People คนแปลกหน้า kon-bplàek-nâa
stranger noun
- kon mid
- bplàek low
- nâa 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!”
Classifier: คนkon · person, people
Parts: คนkon person แปลกbplàek strange หน้าnâa face
How to use it
คนแปลกหน้าkon-bplàek-nâa is literally "a person with an unfamiliar face". Thais don't call a stranger anything like it to their face: they pick a family word that fits the person's age, so the motorbike-taxi driver is พี่pîi and the auntie at the market ป้าbpâa. Our guide to Khun, Phi and Nong explains how it works.
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:
- khon plaek na
- kon plaek naa
- kon bplaek na
More people in Thai
All people
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones