Thai word
ต้อง
dtâwng
必须/不得不
How to pronounce ต้อง
Falling tone
Starts high, falls quickly to low
ต้อง is written dtâwng and carries the falling tone. Listen first, then copy the pitch — in Thai the pitch belongs to the word the way a vowel does.
Same syllable, five tones
Thai uses pitch to tell words apart. Below is the same syllable on each of the five tones — nothing changes but the pitch. Say your word (highlighted) on one of the other four and a Thai listener hears a different word, or none at all.
-
dtawng
Mid tone
-
dtàwng
Low tone
- ต้อง
dtâwng
Falling tone
-
dtǎwng
Rising tone
-
dtáwng
High tone
What does ต้อง mean?
Translation
必须/不得不
ต้อง (dtâwng) means "必须/不得不" in Thai.
Example sentences
เงินในบัตรเหลือน้อยแล้ว ต้องเติมก่อนค่ะ
ngoen nai bàt lěua nói láew dtông dtoeem gòn ká
bàt 里没多少 ngoen 了，我得先 dtoeem。
ต้องถอดรองเท้าก่อนเข้า
dtâwng thâwt rawng tháo gâwn khâo
khâo 前必须 thâwt rawng tháo。
ต้องจ่ายเท่าไหร่ครับ
dtâwng jàai thâo rài khráp
我需要付多少钱？
Test yourself
One word from the same tone group. Its meaning is not on this page — see whether it stuck.
What does this word mean?
ห้า
hâa
Related words
More words with the falling tone — the same pitch shape, different words.
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