Equative comparisons (เท่า)

To state that two things are equal in size, amount, or degree, you will use the words เท่า and เท่ากับ.

As... as (เท่า)

When you want to say that two things share the same degree of a certain quality (like being equally big, expensive, or tall), use เท่า.

Structure: Noun A + Stative Verb (Adjective) + เท่า + Noun B

Equal to (เท่ากับ)

If you are comparing an exact quantity, measurement, or concept rather than an adjective, use เท่ากับ (equal to). This is commonly used with nouns like a person's น้ำหนัก (weight) or an object's ขนาด (size).

Structure: Noun A + เท่ากับ + Noun B

Measuring Clothing and Dimensions

You can use เท่ากับ to describe precise measurements, such as when shopping for clothes. Simply state the body part or dimension—like the เอว (waist) or อก (chest)—followed by เท่ากับ and the numerical measurement in นิ้ว (inches).

Height and Exact Fits

Earlier you saw the adjective สูง (tall) used with เท่า. If you want to talk about someone's literal "height" as a noun, use ความสูง. You can then state what it is equal to in เมตร (meters).

If you want to emphasize that a measurement is an exact match, or that a piece of clothing is a perfect fit, add the word พอดี (exactly / just right) to the end of your sentence.

Putting it together

Notice how adjectives use เท่า while nouns and exact measurements use เท่ากับ. You can easily combine both concepts to be highly descriptive: