มา
come
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 come、arrive、show up
- 2 do and bring here、do toward here、come after doing
- 3 have been doing、have done up to now、since
มา centers on movement toward a speaker, listener, place, or reference point. By itself it means “come” or “arrive,” and after another verb it often adds the idea of coming toward a point or continuing up to now.
come、arrive、show up
This sense means to come or arrive at the speaker, listener, or another place treated as the reference point.
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เขามาแล้ว khǎw maa lɛ́ɛw He has arrived. เขามาแล้ว details
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รถมาแล้ว rót maa lɛ́ɛw The car/bus is here. รถมาแล้ว details
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คุณมาจากที่ไหน khun maa càak thîi nǎy Where do you come from? คุณมาจากที่ไหน details
do and bring here、do toward here、come after doing
After another verb, มา shows that the action or its result moves toward the speaker, listener, or focal point.
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เอาน้ำมา aw náam maa Bring some water here. เอาน้ำมา details
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ซื้อกาแฟมาให้หน่อย sʉ́ʉ kaafɛɛ maa hây nɔ̀ɔy Could you buy some coffee and bring it here? ซื้อกาแฟมาให้หน่อย details
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ส่งรูปมาให้หน่อย sòŋ rûup maa hây nɔ̀ɔy Send me the photo. ส่งรูปมาให้หน่อย details
have been doing、have done up to now、since
After a verb, มา can show that an action or state has continued from the past up to now or up to another reference time.
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ฉันเรียนภาษาไทยมาสองปีแล้ว chǎn rian phaasǎa thay maa sɔ̌ɔŋ pii lɛ́ɛw I have been studying Thai for two years. ฉันเรียนภาษาไทยมาสองปีแล้ว details
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เขาทำงานที่นี่มานาน khǎw tham ŋaan thîi nîi maa naan He has worked here for a long time. เขาทำงานที่นี่มานาน details
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รู้จักกันมาตั้งแต่เด็ก rúucàk kan maa tâŋ tɛ̀ɛ dèk They have known each other since childhood. รู้จักกันมาตั้งแต่เด็ก details
Learning notes
Explanation
มา is a core everyday word used in both speech and writing. Its central idea is movement toward a reference point. That point may be the speaker, the listener, a destination, the topic being discussed, or the present moment. A key pattern is using มา after another verb. In ซื้อ...มา, พา...มา, and ส่ง...มา, it shows that the action or result comes toward the reference point. It is also used with time expressions, as in เรียนมา 2 ปีแล้ว, to mean that something has continued from the past up to now. A poetic noun meaning “moon” exists, but it is not useful as a modern learner’s dictionary sense.
Usage
มา is used when people or vehicles arrive, when talking about having come somewhere, when asking someone to bring or send something, and when describing study, work, relationships, or situations that have continued from the past. In conversation, it also appears in prompts such as มานี่ “come here,” มาเร็ว “come quickly,” and มาดูกัน “let’s have a look.”
Caution
Do not treat มา as only the English verb “come.” After another verb, it can mark direction toward the reference point, a result arriving here, or continuation up to now. Its directional opposite is ไป, so เอามา means “bring here,” while เอาไป means “take away/there.”
Differences from similar words
1 come synonyms
2 do and bring here synonyms
3 have been doing synonyms
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เรื่อยมา strongly emphasizes continuous, uninterrupted continuation. มา alone is more general and commonly combines with time expressions.