True Love (รักแท้): meaning and key lines
NuNewนุนิว ชวรินทร์
What the song is about
รักแท้rák-táe, “True Love (Rak Tae)”, is a T-pop song by NuNew (2022). The ending theme of To Sir, With Love (2022), a period drama about two men in love in a Chinese community around 1930, when such a love had to stay hidden. It won the Nataraja Award for best drama song. A sweeping promise that no distance, no sky and nobody in the world can beat true love. Its lines teach even if, however far, never, as long as, side by side, the only thing, to block and to believe.
Free, no sign-up: learn the key lines and words with audio, then sing along.
Song facts
- Artist
- NuNew
- Released
- 2022
- Style
- T-pop
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- devoted, hopeful, sweeping
- Views
- about 81M (Oct 2026)
- Video
- one31 (the TV channel that aired To Sir, With Love)
- 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.
- ต่อให้ dtàw-hâiระยะทาง rá-yá-taangไกล glaiเท่าไหร่ tâo-ràiก็ gâwไม่อาจ mâi àatขวาง kwǎangทาง taangของ kǎwngหัวใจ hǔa-jai
However far the distance, it can't stand in the heart's way.
ต่อให้dtàw-hâi = even if, no matter how. เท่าไหร่tâo-rài asks how much, but after an adjective it means however: ไกลเท่าไหร่glai tâo-rài = however far. ระยะทางrá-yá-taang = distance. ไม่อาจmâi àat = cannot, the written and sung twin of ไม่ได้mâi dâi. ขวางkwǎang = to block, to stand in the way: ขวางทางkwǎang taang = to block the way. ของkǎwng = of: ทางของหัวใจtaang kǎwng hǔa-jai = the heart's way. - คำ kamว่า wâaรัก rákไม่ mâiเคย koeiแพ้ páeอะไร à-raiถ้า tâaทั้งสอง táng-sǎwngหัวใจ hǔa-jaiยัง yangเคียงข้าง kiang-kâangกัน gan
Love never loses to anything, if both hearts still stand side by side.
คำว่ารักkam wâa rák, literally 'the word love', is how Thai songs often say love itself. ไม่เคยmâi koei = never: ไม่เคยไปmâi koei bpai = I've never been. แพ้páe = to lose (to), the opposite of ชนะchá-ná, to win; the same word also means to be allergic, as in แพ้กุ้งpáe gûng, allergic to shrimp. ทั้งสองtáng-sǎwng = both. เคียงข้างkiang-kâang = side by side, at each other's side. - สิ่ง sìngเดียว diawที่ tîiฉัน chǎnจะ jàยอม yawmแพ้พ่าย páe-pâaiก็ gâwคือ kuueเธอ toeไม่ mâiต้องการ dtâwng-gaan
The only thing I'd ever give in to is you not wanting me.
สิ่งเดียวที่sìng diaw tîi… = the only thing that…: สิ่งsìng = a thing (written Thai; in speech the only thing is อย่างเดียวyàang diaw), เดียวdiaw = single, only one. ยอมyawm = to give in, to accept, and แพ้พ่ายpáe-pâai = to be defeated, the sung twin of พ่ายแพ้pâai-páe: in a game you just say ยอมแพ้yawm-páe, I give up. ก็คือgâw kuue introduces the answer: is (simply)… ต้องการdtâwng-gaan = to want, to need. - ตราบใดที่ dtràap dai tîiเธอ toeยัง yangรัก rákฉัน chǎnก็ gâwจะ jàรัก rákแค่ kâeเธอ toe
As long as you still love me, I'll love only you.
The chorus begins. ตราบใดที่dtràap dai tîi = as long as, a formal phrase songs love; in speech, ถ้าtâa… ยังyang… (if… still…) does the job. ยังรักyang rák = still love. ก็จะgâw jà = then (I) will. แค่kâe = only, just: รักแค่เธอrák kâe toe = love only you. - ฟ้า fáaหรือ rǔueดิน dinจะ jàขวาง kwǎangรัก rákเรา raoจะ jàข้าม kâamผ่าน pàanไป bpai
Whether heaven or earth stands in love's way, we'll make it through.
