โทษ

Explanation

โทษ is easiest to understand as something tied to wrongdoing, fault, or negative effects. In legal or rule-based contexts it means a punishment or penalty. In conversations about mistakes, it can mean fault, blame, or responsibility. In health or social contexts, it means harm or harmful effects. As a verb, it means “to blame,” as in อย่าโทษเขา “Don’t blame him.” ขอโทษ is the standard word for “sorry” or “excuse me,” while โทษที and โทษนะ are casual shortened forms.

Usage

You will hear this word in news, law, schools, and workplaces when people talk about punishment or disciplinary action. In everyday conversation, it appears when people discuss who is at fault or who is being blamed. In health and public-safety topics, it often means harm or harmful effects. ขอโทษ is a very common expression for apologizing or getting someone’s attention.

Caution

มีโทษ usually means “be harmful,” while ได้รับโทษ means “receive a punishment.” The meaning changes strongly by context. Also, โทษที and โทษนะ are casual, so in formal situations or with senior people, ขอโทษครับ or ขอโทษค่ะ is safer.

1 punishment synonyms

• การลงโทษ

  การลงโทษ means the act of punishing. โทษ refers to the punishment or penalty itself.

• บทลงโทษ

  บทลงโทษ often means the specific punishment or disciplinary measure set by a rule or system. โทษ is broader and can refer to punishment or a legal penalty in general.

2 blame synonyms

• กล่าวโทษ

  กล่าวโทษ sounds more formal and can mean to accuse or make a charge. โทษ is more everyday and broadly means to blame someone or something.

• ตำหนิ

  tamnì criticize

  ตำหนิ means to criticize or reprimand someone for a fault or behavior. โทษ specifically assigns blame for a bad result.

3 harm synonyms

• ผลร้าย

  ผลร้าย means a bad result or negative consequence. โทษ refers to harm or harmful effects themselves and is common in patterns like มีโทษต่อ... “be harmful to...”.

• อันตราย

  อันตราย means danger and often suggests risk of injury or immediate harm. โทษ is broader and can include harmful effects on health, society, or habits.

4 sorry [casual] synonyms

• ขอโทษ

  khɔ̌ɔ thôot excuse me

  ขอโทษ is the standard form and works in both polite and everyday situations. โทษที and โทษนะ are shortened and casual, so they fit friends or close coworkers.