Feelings
to be afraid (of), scared verb
- glua mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
What you're afraid of comes straight after it, with no word for of: กลัวทะเลglua tá-lee (scared of the sea).
scary, frightening adjective
- nâa falling
- glua mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
Taught in Unit 21 · Lesson 1: On the island of the free course.
Practise it freeHow to use it
กลัวglua is to be afraid, and it takes what you fear straight after it: กลัวหมาglua mǎa, scared of dogs. The thing that scares you is น่ากลัวnâa-glua, scary: a ghost film, a dark soi, a driver overtaking on a bend. A scaredy-cat is ขี้กลัวkîi-glua.
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:
- klua
- gloo-a
- kluah
- na klua
More feelings in Thai
All feelings
Learn this word in Unit 21, free
Unit 21 · Island stories · On the island. Short lessons with audio for every word, speaking practice and spaced review. No sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones