Protect in Thai

“Protect” in Thai is ป้องกันbpâwng-gan; you'll also hear ปกป้องbpòk-bpâwng (protect someone).

ป้องกัน bpâwng-gan

to protect, to prevent verb

bpâwng falling
gan mid

Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”

ปกป้อง bpòk-bpâwng

to protect (someone), to defend verb

bpòk low
bpâwng falling

Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”

How to use it

ป้องกันbpâwng-gan is keeping something bad away: dust, mosquitoes, illness, theft. Its second half builds everyday words on its own: กันแดดgan-dàet, sun protection, กันน้ำgan-náam, waterproof, and กันยุงgan-yung, mosquito repellent. ปกป้องbpòk-bpâwng is protecting a person.

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:

pong kan
pongkan
pok pong

More verbs in Thai

All verbs

เป็น bpen Be
to be (a nationality, a job, a role)
มี mii Have
to have
ไป bpai Go
to go
มา maa Come
to come
กิน gin Eat
to eat
ดื่ม dùuem Drink
to drink

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones