Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Krung Thep

Krung Thep

1 8.5
Name Thai people use for Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand known for its temples and busy street life
  • proper noun
: Krung Thep
  • Many Thais refer to Bangkok as Krung Thep, which is the city's full native name.

Examples

  • The official documents list the city as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, but it's internationally known as Bangkok.

  • During my travels in Krung Thep, I visited several stunning Buddhist temples.

  • I visited Krung Thep last summer.

  • Have you ever been to Krung Thep?

  • During my travels in Krung Thep, I visited several stunning Buddhist temples.

  • Many Thais refer to Bangkok as Krung Thep, which is the city's full native name.

  • The official documents list the city as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, but it's internationally known as Bangkok.

Synonyms

Bangkok
vsKrung Thep
64 1.0

The capital and largest city of Thailand known for busy streets, markets, and many Buddhist temples

is the Thai name used for the same city

Surface Forms

Krung Thep main

Morphology

Krung + Thep

The headwords are Thai morphemes rather than English words; if a learner actually knew 'Krung' (city) and 'Thep' (deity/angel) they could infer a compositional meaning like 'city of gods/angels' and that it denotes a place. However, recognizing that this specific name refers to Bangkok requires extra cultural/lexical knowledge, so the relation is partly transparent but not fully predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Krung Thep comes from Thai words Krung meaning 'city' and Thep meaning 'angels'. So when people in Thailand call Bangkok Krung Thep, they are calling it the 'City of Angels', a poetic name for the capital.