Comments on: Thai Numbers http://iluvthailand.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/thai-numbers/ Experience good living in Thailand Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:29:09 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Joanne http://iluvthailand.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/thai-numbers/#comment-68 Joanne Mon, 25 Feb 2008 02:51:51 +0000 http://iluvthailand.wordpress.com/?p=123#comment-68 I'm not familar with Chinese but I know that the Thai language does have elements of Chinese in it. Thank you for adding one last thing to this discussion on Thai numbers. From what you say, that would explain why two digit numbers that end with one use "et" instead of "neung." So, 11 is sip et and 31 is "saam-sip-et." It also explains why 20 is "yee-sip." If you combine the use of "et" and "neung," in the number 21 for example, it would be "yee-sip-et." I’m not familar with Chinese but I know that the Thai language does have elements of Chinese in it. Thank you for adding one last thing to this discussion on Thai numbers.
From what you say, that would explain why two digit numbers that end with one use “et” instead of “neung.” So, 11 is sip et and 31 is “saam-sip-et.” It also explains why 20 is “yee-sip.” If you combine the use of “et” and “neung,” in the number 21 for example, it would be “yee-sip-et.”

]]> By: rikker http://iluvthailand.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/thai-numbers/#comment-67 rikker Sat, 23 Feb 2008 05:21:22 +0000 http://iluvthailand.wordpress.com/?p=123#comment-67 The basic Thai number words are borrowed from Chinese. The main exception is 'one' หนึ่ง nueng is not Chinese as far as I know. In the Thai word for 'twenty', ยี่สิบ yee-sip, ยี่ yee is from Chinese 'two'. The word 'two', สอง song, I've heard is from a Chinese word meaning 'pair'. We also should probably mention เอ็ด et, as in sip-et 'eleven'. That's the other trick of the Thai numbers. เอ็ด et is from the Chinese word for 'one'. So the Thai numbers from Chinese are: 1 เอ็ด et 2 ยี่ yee/สอง song 3 สาม saam 4 สี่ see 5 ห้า haa 6 หก hok 7 เจ็ด jet 8 แปด paed 9 เก้า kao Thai isn't the only Asian language to borrow its basic numbers from Chinese. Japanese, for instance, does too. The basic Thai number words are borrowed from Chinese. The main exception is ‘one’ หนึ่ง nueng is not Chinese as far as I know.

In the Thai word for ‘twenty’, ยี่สิบ yee-sip, ยี่ yee is from Chinese ‘two’.

The word ‘two’, สอง song, I’ve heard is from a Chinese word meaning ‘pair’.

We also should probably mention เอ็ด et, as in sip-et ‘eleven’. That’s the other trick of the Thai numbers. เอ็ด et is from the Chinese word for ‘one’.

So the Thai numbers from Chinese are:
1 เอ็ด et
2 ยี่ yee/สอง song
3 สาม saam
4 สี่ see
5 ห้า haa
6 หก hok
7 เจ็ด jet
8 แปด paed
9 เก้า kao

Thai isn’t the only Asian language to borrow its basic numbers from Chinese. Japanese, for instance, does too.

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