Thai numerals
Thai numerals (Thai: เลขไทย, RTGS: lek thai, pronounced [lêːk tʰāj]) are a set of numerals traditionally used in Thailand, although the Arabic numerals are more common due to pervasive westernization of Thailand in the modern Rattanakosin Era. Thai numerals follow the Hindu-Arabic numeral system commonly used in the rest of the world. In Thai language, numerals often follow the modified noun and precede a measure word, although variations to this pattern occur.
Usage
The Thai language lacks grammatical number. A count is usually expressed in the form of an uninflected noun followed by a number and a classifier. "Five teachers" is expressed as "teacher five person" khru ha khon (Thai: ครูห้าคน or with the numeral included Thai: ครู ๕ คน.) Khon "person" is a type of referent noun that is also used as the Thai part of speech called in English a linguistic classifier, or measure word. In Thai, counting is kannap (การนับ; nap is "to count", kan is a prefix that forms a noun from a verb); the classifier, laksananam (ลักษณนาม from laksana characteristic, form, attribute, quality, pattern, style; and nam name, designation, appellation.[1]) Variations to this pattern do occur, and there really is no hierarchy among Thai classifiers.[2] A partial list of Thai words that also classify nouns can be found in Wiktionary category: Thai classifiers.
Main numbers
Zero to ten
Thai sūn is written as oval 0 (number) when using Arabic numerals, but a small circle ๐ when using traditional numerals, and also means centre in other contexts.[3] It is from Sanskrit śūnya, as are the (context-driven) alternate names for numbers one to four given below; but not the counting 1 (number).
Thai names for N +1 and the regular digits 2 through 9 as shown in the table, below, resemble those in Chinese varieties (e.g., Cantonese and Min Nan) as spoken in Southern China, the homeland of the overseas chinese living in South East Asia . In fact, the etymology of Thai numerals 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 is Middle Chinese, while the etymology of Thai numeral 5 is Old Chinese, as illustrated in the table below[4]
| Number | Thai | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numeral | Written | RTGS | IPA | Archaic | Etymology | |
| 0 | ๐ | ศูนย์ | sun | /sǔːn/ | Sanskrit śūnya | |
| 1 | ๑ | หนึ่ง | nueng | /nɯ̀ŋ/ | อ้าย (ai) | Proto-Tai /nʉŋ/[4] |
| 2 | ๒ | สอง | song | /sɔ̌ːŋ/ | ยี่ (yi) | Middle Chinese /saŋ/[4] (compare Min Nan 雙 sang1) and /nyijH/[4] (compare Min Nan 二 ji7) |
| 3 | ๓ | สาม | sam | /sǎːm/ | สาม (sam) | Middle Chinese /sam/[4] (compare Hakka/Cantonese 三sam1) |
| 4 | ๔ | สี่ | si | /sìː/ | ไส (sai) | Middle Chinese sijH[4] (compare Min Nan 四 si3) |
| 5 | ๕ | ห้า | ha | /hâː/ | งั่ว (ngua) | Old Chinese /*ŋaʔ/[4] (compare Min Nan 五 ngo.) |
| 6 | ๖ | หก | hok | /hòk/ | ลก (lok) | Middle Chinese /ljuwk/[4] (compare Hakka + Cantonese 六 liok8) |
| 7 | ๗ | เจ็ด | chet | /t͡ɕèt/ | เจ็ด (chet) | Middle Chinese /tshit/[4] (compare Min Nan 七 chit4) |
| 8 | ๘ | แปด | paet | /pɛ̀ːt/ | แปด (paet) | Middle Chinese /peat/[4] (compare Cantonese 八 pat4) |
| 9 | ๙ | เก้า | kao | /kâːw/ | เจา (chao) | Middle Chinese /kjuwX/[4] (compare Min Nan 九 kau2) |
| 10 | ๑๐ | สิบ | sip | /sìp/ | จ๋ง (chong) | Middle Chinese dzyip (compare Min Nan[4] (compare Hakka 十 sip8) |
Numerical digit characters, however, are almost identical to Khmer numerals. Thai and Lao words for numerals are almost identical, however, the numerical digits vary somewhat in shape. Shown above is a comparison between three languages using Cantonese and Minnan characters and pronunciations. Shown below is a comparison between three languages using Khmer numerals. Thai and Lao. The Thai transliteration uses the Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS).
| Number | Thai | Khmer | Lao | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numeral | Written | RTGS | IPA | Archaic | Numeral | Written | IPA | Numeral | Written | IPA | |
| 0 | ๐ | ศูนย์ | sun | /sǔːn/ | (Sanskrit śūnya) | ០ | សូន្យ | /soun/ | ໐ | ສູນ | /sǔːn/ |
| 1 | ๑ | หนึ่ง | nueng | /nɯ̀ŋ/ | อ้าย (ai) | ១ | មួយ | /muəj/ | ໑ | ນຶ່ງ | /nɯ̌ŋ/ |
| 2 | ๒ | สอง | song | /sɔ̌ːŋ/ | ยี่ (yi) | ២ | ពីរ | /piː/ | ໒ | ສອງ | /sǒːŋ/ |
| 3 | ๓ | สาม | sam | /sǎːm/ | สาม (sam) | ៣ | បី | /ɓəj/ | ໓ | ສາມ | /sǎːm/ |
| 4 | ๔ | สี่ | si | /sìː/ | ไส (sai) | ៤ | បួន | /ɓuən/ | ໔ | ສີ່ | /sìː/ |
| 5 | ๕ | ห้า | ha | /hâː/ | งั่ว (ngua) | ៥ | ប្រាំ | /pram/ | ໕ | ຫ້າ | /hâː/ |
| 6 | ๖ | หก | hok | hòk | ลก (lok) | ៦ | ប្រាំមួយ | /pram muəj/ | ໖ | ຫົກ | /hók/ |
| 7 | ๗ | เจ็ด | chet | /t͡ɕèt/ | เจ็ด (chet) | ៧ | ប្រាំពីរ | /pram piː/ | ໗ | ເຈັດ | /t͡ɕét/ |
| 8 | ๘ | แปด | paet | /pɛ̀ːt/ | แปด (paet) | ៨ | ប្រាំបី | /pram ɓəj/ | ໘ | ແປດ | /pɛ́t/ |
| 9 | ๙ | เก้า | kao | /kâːw/ | เจา (chao) | ៩ | ប្រាំបួន | /pram ɓuən/ | ໙ | ເກົ້າ | /kâw/ |
| 10 | ๑๐ | สิบ | sip | /sìp/ | จ๋ง (chong) | ១០ | ដប់ | /ɗɑp/ | ໑໐ | ສິບ | /síp/ |
Ten to a million
Sanskrit lakh designates the place value of a digit (tamnaeng khong tua lek, ตําแหน่งของตัวเลข), which are named for the powers of ten: the unit's place is lak nuai (หลักหน่วย); ten's place, lak sip (หลักสิบ); hundred's place, lak roi (หลักร้อย), and so forth.[5] The number one following any multiple of sip becomes et (Cantonese: 一, yat1; Minnan: 一, it4). The number ten (sip) is the same as Minnan 十 (sip8, lit.). Numbers from twenty to twenty nine begin with yi sip (Cantonese: 二十, yi6sap6; Minnan: 二十, lit. ji7sip8). Names of the lak sip for 30 to 90, and for the lak of 100, 1000, 10,000, 100,000 and million, are almost identical to those of the like Khmer numerals.
| Number | Thai | RTGS | IPA | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ๑๐ | สิบ | sip | /sìp/ | |
| 11 | ๑๑ | สิบเอ็ด | sip et | /sìp ʔèt/ | |
| 12 | ๑๒ | สิบสอง | sip song | /sìp sɔ̌ːŋ/ | |
| 20 | ๒๐ | ยี่สิบ | yi sip | /jîː sìp/ | |
| 21 | ๒๑ | ยี่สิบเอ็ด | yi sip et | /jîː sìp ʔèt/ | |
| 22 | ๒๒ | ยี่สิบสอง | yi sip song | /jîː sìp sɔ̌ːŋ/ | |
| 30 | ๓๐ | สามสิบ | sam sip | /sǎːm sìp/ | |
| 31 | ๓๑ | สามสิบเอ็ด | sam sip et | /sǎːm sìp ʔèt/ | |
| 32 | ๓๒ | สามสิบสอง | sam sip song | /sǎːm sìp sɔ̌ːŋ/ | |
| 100 | ๑๐๐ | ร้อย | roi | /rɔ́ːj/ | |
| 1 000 | ๑๐๐๐ | พัน | phan | /pʰān/ | |
| 10 000 | ๑๐๐๐๐ | หมื่น | muen | /mɯ̀ːn/ | From Middle Chinese /mʉɐnH/ 萬 |
| 100 000 | ๑๐๐๐๐๐ | แสน | saen | /sɛ̌ːn/ | |
| 1 000 000 | ๑๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ล้าน | lan | /láːn/ | |
For the numbers twenty-one through twenty-nine, the part signifying twenty: yi sip (ยี่สิบ), may be colloquially shortened to yip (ยีบ). See the alternate numbers section below.
