News and societyVictim in Thai
“Victim” in Thai is ผู้เสียหายpûu-sǐa-hǎai; you'll also hear เหยื่อyùea (news, everyday).
victim, injured party (formal) noun
- pûu falling
- sǐa rising
- hǎai rising
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
victim; prey; bait noun news, everyday
- yùea low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
How to use it
ผู้เสียหายpûu-sǐa-hǎai, "the person who suffered the loss", is the victim in police and legal language. เหยื่อyùea is the victim of the headlines and of everyday talk, and also an animal's prey and a fisherman's bait. Phone scams are a daily news story in Thailand: someone calls claiming to be the police, a bank or a courier and asks for a transfer. Hang up and call the bank yourself.
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:
- phu sia hai
- poo sia haai
- yeua
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones