Sufficient in Thai

“Sufficient” in Thai is เพียงพอpiang-paw.

เพียงพอ piang-paw

sufficient, enough (formal) adjective

piang mid
paw mid

Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.

How to use it

เพียงพอpiang-paw is the formal "enough, sufficient": health advice, bank messages and reports. The same two words the other way round make เศรษฐกิจพอเพียงsèet-tà-gìt paw-piang, the "sufficiency economy", a philosophy of moderation and self-reliance put forward by King Bhumibol.

In conversation Thais say พอpaw: พอแล้วpaw láew, that's enough.

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:

phiang pho
piang por
pieng paw
phiangpho

More formal words in Thai

All formal words

การ gaan Kaan (prefix)
-ing, -tion: turns a verb into a noun (the act of …)
ความ kwaam Kwaam (prefix)
-ness (turns a verb or adjective into a noun)
ผู้ pûu Phu (prefix)
person (who …): makes words for people, like -er
นัก nák Nak (prefix)
-er, -ist: someone who does it (as a job or a passion)
ซึ่ง sûeng Who, which (formal)
which, who (adds information; formal, written)
เมื่อ mûea When (formal)
when, once (formal)

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