ฟ้าfáa = the sky and ดินdin = the earth, the ground: ฟ้าดินfáa din together is heaven and earth, the whole world. หรือrǔue = or. ขวางkwǎang again: to block. ข้ามkâam = to cross: ข้ามถนนkâam tà-nǒn = to cross the road. ผ่านpàan = to pass, and ไปbpai after it points onward: ข้ามผ่านไปkâam pàan bpai = to get across, to get through. - แต่ dtàeฉัน chǎnเชื่อ chûeaว่า wâaรักแท้ rák-táeไม่ mâiแพ้ páeสิ่ง sìngใด dai
But I believe true love loses to nothing.
The title line. เชื่อว่าchûea wâa = to believe that: ฉันเชื่อว่าchǎn chûea wâa… = I believe that… รักแท้rák-táe = true love (แท้táe = genuine, real). สิ่งใดsìng dai is the written อะไรà-rai, anything: ไม่แพ้สิ่งใดmâi páe sìng dai = loses to nothing at all; in everyday Thai, ไม่แพ้อะไรเลยmâi páe à-rai loei.
Words you'll learn
- ขวาง kwǎang
to block, to stand in the way
- ระยะทาง rá-yá-taang
distance (of a trip)
- เคียงข้าง kiang-kâang
side by side; at someone's side
- ต้องการ dtâwng-gaan
to need, to want (a thing)
- ตราบใดที่ dtràap dai tîi
as long as
In speech, ถ้าtâa… ยังyang… (if… still…) often says the same.
- แค่ kâe
only, just
- ดิน din
soil, earth, ground
- รักแท้ rák-táe
true love
- ไม่อาจ mâi àat
cannot (written)
Everyday Thai: verb + ไม่ได้mâi dâi.
- แพ้พ่าย páe-pâai
to be defeated (poetic)
Also พ่ายแพ้pâai-páe; everyday Thai says แพ้páe.
Grammar in this song
Even if: ต่อให้dtàw-hâi. It opens a condition that won't change the result, which follows with ก็gâw: ต่อให้ฝนตกก็จะไปdtàw-hâi fǒn dtòk gâw jà bpai = I'll go even if it rains. With an adjective + เท่าไหร่tâo-rài it means however…: ต่อให้แพงเท่าไหร่ก็จะซื้อdtàw-hâi paeng tâo-rài gâw jà súue = I'll buy it however expensive it is.
As long as: ตราบใดที่dtràap dai tîi. It sets a condition that keeps something going, and the result again comes with ก็gâw: ตราบใดที่ยังมีเธอฉันก็ไม่กลัวdtràap dai tîi yang mii toe chǎn gâw mâi glua = as long as I still have you, I'm not afraid. It sounds formal; in conversation, ถ้าtâa + ยังyang does the same.
Written words and their everyday twins. Love songs borrow from written Thai: ไม่อาจmâi àat = ไม่ได้mâi dâi (can't), สิ่งเดียวsìng diaw = อย่างเดียวyàang diaw (the only thing), สิ่งใดsìng dai = อะไรà-rai (anything), แพ้พ่ายpáe-pâai = แพ้páe (to lose). Recognise them, and use the everyday word yourself.
The culture behind it
To Sir, With Love (คุณชายkun-chaai, 2022), made by The One Enterprise for Channel One 31 and directed by Worawit Khattiyayothin, is a period drama set in 1930–31 in a Chinese community, where love between two men was taboo. Tian (Film Thanaphat), the eldest son and heir of a powerful Chinese-Thai family, falls for Jiw (Jam Rachata). It ran in 17 episodes from 3 October to 28 November 2022. Ice Saranyu sang its opening theme; "รักแท้rák-táe" is its ending theme, and Film Thanaphat recorded his own version, sung in a scene.
The words and melody are by Achariya Dulyapaiboon, who also wrote Billkin's "I Like Us", Bright's "Kan Goo" for 2gether and Nanon's "Just Friend?"; the arrangement, a pop ballad with a Chinese flavour, is by Chonlatas Chansiricharoenkul. NuNew, known from the series Cutie Pie, studied Chinese at Kasetsart University, and he wrote the song's one Chinese line himself: wǒ huì yǒngyuǎn ài nǐ, I will love you forever. The video came out in September 2022, a few weeks before the drama, and in 2023 the song won the Nataraja Award for best drama song, one of Thai television's top awards.
Learn “True Love” in about 7 minutes
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones