How to say To destroy in Thai
To destroy in Thai is ทำลาย (tham-laai)
ทำลาย
tham-laai
To destroy; To ruin
Tap the word to hear it. That's real premium audio from the HearThai Academy library — the same audio the app teaches with.
Why ทำลาย sounds the way it does
Thai tone isn't random — it's produced by four things working together in each syllable: the initial consonant's class, the vowel's length, whether the syllable ends live or dead, and any tone mark. Read the row, get the tone.
| Syllable | Class | Vowel | Ending | Mark | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ทำ | LOW | LONG | LIVE | — | MID |
| ลาย | LOW | LONG | LIVE | — | MID |
ทำลาย in a sentence
พายุทำลายบ้านหลายหลัง
The storm destroyed many houses.
Common questions
How do you say to destroy in Thai?
To destroy in Thai is ทำลาย, pronounced tham-laai. Play the audio above to hear it spoken by a premium Thai voice — the tones are the part that spelling can't teach you.
What tones does ทำลาย use?
ทำลาย has 2 syllables: ทำ (tham) is mid tone, ลาย (laai) is mid tone.
Is the romanization tham-laai enough to pronounce it?
No — and this is the trap most learners fall into. Romanization shows you the letters, not the pitch shape your voice has to make. Thai speakers hear the tone first. Use the spelling to recognize the word, and use the audio to learn it.
The short version
- ทำลาย (tham-laai) means to destroy.
- It has 2 syllables, carrying the mid, mid tones.
- Its tone comes from the consonant class, vowel length, live/dead ending and tone mark — not from memorizing it word by word.
- Reading the romanization is not the same as hearing it. Play the clip until you can say it back without looking.
- One word is a start. Thai fluency is an ear that recognizes thousands — which is what HearThai Academy trains.
That's one word.
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