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Thai rap B1 · intermediate 2018 Explicit

Doo Wai (ดูไว้): meaning and key lines

YOUNGOHMยังโอม

What the song is about

ดูไว้duu wái, “Doo Wai (Watch and Learn)”, is a Thai rap song by YOUNGOHM (2018). YOUNGOHM's most-watched video, a self-made anthem about paying your own way, making your mother proud and taking risks. It is also the best introduction to guu and mueng, the rough words for 'I' and 'you' that you hear constantly in Thai films, rap and among close friends, together with strong everyday patterns (never, if, turn back time, the same as before).

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Song facts

Artist
YOUNGOHM
Released
2018
Style
Thai rap
Level
B1 (intermediate)
Mood
defiant, proud, hustling
Views
about 285M (Oct 2026)
Video
YOUNGOHM (official artist 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.

  1. ทำ tamอะไร à-raiก็ gâwได้ dâiกู guuไม่ mâiได้ dâiขอ kǎwตังค์ dtangใคร krai

    Whatever I do, I don't ask anyone for money.

    Question word + ก็ได้gâw dâi = any…, whatever: ทำอะไรก็ได้tam à-rai gâw dâi = (I) can do whatever. กูguu = I/me, the rudest and most intimate 'I', used only with very close friends (or in a fight). ไม่ได้mâi dâi + verb = am not (doing that), did not. ขอตังค์kǎw dtang = to ask for money.
  2. หา hǎaมัน manด้วย dûayตัวเอง dtua-eengกู guuทำให้ tam-hâiแม่ mâeภูมิใจ puum-jai

    I earn it myself; I make my mom proud.

    หาhǎa = to look for; หาเงินhǎa ngoen = to earn money. ด้วยตัวเองdûay dtua-eeng = by yourself. ทำให้tam-hâi + person + feeling = to make someone feel…: ทำให้แม่ภูมิใจtam-hâi mâe puum-jai = make Mom proud. ภูมิใจpuum-jai = proud.
  3. มึง muengก็ gâwรู้ rúuกู guuใคร krai

    You know who I am.

    มึงmueng = you, the rough partner of กูguu. ก็gâw = 'of course, anyway'. Spoken Thai drops words: the full form would be รู้ว่ากูเป็นใครrúu wâa guu bpen krai, 'know who I am'.
  4. ให้ hâiมึง muengดู duuไว้ wái

    So you can watch and learn.

    Verb + ไว้wái = do something for later, keep it: ดูไว้duu wái = watch and remember, take note; จำไว้jam wái = remember this; เก็บไว้gèp wái = keep it. ให้hâi + person + verb = (so as) to let/make someone…
  5. กู guuพยายาม pá-yaa-yaamกู guuพยายาม pá-yaa-yaamมา maaนาน naan

    I tried, I've been trying for a long time.

    พยายามpá-yaa-yaam = to try hard, make an effort. Verb + มาmaa + time = have been doing for that long: พยายามมานานpá-yaa-yaam maa naan = have been trying for ages; เรียนภาษาไทยมาสองปีrian paa-sǎa tai maa sǎwng bpii = have studied Thai for two years.
  6. ที่ tîiกู guuได้ dâiมา maaมัน manเป็น bpenเพราะ práwกู guuคนเดียว kon-diaw

    Everything I've got, it's all because of me alone.

    ที่tîi + clause = what…, the thing that…: ที่กูได้มาtîi guu dâi maa = what I've gained. เป็นเพราะbpen práw = it's because of. คนเดียวkon-diaw = alone, by myself (ไปคนเดียวbpai kon-diaw = go alone).
  7. มึง muengไม่มีวัน mâi mii wanจะ jàได้ dâiถ้าเกิดว่า tâa gòet wâaมึง muengไม่ mâiเสี่ยง sìang

    You'll never get anywhere if you don't take risks.

    ไม่มีวันmâi mii wan + verb = will never (literally 'there is no day that…'). ถ้าเกิดว่าtâa gòet wâa = if, in case (a longer, very spoken ถ้าtâa). เสี่ยงsìang = to take a risk.
  8. ถ้า tâaย้อนเวลา yáwn wee-laaกลับ glàpไป bpaiกู guuก็ gâwจะ jàทำ tamเหมือนเดิม mǔean-doem

    If I could turn back time, I'd do it all the same.

