Daily Thai Confidence — Using ทะเล (thá-lāy)

Noun: ทะเล (t^há-lāy)
Meaning: sea / seaside

In this Thai lesson, we learn how to use the noun ทะเล (t^há-lāy), which means ‘sea’ or ‘seaside.’ It refers to the large body of salt water that covers most of the Earth’s surface and is connected to beaches and coastal areas. It is a very common word in everyday Thai, especially when talking about travel, holidays, and nature.

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

ทะเลที่ประเทศไทยสวยมาก

t^há-lāy t^hêe bprà-t^hâed Thāi sǔay mâak
Literal: Sea in country Thai beautiful very.
The sea in Thailand is very beautiful.

The preposition of place ที่ (t^hêe) means ‘at,’ ‘in,’ or ‘to’ a place — ที่ (t^hêe) + noun for location.

เราจะไปเที่ยวทะเลกันสุดสัปดาห์นี้

rāo jà bpāi-t^hîew t^há-lāy gān sùd-sàb-dāa née
Literal: We will go sightsee sea with each other end of week this.
We’re going to the seaside this weekend.

The pronoun กัน (gān) means ‘each other’ or ‘one another.’ It is often placed after a verb to show that people are doing something with each other or as a group — subject (plural) + verb + กัน (gān). For example: เรานั่งคุยกันทั้งคืน (rāo nâng k^hūi gān t^háng k^hēun = We sat talking all night.); พวกเขารักกัน (p^hûak-k^hǎo rák gān = They love each other.); พวกเราไปกินข้าวกันเถอะ (p^hûak-rāo bpāi gīn-k^hâow gān t^hèu = Let’s go eat.)

ลมทะเลเย็นสบายมาก

lōm t^há-lāy yēn-sà-bāai mâak
Literal: Wind sea cool-comfortable very.
The sea breeze is very refreshing.

The adjective เย็นสบาย (yēn-sà-bāai) means ‘cool and comfortable’ or ‘pleasantly cool.’ It is used to describe weather or places that feel refreshingly cool and relaxing, not too hot or uncomfortable.

ทะเลดูเงียบสงบวันนี้

t^há-lāy dūu ngîab-sà-^hngòb wān-nēe
Literal: Sea look quiet-peaceful day-this.
The sea looks calm today.

The adjective เงียบสงบ (ngîab-sà-^hngòb) means ‘quiet and peaceful’ or ‘calm and tranquil.’ It is used to describe a place, situation, or atmosphere that is not only quiet, but also feels relaxing, stable, and pleasant.

Homework (การบ้าน — gāan-bâan)

Practise putting your newly learned Thai word into a sentence by translating the following sentences below.

1. I went to the seaside last weekend.
2. I want to go to the seaside.
3. The sea is very quiet in the morning.
4. The sea is very far from the city.
5. The sea is cold in winter.

---

About Post Author