20 Pali Sanskrit Thai Affixes Revisited

Many years ago, I wrote an article covering 20 of the most common Pali and Sanskrit affixes in Thai. We use affixes all the time in English, and knowing these from Latin or Greek helps us work out the meanings of unfamiliar words. For example, un- in unhealthy acts as an anti- prefix, reversing the meaning. Other affixes appear in everyday words—such as epi- meaning "on top of" or "in addition" in epicentre, epitome, and episode.

I've just revised my old list and included more examples.

One thing to note is that Thai often has two versions of words from the same root—one from Pali and one from Sanskrit. Words beginning with ว in Sanskrit frequently shift to พ in Pali, and Pali tends to have fewer consonant clusters than Sanskrit.

This should be both interesting and useful for learners—once you start recognising these affixes, you'll find that they help expand your vocabulary significantly.

Common Pali and Sanskrit Prefixes in Thai

Each prefix below includes:

• Devanagari (script used for Sanskrit/Pali)
• Romanised Sanskrit/Pali
• Meaning in English
• Thai examples (with Paiboon transcription and English explanations)

1. อติ

Devanagari: अति (ati)
Meaning: great, exceed, beyond

• อติชาติ (a-ti-châat) – Someone of extraordinary or superior birth/nature.
• อติเรก (a-ti-rêk) – Surpassing normal limits, going beyond.

2. อนุ

Devanagari: अनु (anu)
Meaning: minor, less, after, following

• อนุรักษ์ (a-nú-rák) – To conserve, preserve.
• อนุชน (a-nú-chon) – The younger generation, those who come after.

3. อป

Devanagari: अप (apa)
Meaning: separate, parted from

• อัปยศ (àp-pa-yót) – Shame, disgrace.
• อัปมงคล (àp-pa-mong-khon) – Inauspicious, unlucky.

4. อภิ

Devanagari: अभि (abhi)
Meaning: grand, large, especially, particular

• อภิสิทธิ์ (à-pí-sìt) – Privilege, special right.
• อภิปราย (à-pí-praai) – To debate, discuss, or present in detail.

5. อธิ

Devanagari: अधि (adhi)
Meaning: grand, over, large, on top of

• อธิษฐาน (à-tít-thăan) – To pray or focus with strong intent.
• อธิบดี (à-típ-bor-dee) – Director-general, head of a department or ministry.

6. อว

Devanagari: अव (ava)
Meaning: descend, diminish, decrease (de- in English)

• อวกาศ (à-wá-gàat) – Space, literally “diminished atmosphere.”
• อวโลกิเตศวร (à-wá-lo-kí-dtay-sà-won) – Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva of compassion (Sanskrit loan).

7. อา

Devanagari: आ (ā)
Meaning: entire, major, approach, near, secure

• อาจารย์ (aa-jaan) – Teacher (from ācārya in Sanskrit/Pali).
• อาคม (aa-khom) – To approach, come; also used for esoteric spells or magic.

8. อุ

Devanagari: उ (u)
Meaning: rise, increase, outside of

• อุบัติ (ù-bàt) – To arise, occur, happen.
• อุโฆษ (ù-gōht) – To proclaim, announce loudly.

9. อุป

Devanagari: उप (upa)
Meaning: enter, approach, near, subordinate

• อุปสมบท (ùp-pa-som-bòt) – To ordain as a monk.
• อุปราช (ùp-pa-râat) – Viceroy or advisor to a king.

10. ทุ (ทุร / ทร)

Devanagari: दुर् (dur / dus)
Meaning: bad, difficult

• ทุพพลภาพ (túp-phon-lá-phâap) – Weakness, disability (lit. “bad condition of strength”).
• ทรชน (sŏr-ra-chon) – A scoundrel, wicked person.

11. นิ (Sense 1)

Devanagari: नि (ni)
Meaning (Sense 1): enter, descend, diminish

• นิเทศ (ní-thêet) – To explain, supervise, or guide (in educational or official contexts).
• นิปริยาย (ní-pá-rí-yaai) – Directly, without paraphrase.

12. ป (often ประ)

Devanagari: प्र (pra)
Meaning: entire, before, forward (pre- in English)

• ประวัติ (bprà-wàt) – History, record of what has happened.
• ปรากฏ (bpraa-gòt) – To appear, manifest, become known.

13. ปฏิ

Devanagari: प्रति (prati or paṭi)
Meaning: particular, response, relay, inverse

• ปฏิบัติ (bpà-dtì-bàt) – To practice, apply, carry out.
• ปฏิทิน (bpà-dtì-tin) – Calendar (“particular day”).

14. ปริ

Devanagari: परि (pari)
Meaning: around, surrounding, thoroughly, cyclical

• ปริวัตร (bpà-rí-wát) – To revolve, rotate, transpose.
• บริโภค (bor-rí-phôhk) – To consume, eat (from pari + bhuj).

15. วิ

Devanagari: वि (vi)
Meaning: special, distinct, apart, analyse

• วิจิตร (wí-jìt) – Ornate, intricate, beautiful.
• วิจารณ์ (wí-jaan) – To analyse, critique, comment upon.

16. ปรา

Devanagari: प्र (prā / pra)
Meaning: opposite, away (contra- or anti- in English)

• ปราชัย (bpraa-chai) – To be defeated, lose.
• ปราบ (bpraap) – To subdue, quell.

17. นิ (Sense 2)

Devanagari: निः / निर् (niḥ / nir)
Meaning (Sense 2): without, outside of (ex- in English)

• นิรนาม (ní-rá-naam) – Anonymous (“without name”).
• นิรันดร์ (ní-ran) – Eternal, endless (“without end”).

18. สํ

Devanagari: सम् / सं (sam / saṃ)
Meaning: together, with, complete (con-, syn- in English)

• สมาคม (sà-maa-khom) – Association, society (people coming together).
• สัมผัส (săm-phàt) – To touch, come into contact.

19. สุ

Devanagari: सु (su)
Meaning: good, excellent, well (bene- in English)

• สุขภาพ (sù-kà-phâap) – Health (good condition or well-being).
• สุภาพ (sù-phâap) – Polite, courteous.

Here’s the concise summary table for quick reference:

This cheat sheet makes it easy to spot these prefixes when reading or expanding vocabulary.