Khu Kat (คู่กัด): meaning and key lines
Bird Thongchai McIntyreเบิร์ด ธงไชย
What the song is about
คู่กัดkûu gàt, “Khu Kat (Sparring Partners)”, is a classic Thai song by Bird Thongchai McIntyre (1990). A cheerful Bird Thongchai classic about two people who love each other and still squabble every time they meet, like the tongue and the teeth, a tiger and a lion. Its lines teach whenever, a big fuss, to argue, the truth is, and a cheeky deal at the end: you give in first.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Bird Thongchai McIntyre
- Released
- 1990
- Style
- Classic
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- playful, teasing, affectionate
- Views
- about 19M (Oct 2026)
- Video
- GMM GRAMMY OFFICIAL (the label's channel)
- Lyrics
- Key lines quoted; the full song is in the video
Key lines, explained
Tap a line to hear it. Once the video is playing, lines jump to their moment in the song.
- ลิ้น línกับ gàpฟัน fanพบ pópกัน ganทีไร tii raiก็ gâwเรื่องใหญ่ rûeang yài
Tongue and teeth, whenever they meet, it's a big fuss
The song opens with pairs that can't get along, and the first is a Thai classic: ลิ้นlín (tongue) and ฟันfan (teeth) live side by side and still knock into each other. พบกันpóp gan = to meet (พบpóp is the written เจอjoe). ทีไรtii rai = every time, whenever: ไปทีไรก็ฝนตกbpai tii rai gâw fǒn dtòk = every time I go, it rains. เรื่องใหญ่rûeang yài = a big deal, a fuss: ไม่ใช่เรื่องใหญ่mâi châi rûeang yài = it's no big deal. - เถียง tǐangกัน ganตลอด dtà-làwtเวลา wee-laa
They argue all the time
Before it, a starling swoops down on a myna's nest. เถียงtǐang = to argue, to talk back: เถียงกันtǐang gan = to argue with each other (กันgan = each other); อย่าเถียงyàa tǐang = don't argue, a parent's favourite. ตลอดเวลาdtà-làwt wee-laa = all the time: ตลอดdtà-làwt = throughout, the whole time; เวลาwee-laa = time. - อย่าง yàangเธอ toeกับ gàpฉัน chǎnอันที่จริง an tîi jingเรา raoก็ gâwมี miiหัวใจ hǔa-jaiให้ hâiกัน gan
Like you and me, the truth is, we do have feelings for each other
After all the animals, the point. อย่างyàang = like, such as: อย่างเธอกับฉันyàang toe gàp chǎn = like you and me. อันที่จริงan tîi jing = actually, in fact, the truth is (จริงjing = true). มีหัวใจให้กันmii hǔa-jai hâi gan = to have feelings for each other, literally 'to have hearts for each other': ให้hâi = for, to (someone), กันgan = each other. ก็gâw here = do, really. - เธอ toeก็ gâwเสือ sǔeaฉัน chǎnก็ gâwสิงห์ sǐng
You're a tiger, and I'm a lion
The first verse has a tiger and a lion fighting over who's king of the jungle; now they're the couple. เสือsǔea = tiger, สิงห์sǐng = lion, the lion of Thai legend that guards temple gates (a real lion at the zoo is a สิงโตsǐng-dtoo). ก็gâw … ก็gâw … = this one …, and that one too: เธอก็ดีฉันก็ดีtoe gâw dii chǎn gâw dii = you're fine, and so am I. The rest of the line: when really there's nothing wrong. - จะให้ดี jà hâi diiเธอ toeยอม yawmก่อน gàwnตกลง dtòk-longไหม mǎi
Better still, you give in first. Deal?
The chorus asks when they'll ever speak kindly and says they should both give in, for once; then comes this cheeky last line, which Bird keeps singing to the end. จะให้ดีjà hâi dii = ideally, better still: จะให้ดีโทรมาก่อนjà hâi dii too maa gàwn = ideally, call first. ยอมyawm = to give in. ก่อนgàwn = first. ตกลงไหมdtòk-long mǎi = OK? Deal? ตกลงdtòk-long = to agree; on its own, 'OK, it's a deal'.
Words you'll learn
- ลิ้น lín
tongue
- ฟัน fan
tooth, teeth
- เถียง tǐang
to argue back, to talk back
- อันที่จริง an tîi jing
actually, in fact
- สิงห์ sǐng
lion
- ตกลง dtòk-long
to agree (on), to settle; OK, deal
- เรื่องใหญ่ rûeang yài
a big fuss, a serious matter
- ทีไร tii rai
every time, whenever
- จะให้ดี jà hâi dii
ideally, better still
- คู่กัด kûu gàt
a bickering pair, sparring partners
From คู่kûu, a pair, and กัดgàt, to bite.
Grammar in this song
ทีไรtii rai … ก็gâw … = every time …, …: พบกันทีไรก็เรื่องใหญ่póp gan tii rai gâw rûeang yài (whenever they meet, there's a fuss), มาทีไรก็หิวmaa tii rai gâw hǐu (every time I come here, I'm hungry). Verb + กันgan = each other: เถียงกันtǐang gan (argue with each other), รักกันrák gan (love each other), มีหัวใจให้กันmii hǔa-jai hâi gan (have feelings for each other).
จะให้ดีjà hâi dii = ideally, better still, before a suggestion. ตกลงไหมdtòk-long mǎi = deal?, and the answer is ตกลงdtòk-long, OK, agreed.
The culture behind it
"คู่กัดkûu gàt" comes from Bird Thongchai McIntyre's album Boomerang (1990), the year Thais called 'Bird fever': he was also starring as Kobori in the TV drama คู่กรรมkûu gam. Boomerang sold almost three million cassettes, and Bird became the first Grammy artist to pass two million. The words are by Annop Jansuta and the music by the guitarist Chatree Kongsuwan; Thai Wikipedia notes that the song was remade in Chinese, Burmese and Vietnamese.
A คู่กัดkûu gàt, literally a 'biting pair', is two people, or a cat and a dog, who are always at each other: rivals, siblings, or a couple who can't stop bickering however much they care. The song's first image comes from a Thai saying: even the tongue and the teeth knock into each other now and then, so people who live together are bound to clash, and it's no reason to part.
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones