Daily Thai Confidence — Using ถูก (thùuk)

Adjective: ถูก (t^hùuk)
Meaning: is cheap / is inexpensive

In this Thai lesson, we learn how to use the adjective ถูก (t^hùuk), which means ‘is cheap’ or ‘inexpensive.’ It is commonly used to describe something that costs less money than expected, less than another option, or simply does not have a high price.The typical structure usually follows the pattern: noun + ถูก (t^hùuk).

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

อาหารที่ร้านนี้ราคาถูก

āa-hǎan t^hêe ráan née rāa-k^hāa t^hùuk
Literal: Food at restaurant this price cheap.
The food at this restaurant is cheap.

The noun ร้าน (ráan) means ‘shop,’ ‘store,’ or ‘establishment.’ It is used for a wide range of places where goods or services are solid, and it is also commonly used for restaurants and food establishments.

เสื้อผ้ามือสองที่ร้านนี้ราคาถูก

sêua-p^hâa mēu-sǎwng t^hêe ráan née rāa-k^hāa t^hùuk
Literal: Clothes hand-two at shop this price cheap.
The second-hand clothes at this shop are cheap.

The adjective มือสอง (mēu-sǎwng) means ‘second-hand,’ ‘used,’ or ‘pre-owned.’ It is used to describe something that has already been owned or used by someone else and is now being sold again — noun + มือสอง (mēu-sǎwng). For example: ฉันซื้อรถมือสองเพราะถูกกว่ารถมือหนึ่ง (chǎn séu ród mēu-sǎwng p^hrót t^hùuk gwàa ród mēu-^hnèung = I bought a second-hand car because it was cheaper than a new one.); โทรศัพท์มือสองเครื่องนี้ดูใหม่มาก (t^hōo-rá-sàb mēu-sǎwng k^hrêuang née dūu ^hmài mâak = This second-hand phone looks very new.); ฉันกำลังมองหารถมือสองราคาถูก (chǎn gām-lāng māwng-hǎa ród mēu-sǎwng rāa-k^hāa t^húuk = I’m looking for a cheap second-hand car.)

ร้านนี้ขายของมือสองราคาถูก

ráan née k^hǎai k^hǎwng mēu-sǎwng rāa-k^hāa t^hùuk
Literal: Shop this sell stuff hand-two price cheap.
This shop sells affordable second-hand goods.

The noun ราคา (rāa-k^hāa) means ‘price’ or ‘cost.’ It is used when talking about how much something costs or the amount of money charged for something. It can be combined with another noun to form different types of prices — ราคา (rāa-k^hāa) + noun. For example: ราคาสินค้า (rāa-k^hāa sǐn-k^háa = the price of a product); ราคาอาหาร (rāa-k^hāa āa-hǎan = the price of food); ราคาบ้าน (rāa-k^hāa bâan = house prices); ราคาน้ำมัน (rāa-k^hāa nám-mān = fuel prices); ราคาตั๋ว (rāa-k^hāa dtǔa = ticket price), etc.. Because ราคา (rāa-k^hāa) is a noun, it can also be followed by an adjective describing the price — ราคา (rāa-k^hāa) + adjective. For example: ราคาถูก (rāa-k^hāa t^hùuk = a low price / cheap price); ราคาแพง (rāa-k^hāa p^hāeng = an expensive price); ราคาสูง (rāa-k^hāa sǔung = a high price); ราคาต่ำ (rāa-k^hāa dtàm = a low price), etc.

ราคาน้ำมันไม่ถูกตอนนี้

rāa-k^hāa nám-mān mâi t^hùuk dtāwn-née
Literal: Price water-oily not cheap at the moment.
Petrol prices aren’t cheap right now.

The adverb ตอนนี้ (dtāwn-née) means ‘now,’ ‘right now,’ or ‘at the moment.’ It is used to refer to the present time — the time happening as we speak or the current situation.

Homework (การบ้าน — gāan-bâan)

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

1. I bought a cheap second-hand car.
2. That shop in the market sells cheap second-hand clothes.
3. Why is this restaurant so cheap?
4. These clothes are very cheap.
5. Cheap doesn’t always mean bad quality.

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