it in Just Being Friendly (เพื่อนเล่น ไม่เล่นเพื่อน).
How to use it
แค่kâe goes before what it limits: แค่นิดหน่อยkâe nít-nàwy, just a little. เท่านั้นtâo-nán comes after, and it's the "only" of signs and menus: เงินสดเท่านั้นngoen-sòt tâo-nán, cash only. For emphasis Thais use both at once: แค่นี้เท่านั้นkâe níi tâo-nán, that's all, just this.
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:
- khae
- kair
- thao nan
More small words in Thai
All small words
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones