المعنى
Describing a long distance
خلفية ثقافية
In Bangkok, 'far' is often measured in hours rather than kilometers due to traffic. A 5km trip can be 'ไกลมาก' if it takes an hour. In rural areas, 'ไกลมาก' might refer to a village that is off the main paved roads, often called 'ในป่า' (in the forest). Thais might say something is 'ไกลมาก' to politely discourage you from doing something they think is too difficult or dangerous for a foreigner. The phrase is used in Buddhism to describe the distance from enlightenment or the 'far' reach of one's karma.
Use your hands
Thais often stretch out the word 'ไกล' (Klaaaaaai) while pointing to show just how far something is.
Tone Alert
If you use a falling tone, you are telling the taxi driver the destination is close. He might get confused when it takes an hour!
المعنى
Describing a long distance
Use your hands
Thais often stretch out the word 'ไกล' (Klaaaaaai) while pointing to show just how far something is.
Tone Alert
If you use a falling tone, you are telling the taxi driver the destination is close. He might get confused when it takes an hour!
The 'L' sound
In casual Bangkok speech, many people drop the 'l' and say 'Kai Maak'. It's good to recognize this, but try to keep the 'l' for clarity as a learner.
Walking is different
Remember that 'far' for walking in Thailand is much shorter than in Europe or the US because of the heat.
اختبر نفسك
Which tone is correct for 'far' in Thai?
ไกล (Far)
ไกล (klāi) is a mid tone. ใกล้ (klâi) is a falling tone and means 'near'.
Complete the sentence: 'The airport is very far.'
สนามบินอยู่____มาก
ไกล means far. ใกล้ means near.
Fill in the missing word in the dialogue.
A: เดินไปได้ไหม? (Can I walk there?) B: ไม่ได้ครับ มัน____มาก
If you can't walk there, it's likely because it's 'far' (ไกล).
Match the phrase to the situation.
You are looking at a map of Russia while in Thailand.
Russia is geographically very far from Thailand.
🎉 النتيجة: /4
وسائل تعلم بصرية
Tone Contrast
بنك التمارين
4 تمارينไกล (Far)
ไกล (klāi) is a mid tone. ใกล้ (klâi) is a falling tone and means 'near'.
สนามบินอยู่____มาก
ไกล means far. ใกล้ means near.
A: เดินไปได้ไหม? (Can I walk there?) B: ไม่ได้ครับ มัน____มาก
If you can't walk there, it's likely because it's 'far' (ไกล).
You are looking at a map of Russia while in Thailand.
Russia is geographically very far from Thailand.
🎉 النتيجة: /4
الأسئلة الشائعة
10 أسئلةNot directly. Use 'นานมาก' (naan maak) for 'a long time'. However, you can say 'อีกไกล' (ik klai) to mean 'still a long way to go' in a project.
Yes, it's perfectly neutral and polite for all situations.
Say 'ไม่ไกลมาก' (mai klai maak).
'ไกล' is far. 'ห่าง' means 'spaced apart' or 'distant from'. You often see them together as 'ห่างไกล'.
Yes, to describe physical distance. For emotional distance, 'ห่างเหิน' (haang hoen) is better.
Use 'ไกลมากจริงๆ' (really very far) or 'ไกลสุดๆ' (extremely far).
Yes, 'ไกลโคตร' (klai khot) is very casual/slang for 'super far'.
In Northern Thai (Isan), they might use 'ไกลหลาย' (klai lai).
Stretching the vowel is a way to add emphasis without adding more words.
Yes, if discussing your commute. 'บ้านผมอยู่ไกลมากครับ' is fine.
عبارات ذات صلة
ไกลเกินไป
similarToo far
ไกลลิบ
specialized formExtremely far / out of sight
ห่างไกล
synonymDistant / Remote
ใกล้มาก
contrastVery near
ไกลปืนเที่ยง
specialized formIn the middle of nowhere
