ขี้ + Adjective

Prone to Being

Level 3

Learn complete ขี้ words in these examples: ขี้อาย, ขี้บ่น, ขี้อ้อน, ขี้ลืม, and ขี้เหล้า. Their meanings and tone of evaluation depend on the word and context.

How It Works

Learn Whole Words
The Royal Society dictionary describes ขี้ before words for unfavorable qualities or tendencies. Its examples include ขี้เกียจ and ขี้ลืม; it does not classify every ขี้ word as an insult. The university dictionary separately defines ขี้อาย as shy and ขี้ลืม as forgetful.

Read The Complete Examples
In the stranger example, ขี้อาย describes shyness, and ไม่กล้าพูดกับคนแปลกหน้า supplies the reluctance to talk. The complaining example uses ขี้บ่น in a rebuke. In the cat example, ขี้อ้อน is followed by ชอบมาคลอเคลียตลอด, describing the cat repeatedly coming to snuggle; the selected English conveys affection-seeking in that setting. The brother example combines ขี้ลืม with leaving keys behind. The final example uses ขี้เหล้า for heavy drinking and separately states that the man refuses to work. It does not establish a medical diagnosis or a cause for his refusal.

Traits And Evaluation
The whole word and surrounding sentence determine what is being described and how it is evaluated. Learn each compound rather than attaching ขี้ to any word or assuming that the description proves an inborn personality.

Keep The Spellings Distinct
The practice word meaning lazy is ขี้เกียจ. ขี่เกียจ does not reproduce that word. ขี่ belongs to the separate word meaning ride; the card checks spelling without claiming to have heard the learner pronounce it.

Examples (5)

  1. เขาเป็นคนขี้อายมาก ไม่กล้าพูดกับคนแปลกหน้า

    He is a very shy person; he doesn't dare talk to strangers.

    Word by Word: He is person prone-to-shy very, not dare speak with person strange-face

    ขี้อาย describes him as shy in this statement. It does not establish that shyness is an inborn trait or a flaw.

  2. อย่าขี้บ่นนักเลย ไม่มีใครอยากฟัง

    Don't be such a complainer; nobody wants to listen.

    Word by Word: Do-not prone-to-complain much [particle], not have anyone want listen

    ขี้บ่น describes complaining in this rebuke. ไม่มีใครอยากฟัง gives the speaker’s stated reason for telling the person to stop.

  3. แมวตัวนี้ขี้อ้อนมาก ชอบมาคลอเคลียตลอด

    This cat is very affectionate; it always likes to come and snuggle.

    Word by Word: Cat [classifier] this prone-to-plead very, like come snuggle always

    The cat is described with ขี้อ้อน and with repeatedly coming to snuggle. “Affectionate” is the selected English reading for this pet example, rather than a fixed affectionate tone for every use of the compound.

  4. พี่ชายของฉันขี้ลืมมาก ชอบวางกุญแจทิ้งไว้

    My older brother is very forgetful; he often leaves his keys behind.

    Word by Word: Older-brother of I prone-to-forget very, like place key leave [particle]

    'ขี้ลืม' (khîi-luem) describes the habit of forgetting things frequently.

  5. ลุงคนนั้นเป็นคนขี้เหล้า ไม่ยอมทำงานเลย

    That uncle drinks heavily; he refuses to work at all.

    Word by Word: Uncle [classifier] that is person prone-to-alcohol, not willing to work at-all

    ขี้เหล้า describes heavy drinking in this statement. The words do not establish a medical diagnosis or prove why he refuses to work.

Common Mistakes

  • Keep The Spelling ขี้เกียจ.

    เขาขี่เกียจมาก
    เขาขี้เกียจมาก

    For the complete word meaning lazy in this card, write ขี้เกียจ, with ขี้. ขี่เกียจ does not reproduce that word. The separate word ขี่ means ride.

How It Connects

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

ขี้ + AdjectiveLevel 3Prone to Being

Learn This First

To understand the 'ขี้ + Adjective' pattern, learners should already be comfortable with how adjectives function in Thai (following nouns and acting as verbs). It is also helpful to understand the concept of prefixes that modify the meaning of a base adjective, similar to how 'ความ' creates abstract nouns.

Words in This Pattern

ขี้ขี้-