Thai word
พ่อ
phâw
父亲
How to pronounce พ่อ
Falling tone
Starts high, falls quickly to low
พ่อ is written phâw 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.
-
phaw
Mid tone
-
phàw
Low tone
- พ่อ
phâw
Falling tone
-
phǎw
Rising tone
-
pháw
High tone
What does พ่อ mean?
Translation
父亲
พ่อ (phâw) means "父亲" in Thai.
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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