what's the thai word for it? i tried searching online translations but have gotten so many different translations.

is this a cross religion word in thai?

thanks

I had to Google this one, but the Catholic church in Thailand uses ไฟชำระ, literally "cleansing fire".

Here is an article about "what is purgatory" in Thai.

Here is point 2 from that page, which I've translated back into English (using what feels like Catholic vocabulary to me.. apologies to any actual Catholics for inaccuracies).

2. คำว่า "ไฟชำระ" หมายถึงอะไร?

หมายถึง "การชำระ" (หรือ "การทำให้บริสุทธิ์") ไฟชำระเป็นสถานที่ ที่ซึ่งวิญญาณถูกชำระให้บริสุทธิ์ปราศจากบาปเบา ที่ยังไม่ได้รับการอภัย หรือหนี้ของบาป ที่ได้รับการอภัยแล้ว แต่ยังไม่ได้ชดใช้อย่างครบบริบูรณ์

"ถ้าใครที่ไม่ได้อยู่ในเรา เขาจะถูกตัดเหมือนกิ่งไม้ ปล่อยให้เหี่ยวแห้งอับเฉา และถูกโยนเข้ากองไฟให้เผาไหม้" (John 15:6)

2. What does "purgatory" mean?

It means "cleansing" (or "purification"). Purgatory is a place in which spirits are made pure from venial sins [lit. "light sins"] which have not yet been forgiven, or from the debt of sin that has already been forgiven but has not been fully atoned for.

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:6)

This is definitely not a cross-religion word, which is to say that although ไฟชำระ is plain Thai, non-Catholics wouldn't understand that it referred to a place to which spirits go after death for temporary punishment.

thank you very much for that detailed explanation...and especially the english translation! i wouldn't have been able to understand it otherwise