Thai word
หิว
hǐu
饿
How to pronounce หิว
Rising tone
Starts low, rises to high
หิว is written hǐu and carries the rising 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.
-
hiu
Mid tone
-
hìu
Low tone
-
hîu
Falling tone
- หิว
hǐu
Rising tone
-
híu
High tone
What does หิว mean?
Translation
饿
หิว (hǐu) means "饿" in Thai.
Example sentences
ข้อยบ่หิว กินข้าวมาแล้ว
khâawi bàw hǐu, gin khâao maa láew
我不饿，我已经吃过了。（伊善语）
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?
หู
hǔu
Related words
More words with the rising tone — the same pitch shape, different words.
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