Animals
worm, caterpillar, grub noun
- nǎwn rising
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
Classifier: ตัวdtua · counting word for animals, clothes, tables and chairs
earthworm noun
- sâi falling
- duean mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
How to use it
หนอนnǎwn is any grub or caterpillar, the kind you find in fruit and vegetables; many shoppers take a few in their greens as a sign that no pesticide was used. An earthworm in the soil is ไส้เดือนsâi-duean, and a bookworm is a หนอนหนังสือnǎwn nǎng-sǔue, just as in English.
Mind the tone: rising หนอนnǎwn is a worm, flat นอนnawn means to sleep.
Don't mix it up
-
นอนnawn
to sleep
Mid tone instead of rising: to sleep.
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:
- norn
- sai duan
- sai deuan
More animals in Thai
All animals
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones