Daily Thai Confidence: Using หัวหน้า (hǔa-hnâa)

Noun: หัวหน้า (hǔa-^hnâa)
Meaning: leader / manager / supervisor / person in charge

In this Thai lesson, we learn how to use the noun หัวหน้า (hǔa-^hnâa), which means ‘person in charge,’ ‘leader,’ ‘supervisor,’ or ‘manager’. It refers to someone who leads a group of people or is responsible for supervising others on a workplace, organisation, or team.

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

hǔa-^hnâa gām-lāng k^hūi gàb p^há-nák-ngāan
Literal: Supervisor in the process of chatting with staff.
The supervisor is talking to the employees.

The helping verb กำลัง (gām-lāng) is used before the main verb to indicate an action that is in progress. It functions similarly to the present continuous tense in English — subject + กำลัง (gām-lāng) + main verb. For example: เขากำลังกินข้าว (k^hǎo gām-lāng gīn-k^hâow = He is eating.); ฉันกำลังอ่านหนังสือ (chǎn gām-lāng àan ^hnǎng-sěu = I am reading a book.); พวกเขากำลังทำงาน (p^hûak-k^hǎo gām-lāng t^hām-ngāan = They are working.), etc.

chǎn dtâwng rāai-ngāan rêuang née hâi hǔa-^hnâa sâab
Literal: I must report matter this for supervisor to know.
I must report this matter to the supervisor.

The modal verb ต้อง (dtâwng) means ‘must,’ ‘have to,’ or ‘need to’. It is used to express necessity, obligation, or something that is required to happen. It appears before the main verb and indicates that the action is necessary or required — subject + ต้อง (dtâwng)  + main verb. For example: ฉันต้องไปทำงาน (chǎn dtâwng bpāi t^hām-ngāan = I have to go to work.); เขาต้องเรียนภาษาไทย (k^hǎo dtâwng rīan p^hāa-sǎa Thāi = He has to learn Thai.); พวกเราต้องรีบ (p^hûak-rāo dtâwng rêeb = We have to hurry.), etc.

hǔa-^hnâa rîak bprà-chūm dtāwn p^hrûng-née cháo
Literal: Supervisor called for meeting in tomorrow morning.
The supervisor called a meeting tomorrow morning.

The verb เรียก (rîak) means ‘to call’ or ‘to call for’. It is used when someone calls a person, summons someone, names something, or request someone to come. The exact meaning depends on the context.

hǔa-^hnâa gām-lāng sàng-ngāan t^hēem
Literal: Supervisor order-work team.
The supervisor is assigning work to the team.

The verb สั่งงาน (sàng-ngāan) means ‘to assign work,’ ‘to give instruction,’ or ‘to order someone to do a task’. It is commonly used in workplace contexts when a boss, manager, or leader tells someone what work needs to be done.

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

1. The supervisor must assign work to the team every morning.
2. He is waiting for the manager to make a decision.
3. He asked the supervisor about the new project yesterday.
4. The supervisor is discussing the problem with the team.
5. The supervisor called him to talk in the office.

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