News and societyTrade in Thai
“Trade” in Thai is การค้าgaan-káa; you'll also hear ค้าkáa (to trade).
trade, commerce noun
- gaan mid
- káa high
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
to trade, to deal in verb
- káa high
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
How to use it
การค้าgaan-káa is trade and commerce, between countries or in a market town. The verb ค้าkáa, to trade or deal in, mostly lives in compounds: a trader is a พ่อค้าpâw-káa or, for a woman, a แม่ค้าmâe-káa, the word for any market vendor, and making a living by buying and selling is ค้าขายkáa-kǎai.
The news also uses it for illegal trades, such as ค้ายาkáa yaa, drug dealing. The Ministry of Commerce is the กระทรวงพาณิชย์grà-suang paa-nít.
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:
- kan ka
- kanka
- karn ka
- kha
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones