กิน
eat
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 eat、have a meal
- 2 drink、take (medicine)
- 3 use up、consume、take (time, money, resources)
- 4 win from someone、take dishonestly、cheat、embezzle
The core idea is taking something in or consuming it. In everyday speech it mainly means “to eat,” but it also extends to drinking, taking medicine, using up time or money, and gaining or taking something from others.
eat、have a meal
The basic everyday meaning: to eat food or have a meal.
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กินข้าว kin khâaw eat; have a meal กินข้าว details
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อยากกินอะไร? yàak kin aray What do you want to eat? อยากกินอะไร? details
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กินเผ็ดไม่ได้ kin phèt mây dâay I can’t eat spicy food. กินเผ็ดไม่ได้ details
drink、take (medicine)
Used for drinking liquids in casual speech and for taking medicine, especially in the common phrase กินยา.
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กินยา kin yaa take medicine กินยา details
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กินน้ำ kin náam drink water กินน้ำ details
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กินเหล้า kin lâw drink alcohol กินเหล้า details
use up、consume、take (time, money, resources)
A figurative use meaning to use up or consume time, money, fuel, space, or effort.
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กินเวลา kin weelaa take time กินเวลา details
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กินเงิน kin ŋən cost a lot of money กินเงิน details
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รถคันนี้กินน้ำมัน rót khan níi kin nám man This car uses a lot of fuel. รถคันนี้กินน้ำมัน details
win from someone、take dishonestly、cheat、embezzle
In casual contexts, it can mean to win or take money from someone, and in negative contexts to exploit, cheat, or take money dishonestly.
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ถูกเจ้ามือกิน thùuk câw mʉʉ kin lost money to the dealer ถูกเจ้ามือกิน details
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กินเงินบริษัท kin ŋən bɔɔrisàt embezzle company money กินเงินบริษัท details
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กินสินบน kin sǐn bon take bribes กินสินบน details
Learning notes
Explanation
กิน is one of the most basic everyday Thai verbs. Start with “to eat,” then learn common patterns like กินข้าว “to have a meal,” กินยา “to take medicine,” and กินน้ำ or กินเหล้า for casual “drink water/alcohol.” Its broader image is taking something in or using it up, which explains expressions like กินเวลา “take time” and กินเงิน “cost money.” It is plain conversational Thai, so more polite alternatives such as ทาน or รับประทาน, and ดื่ม for beverages, may be better in formal contexts.
Usage
It is used across everyday life: meals, choosing what to eat, food preferences, taking medicine, drinking alcohol, estimating time or cost, and describing simple machine problems like paper getting caught.
Caution
กิน can sound too plain when talking respectfully about someone’s meal. Also, กินเงิน can mean either “cost money” or “take money dishonestly,” so the context matters.
Differences from similar words
1 eat synonyms
2 drink synonyms
3 use up synonyms
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เปลือง means wasteful or inefficient use. กิน can simply mean that something consumes a lot, without always judging it as wasteful.
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ใช้ is the neutral verb “to use.” กิน often suggests that something takes up or consumes a noticeable amount of time, money, or resources.
4 win from someone synonyms
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ทุจริต is a formal word for corruption or misconduct. กิน is more conversational and concrete, often implying taking money or benefits for oneself.