The hundreds are formed by combining roi with the tens and ones values. For example, two hundred and thirty-two is song roi sam sip song. The words roi, phan, muen, and saen should occur with a preceding numeral (nueng is optional), so two hundred ten, for example, is song roi sip, and one hundred is either roi or nueng roi. Nueng never precedes sip, so song roi nueng sip is incorrect. Native speakers will sometimes use roi nueng (or phan nueng, etc.) with different tones on nueng to distinguish one hundred from one hundred and one. However, such distinction is often not made, and ambiguity may follow. To resolve this problem, if the number 101 (or 1001, 10001, etc.) is intended, one should say roi et (or phan et, muen et, etc.).
Numbers above a million
Numbers above a million are constructed by prefixing lan with a multiplier. For example, ten million is sip lan, and a trillion (1012, a long scale billion) is lan lan.
Decimal and fractional numbers
Colloquially, decimal numbers are formed by saying chut (จุด, dot) where the decimal separator is located. For example, 1.01 is nueng chut sun nueng (หนึ่งจุดศูนย์หนึ่ง).
Fractional numbers are formed by placing nai (ใน, in, of) between the numerator and denominator or using [set] x suan y ([เศษ] x ส่วน y, x parts of the whole y) to clearly indicate. For example, 1⁄3 is nueng nai sam (หนึ่งในสาม) or [set] nueng suan sam ([เศษ]หนึ่งส่วนสาม). The word set (เศษ) can be omitted.
The word khrueng (ครึ่ง) is used for "half". It precedes the measure word if used alone, but it follows the measure word when used with another number. For example, kradat khrueng phaen (กระดาษครึ่งแผ่น) means "half sheet of paper", but kradat nueng phaen khrueng (กระดาษหนึ่งแผ่นครึ่ง) means "one and a half sheets of paper".
Negative numbers
Negative numbers are formed by placing lop (ลบ, minus) in front of the number. For example, −11 is lop sip et (ลบสิบเอ็ด).
Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers are formed by placing thi (ที่, place) in front of the number. They are not considered a special class of numbers, since the numeral still follows a modified noun, which is thi in this case.
| Thai | RTGS | IPA | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ที่หนึ่ง | thi nueng | /tʰîː nɯ̀ŋ/ | first |
| ที่สอง | thi song | /tʰîː sɔ̌ːŋ/ | second |
| ที่สาม | thi sam | /tʰîː sǎːm/ | third |
| ที่สี่ | thi si | /tʰîː sìː/ | fourth |
| ที่# | thi # | /tʰîː/ | #st, #nd, #rd, #th |
Alternative numbers
Ai
Ai (Thai: อ้าย) is used for "first born (son)" or for the first month, duean ai (เดือนอ้าย), of the Thai lunar calendar.[6]
Ek
Ek (Thai: เอก) is from Pali ḗka, "one" [7] Ek is used for one (quantity); first (rank), more prominent than tho โท second, in tone marks, education degrees and military ranks; and for the lead actor in a role. In antiquity, a seventh daughter was called luk ek (ลูกเอก), though a seventh son was luk chet (ลูกเจ็ด).[8]
Et
Et (Thai: เอ็ด, Cantonese: 一, yat1; Minnan: 一, it4), meaning "one", is used as last member in a compound number (see the main numbers section above).
Tho
Tho (Thai: โท) is from Pali dūā, "two".[9] Tho is used for two and for the second-level rank in tone marks, education degrees and military ranks.[10]
Yi
Yi (Thai: ยี่, Cantonese: 二, yi6; Minnan: 二, ji7) is still used in several places in Thai language for the number two, apart from song (สอง): to construct twenty (two tens) and its combinations twenty-one through twenty-nine; to name the second month, duean yi (เดือนยี่), of the traditional Thai lunar calendar; and in the Thai northern dialect thin pha yip (ถิ่น–พายัพ), which refers to the Year of the Tiger.[11]
Tri & Trai
Tri (ตรี) and trai (ไตร) are from Sanskrit trāyaḥ, "three".[12] These alternatives are used for three; third rank in tone marks, education degrees and military ranks; and as a prefix meaning three(fold).[13]
Chattawa
Chattawa (จัตวา) is the Pali numeral four; used for the fourth tone mark and as a prefix meaning fourth in order or quadruple in number.
Lo
Lo (Thai: โหล) means a dozen or twelve. It is usually used for trade. It may also mean jar or bottle.[14]
Yip
Yip (Thai: ยีบ or ยิบ) in colloquial Thai is an elision or contraction of yi sip (ยี่สิบ) at the beginning of numbers twenty-one through twenty-nine. Therefore, one may hear yip et (ยีบเอ็ด, ยิบเอ็ด), yip song (ยีบสอง, ยิบสอง), up to yip kao (ยีบเก้า, ยิบเก้า). Yip may have a long vowel (ยีบ) or be elided further into a short vowel (ยิบ).
Sao
Sao (Thai: ซาว) is twenty in the Thai northern dialect[15] and in the Isan language. Xao (ຊາວ) is the word for twenty in the Lao language.
Tone marks, education degrees and military ranks
The alternate set of numerals used to name tonal marks (ไม้, mai), educational degrees (ปริญญา, parinya), and military rankings derive from names of Sanskrit numerals.
| Number | Tonal Mark | Educational Degree | Military Ranking in the Royal Thai Army | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thai | RTGS | Value | Mark | Thai | RTGS | Tone | Thai | RTGS | Degree | Thai | RTGS | Meaning | |
| เอก | ek | first | -่ | ไม้เอก | mai ek | first tone | ปริญญาเอก | parinya ek | doctor's | พลเอก | phon ek | General | |
| พันเอก | phan ek | Colonel | |||||||||||
| ร้อยเอก | roi ek | Captain | |||||||||||
| จ่าสิบเอก | cha sip ek | Master Sgt. 1st Class | |||||||||||
| สิบเอก | sip ek | Sergeant (Sgt.) | |||||||||||
| โท | tho | second | -้ | ไม้โท | mai tho | second tone | ปริญญาโท | parinya tho | master's | พลโท | phon tho | Lieutenant General | |
| พันโท | phan tho | Lieutenant Colonel | |||||||||||
| ร้อยโท | roi tho | Lieutenant | |||||||||||
| จ่าสิบโท | cha sip tho | Master Sgt. 2nd Class | |||||||||||
| สิบโท | sip tho | Corporal | |||||||||||
| ตรี | tri | third | -๊ | ไม้ตรี | mai tri | third tone | ปริญญาตรี | parinya tri | bachelor's | พลตรี | phon tri | Major general | |
| พันตรี | phan tri | Major | |||||||||||
| ร้อยตรี | roi tri | Sub Lieutenant | |||||||||||
| จ่าสิบตรี | cha sip tri | Master Sgt. 3rd Class | |||||||||||
| สิบตรี | sip tri | Lance Corporal | |||||||||||
| จัตวา | chattawa | fourth | -๋ | ไม้จัตวา | mai chattawa | fourth tone | พลจัตวา | phon chattawa | Brigadier General (Honorary) | ||||
See also
References
- Glenn S., ed. (May 21, 2013). "ลักษณนาม" (Dictionary). Royal Institute Dictionary - 1982. Thai-language.com. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
[grammar] a classifier, a numerative noun
- Constructing Taxonomy of Numerative Classifiers for Asian Languages
- English-Thai reverse lookup and synonyms
- Suthiwan, Titima; Uri Tadmor (2009). Martin Haspelmath (ed.). Loanwords in the World's Languages: A Comparative Handbook. Walter de Gruyter. p. 606. ISBN 9783110218442.
- Online Royal Institute Dictionary Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, 1999 edition: select "ห" and enter หลัก
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999); select อ enter อ้าย
- Digital Dictionaries of South Asia Sir Ralph Lilley Turner (1888-1983) A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages entry 2462
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999), select อ enter เอก
- Digital Dictionaries of South Asia Sir Ralph Lilley Turner (1888-1983) A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages entry 6455
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999), select ท enter โท
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999), select ย enter ยี่
- Digital Dictionaries of South Asia Sir Ralph Lilley Turner (1888-1983) A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages entry 5994
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999), select ต enter ไตร
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999), select ห enter โหล
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999), select ซ enter ซาว
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999), select ก enter กุรุส
- ORID Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (Online Royal Institute Dictionary (1999), select ก enter โกฏิ
External links
- Thai Royal Institute On-line Dictionary (ORID 1999) [TH: พจนานุกรม ฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน พ.ศ. ๒๕๔๒]
- Numerals in many different writing systems, which includes Lao, Khmer and Thai numerals 0-9; retrieved 2008-11-12
- Graphic version of Numerals in many different writing systems, no Unicode required; retrieved 2008-11-12
- Thai Numbers. How they are written in their numeral and textual forms and how to pronounce them.
- Search result for numerative noun (11 entries)
- "International Reference Library Thread of Thai Classifiers" (38 entries)