กัน
Each Other
The particle กัน (kan) is placed after a verb to show that two or more people are doing something together or to each other.
How It Works
กัน can present an action as shared, the same across participants, or directed toward one another. The relevant meaning involves at least two participants, but context can help identify them.
1. Find The Participants
เราเจอกันที่ห้าง describes a meeting at the mall. เด็กๆ ร้องไห้กัน presents crying across the group of children. The words do not state that everyone begins at exactly the same instant. In ช่วยกันทำงาน, กัน follows ช่วย within the longer action phrase. Learn that displayed order rather than assuming a single position for all serial verb constructions.
2. Read The Whole Relationship Expression
เราเป็นแฟนกัน describes the two as a couple. สองคนนี้หน้าตาเหมือนกัน compares the appearance of the two people. Expressions such as เหมือนกัน have their own whole meanings; do not assign every phrase ending in กัน the English translation each other.
3. Compare The Selected Cards
For “We love each other,” the first card selects เรารักกัน. The isolated ฉันรักกัน does not supply the mutual participants in that intended reading. This does not prohibit every singular grammatical subject: other sentences or contexts can supply additional participants. For “I am going too,” the second card selects ผมไปเหมือนกัน, where เหมือนกัน supplies the additive meaning.
4. Compare Complete Shared-Action Phrases
Read ด้วยกัน, กันและกัน, and an invitation with เถอะ in their own examples. Their use depends on the full phrase, not a fixed ranking of formality, romance, or intensity. กับ can introduce another named participant; it is a different construction from กัน following an action phrase.
5. Recognize Other Words With The Same Spelling
The dictionary separately records กัน meaning prevent or set aside, and a familiar first-person pronoun กัน. Those are different senses from the shared-action use here. Choose the sense from the complete sentence; the spelling alone does not decide it.
Examples (5)
- เราเป็นแฟนกัน
We are a couple.
Word by Word: We be boyfriend/girlfriend each-other
Using กัน here defines the mutual relationship status between two people.
- ช่วยกันทำงาน
Help each other work.
Word by Word: Help each-other work
In this serial verb construction, กัน shows that the act of helping is shared among the group.
- สองคนนี้หน้าตาเหมือนกัน
These two people look the same.
Word by Word: Two person this face same each-other
กัน is used here to show a comparative relationship between two subjects.
- เด็กๆ ร้องไห้กัน
The children are all crying.
Word by Word: Children cry [plural-marker]
Here, กัน presents crying as an action across the group of children. It does not by itself require every child to start crying at exactly the same time.
- เราเจอกันที่ห้าง
We met each other at the mall.
Word by Word: We meet each-other at mall
กัน indicates a mutual meeting rather than one person just seeing another.
Common Mistakes
Using “kan” for an intended mutual action that names only one participant.
ฉันรักกันเรารักกันFor the intended meaning “We love each other,” กัน needs two or more participants. The isolated example with just “I” (ฉัน) does not establish that mutual reading. Other constructions can supply shared participants elsewhere or through context; this is not a ban on every singular grammatical subject.
Using “kan” alone for the intended meaning “I am going too.”
ผมไปกันผมไปเหมือนกันFor “I am going too,” use เหมือนกัน, which can mean “too” or “likewise.” Using กัน alone links a shared or group action, so the isolated incorrect example does not express this intended additive meaning.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'กัน' (each other), you need to know basic Thai sentence structure and how to form plural subjects, as the action must be shared between two or more people. Familiarity with 'เหมือนกัน' also helps in recognizing 'กัน' as a marker of shared state or action.
- พวก + PronounMaking a Pronoun Plural
Since 'กัน' indicates a mutual or shared action, it requires a plural subject, which is often formed using 'พวก'.
Level 1 - เหมือนกันThe Same and Me Too
This pattern introduces the concept of 'กัน' in the context of similarity ('the same'), providing a conceptual bridge to its use as a reciprocal marker ('each other').
Level 2
Related Patterns
- ด้วยกันTogether
ด้วยกัน expresses doing something together or accompanying others. It overlaps with กัน in some collective contexts, but it does not replace every use.
Level 2 - ซึ่งกันและกันOne Another
Compare กันและกัน in complete reciprocal phrases; the form alone does not establish romance or a fixed degree of emphasis.
Level 4 - เถอะCome on — Let Us
Compare a shared invitation such as ไปกันเถอะ with the other uses of กัน.
Level 3 - ๆThe Repetition Mark
The repetition mark can make a noun plural, while กัน can present an action across that group. The two forms have different roles.
Foundations
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice กัน in Bubblegum
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