หา
look for
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 look for、search for、try to find
- 2 get、obtain、earn (money)
- 3 visit、go see、come see
- 4 accuse、blame、allege
หา is built around trying to reach or obtain something that is not yet in hand. It can mean to look for something, search for information, get or earn something, go see someone, and in the pattern หาว่า, accuse someone of something.
look for、search for、try to find
This sense means to look for or search for something that has not yet been found, including objects, people, information, answers, or methods.
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หากุญแจ hǎa kuncɛɛ look for the keys หากุญแจ details
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หาอะไรอยู่? hǎa aray yùu What are you looking for? หาอะไรอยู่? details
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หาข้อมูล hǎa khɔ̂ɔmuun look up information หาข้อมูล details
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หาทางแก้ปัญหา hǎa thaaŋ kɛ̂ɛ panhǎa look for a way to solve the problem หาทางแก้ปัญหา details
get、obtain、earn (money)
This sense is about trying to obtain something useful or needed, such as work, money, time, or an opportunity. With money, it commonly means to earn.
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หางาน hǎa ŋaan look for a job หางาน details
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หาเงิน hǎa ŋən earn money หาเงิน details
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หาเวลาว่าง hǎa weelaa wâaŋ find free time หาเวลาว่าง details
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หาโอกาส hǎa ookàat look for an opportunity หาโอกาส details
visit、go see、come see
This sense means to go see, visit, or come see someone. It is especially common in ไปหา and มาหา.
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ไปหาเพื่อน pay hǎa phʉ̂an go see a friend ไปหาเพื่อน details
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แม่มาหาฉัน mɛ̂ɛ maa hǎa chǎn My mother came to see me. แม่มาหาฉัน details
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ไปหาหมอ pay hǎa mɔ̌ɔ go see a doctor ไปหาหมอ details
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โทรหาแม่ thoo hǎa mɛ̂ɛ call my mother โทรหาแม่ details
accuse、blame、allege
In the pattern หาว่า..., it means to accuse someone of being or doing something.
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เขาหาว่าฉันโกหก khǎw hǎa wâa chǎn koohòk He accused me of lying. เขาหาว่าฉันโกหก details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core idea of หา is moving toward something that is missing, needed, or not yet obtained. The English translation changes a lot depending on the object: หา keys is “look for keys,” หาข้อมูล is “look up information,” หาเงิน is usually “earn money,” and หางาน is “look for a job.” With people, ไปหา and มาหา are key patterns meaning “go see” and “come see.” The pattern หาว่า... should be learned separately as “accuse someone of...”
Usage
It is used constantly in everyday situations: looking for lost items, searching for information, looking for a job, room, time, or opportunity, talking about earning money, going to see someone, seeing a doctor, and accusing someone of something.
Caution
Do not translate หาเงิน literally as “look for money” in normal use; it usually means “earn money.” Also, ไปหาเพื่อน usually means “go see a friend,” not “go look for a friend.” If you mean searching for a missing person, ตามหา is often clearer.
Differences from similar words
1 look for synonyms
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ค้นหา often suggests a more deliberate search, including online searching or investigation. หา is broader and is the everyday word for looking for something.
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เสาะหา means to seek out with effort and sounds more formal or deliberate. หา is the basic everyday verb.
2 get synonyms
3 visit synonyms
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เยี่ยม means to visit, often for a social visit or to check on someone. หา is more everyday and simply means to go or come see someone.