    ย้อนเวลาyáwn wee-laa = to turn back time; กลับไปglàp bpai = to go back. ถ้าtâa… ก็จะgâw jà… = if…, then (I) would… เหมือนเดิมmǔean-doem = the same as before; in a café, เหมือนเดิมmǔean-doem means 'the usual'.

Words you'll learn

  • ขอ kǎw

    may I have…, I'd like… (asking for something)

    The polite way to ask for anything: ขอkǎw + the thing. Add หน่อยnàwy at the end to make it softer.

  • ตังค์ dtang

    money (everyday word)

  • ตัวเอง dtua-eeng

    oneself

    Also a sweet 'you' between couples.

  • ทำให้ tam-hâi

    to make (someone feel or do something), to cause

    ทำให้รู้ว่าtam-hâi rúu wâa = made (me) realise that; ทำให้แม่ภูมิใจtam-hâi mâe puum-jai = to make Mom proud.

  • แม่ mâe

    mother

  • ภูมิใจ puum-jai

    proud

  • ใคร krai

    who

    Starts with the kr cluster: k and r together. In fast speech many Bangkok people drop the r.

  • พยายาม pá-yaa-yaam

    to try (hard)

  • นาน naan

    (for) a long time

    Only for time. A long way is ไกลglai (far).

  • เพราะ práw

    because

    เพราะว่าpráw wâa means the same. It answers a ทำไมtam-mai (why) question, and เพราะอะไรpráw à-rai (because of what?) is another way to ask why.

  • คนเดียว kon-diaw

    alone, by oneself

  • ไม่มีวัน mâi mii wan

    never (will)

  • ถ้าเกิดว่า tâa gòet wâa

    if (it happens that), if ever

    A longer, very common spoken form of ถ้าtâa (if).

  • เสี่ยง sìang

    to risk, take a chance

  • ย้อนเวลา yáwn wee-laa

    to turn back time

  • เหมือนเดิม mǔean-doem

    the same as before; the usual

Slang and casual Thai

  • กู guu

    I, me (very rough or very intimate)

    Fine among close friends of the same age, especially guys; rude anywhere else. Never use it with strangers, elders, at work or to your partner's family.

  • มึง mueng

    you (very rough or very intimate)

    Always paired with กูguu. Hearing กูguu/มึงmueng between friends is normal; hearing it from a stranger means a fight.

Grammar in this song

Question word + ก็ได้gâw dâi = any…, whatever: ทำอะไรก็ได้tam à-rai gâw dâi, ไปไหนก็ได้bpai nǎi gâw dâi (go anywhere), กินอะไรก็ได้gin à-rai gâw dâi (I'll eat anything). ทำให้tam-hâi + person + feeling = to make someone feel something: ทำให้แม่ภูมิใจtam-hâi mâe puum-jai.

Time and possibility: verb + มาmaa + time = have been doing for (พยายามมานานpá-yaa-yaam maa naan); ไม่มีวันmâi mii wan = never; ถ้าtâa… ก็จะgâw jà… (or the longer ถ้าเกิดว่าtâa gòet wâa) = if…, then would…; verb + ไว้wái = do it for later, keep it (ดูไว้duu wái, จำไว้jam wái).

The culture behind it

"ดูไว้duu wái" (December 2018) is YOUNGOHM's statement of independence: he never asked anyone for money, chose his own road and made his mother proud. He grew up largely with his grandparents in the Wat That Thong neighbourhood of Bangkok, quit university after half a day to rap full-time and built his career without a big label, so the lines are autobiographical. The official English title "Doo White" is just a sound-alike pun on ดูไว้duu wái.

The song is also a masterclass in กูguu and มึงmueng. They are old words: the famous Ramkhamhaeng inscription of Sukhothai begins พ่อกูชื่อศรีอินทราทิตย์pâw guu chûue sǐi-in-traa-tít ("my father's name was Si Inthrathit"). Today they are the rough, intimate pronouns of close friends, rappers and arguments. Learn to recognise them, but stick to ผมpǒm/ฉันchǎn and คุณkun yourself until Thai friends use them with you first. The video itself contains strong language; the key lines here are clean apart from the pronouns.

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones