Daily Thai Confidence — Using รุ่น (rûn)

Noun: รุ่น (rûn)
Meaning: generation / batch / cohort / group from the same period

In this Thai lesson, we will learn how to use the word รุ่น (rûn), which is used to talk about people or things that belong to the same time, age group, or production period. At its core, รุ่น (rûn) answer the question: From which time or group?

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

nák-rīan rûn née dtâng-jāi rīan mâak
Literal: Student group this focus on learning very.
This group of students are very dedicated to their learning.

The phrase นักเรียนรุ่นนี้ (nák-rīan rûn née = this group of students) refers to a specific group or cohort of students who started in the same year, are in the same intake, or belong to the same class batch. The verb phrase ตั้งใจเรียนมาก (dtâng-jāi rīan mâak = are very dedicated to their learning) describes their attitude towards studying, emphasising effort, seriousness, and commitment, not just ability.

t^hōo-rá-sàb rûn née p^hāeng mâak
Literal: Telephone model this expensive very.
This phone model is very expensive.

The phrase โทรศัพท์รุ่นนี้ (t^hōo-rá-sàb rûn née = this phone model) refers to a specific model of a phone. The adjective phrase แพงมาก (p^hāeng mâak = are very expensive) describes the price or cost of that phone model.

ród rûn nán bprà-^hyàd nám-mān mâak
Literal: Car model that save petrol very.
That car model is very fuel-efficient.

The phrase รถรุ่นนั้น (ród rûn nán = that car model) refers to a specific model of a car. The adjective phrase ประหยัดน้ำมันมาก (bprà-^hyàd nám-mān mâak = is very fuel-efficient) describes the car’s economical performance.

k^hrêuang-sák-p^hâa rûn gào gīn fāi mâak gwàa rûn ^hmài
Literal: Machine-wash-clothes model old consume electricity more than model new very.
Older washing machine models consume more electricity than newer models.

The phrase เครื่องซักผ้ารุ่นเก่าเก่ากินไฟ (k^hrêuang-sák-p^hâa rûn gào gīn fāi = older washing machine models consume a lot of electricity) refers to washing machines from an older model or generation. The comparative phrase มากกว่ารุ่นใหม่ (mâak gwàa rûn ^hmài = more than new models) explains that older models use more electricity than newer ones, making them more expensive to run. Please note: The phrase กินไฟ (gīn fāi) is a common everyday verb phrase used to describe how much electricity an appliance uses.

From these examples, you can see that the word รุ่น (rûn) can be used to talk about different versions or models, particularly when referring to phones, cars, machines, and other types of technology. In addition, the word รุ่น (rûn) can also be combined with other words to talk about social group, such as:

รุ่นเดียวกัน (rûn dīew gān) = same generation / same year group (It is used to describe people who belong to the same group in terms of time, age, school year, or training batch.

• รุ่นเดียวกัน (rûn dīew gān) = same generation / same year group (It is used to describe people who belong to the same group in terms of time, age, school year, or training batch.
• รุ่นพี่ (rûn p^hêe) = senior (older generation) (It is used to refer to someone who is from an earlier batch or year group than you, usually in school, university, work, or training.)
• รุ่นน้อง (rûn náwng) = junior (younger generation) (It is used to refer to someone who is from a later batch, or year group than you, usually in school, university, work, or training.)

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

p^hûak-rāo āa-yút rûn dīew gān
Literal: We age generation same as each other.
We are the same age group.

The noun อายุ (āa-yút) means ‘age’. In this sentence, the phrase อายุรุ่นเดียวกัน (āa-yút rûn dīew gān) emphasises that the subject of the sentence พวกเรา (p^hûak-rāo = we)   belong to the same age group.

p^hûak-rāo rīan-jòb má-hǎa-wíd-t^há-yāa-lāi rûn dīew gān
Literal: We learn-ended university generation same as each other.
We were in the same graduating class at university.

The verb เรียนจบ (rīan-jòb) means ‘to graduate’ or ‘to finish studying’. The phrase เรียนจบรุ่นเดียวกัน (rīan-jòb rûn dīew gān) emphasises that the subject of the sentence พวกเรา (p^hûak-rāo = we) belonged to the same group of students at university and graduated in the same year.

k^hǎo bpēn rûn p^hêe k^hǎwng-chǎn t^hêe má-hǎa-wíd-t^há-yāa-lāi
Literal: He to be generation older belonging to-me at university.
He is my senior at university.

The phrase รุ่นพี่ที่มหาวิทยาลัย (rûn p^hêe t^hêe má-hǎa-wíd-t^há-yāa-lāi) means ‘a senior student at the university’. It emphasises that the person belongs to a group that started or graduated earlier than the speaker.

nák-rīan rûn náwng mák-jà t^hǎam k^hām-náe-nām jàak rûn p^hêe
Literal: Student generation younger usually ask work-advise from generation older.
Junior students often ask seniors for advice.

The noun นักเรียน (nák-rīan) means ‘student’. The phrase นักเรียนรุ่นน้อง (nák-rīan rûn náwng) emphasises that the person is a student who belongs to a later batch or year group than the object รุ่นพี่ (rûn p^hêe).

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

1. We are from the same generation.
2. She is my senior at university.
3. He is my junior at work.
4. This phone model is very popular.
5. The new model is more expensive than the previous one.

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Urai Khomkham

Hi, I’m Urai Khomkham, a Thai language teacher and the creator of Thai Language Tuition UK. I help learners understand how Thai really works, so they can stop guessing and start feeling confident using the language in real life. Inside the community, I share clear lessons, practical explanations, and gentle guidance to support steady, meaningful progress — without pressure or overwhelm. I also share free Thai lessons and learning tips on my YouTube channel, where I break things down step by step and help you build strong foundations at your own pace. By subscribing, you’re not only supporting your own learning — you’re also helping me continue creating free resources to support you and other learners on their Thai journey.

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