แห่ง (ลักษณนาม)

Classifier for Places

Level 5

แห่ง counts places or locations. The displayed sentences count universities and branches, identify a historical site, and refer to several unnamed places.

How It Works

แห่ง is a classifier for places or locations. Read what is counted in the complete noun phrase.

1. Count The Places In These Examples
มหาวิทยาลัยสองแห่ง counts two universities. สาขาทั้งหมดห้าแห่ง counts a total of five branches. These sentences use แห่ง with the institutions or locations named; they are not a complete list of nouns that can use it.

2. Notice The Counting Order
โรงเรียนสองแห่ง is the requested two-schools phrase: โรงเรียน + สอง + แห่ง. Compare the counting pattern. โบราณสถานแห่งนี้ identifies this historical site, while หลายแห่ง means several places without naming each one.

3. Compare What A Classifier Counts
หลัง can count a building. The university dictionary illustrates a school compound containing ตึกหลังใหญ่หลังหนึ่ง, one large building. That is a different noun phrase from counting schools as sites; do not turn it into an absolute rule that every physical thing requires หลัง. The linked ที่ entry concerns servings and seats, not a universal replacement for แห่ง.

4. Recognize A Separate Use
แห่ง also has an of sense, as in ธนาคารแห่งประเทศไทย (Bank of Thailand). That use differs from the place classifier. Formality alone does not decide which classifier a noun takes.

Examples (4)

  1. มหาวิทยาลัยสองแห่งประกาศปิดทำการ

    Two universities announced they are closing.

    Word by Word: University two [classifier] announce close operation

    In this formal news context, แห่ง is used to count the universities as institutions.

  2. บริษัทมีสาขาทั้งหมดห้าแห่ง

    The company has a total of five branches.

    Word by Word: Company have branch all five [classifier]

    The example counts สาขา (branches) with ห้าแห่ง, five locations.

  3. โบราณสถานแห่งนี้เก่าแก่มาก

    This historical site is very ancient.

    Word by Word: Historical site [classifier] this ancient very

    แห่งนี้ singles out this historical site. The classifier does not by itself express respect for the site.

  4. เขาท่องเที่ยวไปหลายแห่ง

    He traveled to several places.

    Word by Word: He travel go many [classifier]

    หลายแห่ง means several places or destinations; they do not have to be formal institutions.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong order for the intended count “two schools.”

    โรงเรียนแห่งสอง
    โรงเรียนสองแห่ง

    For the intended count “two schools,” put สอง before แห่ง: โรงเรียนสองแห่ง. This correction concerns that counting phrase, rather than assigning an invented “School of Two” meaning to every reversed sequence.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

แห่ง (ลักษณนาม)Level 5Classifier for Places

Learn This First

To use แห่ง correctly, you must first understand the basic Thai counting structure where a classifier follows the number. Since แห่ง is a formal classifier used for locations and institutions, you should also be familiar with the general concept of classifiers and the difference between spoken and written Thai registers.

Words in This Pattern

แห่ง