Khûen & long (ขึ้น & ลง)

ขึ้น and ลง are the ordinary words for up and down, and Thai hangs them off other words to do two quite different jobs. Stuck on an adjective they mean more or less than before — ดีขึ้น is getting better, นอนน้อยลง is sleeping less than you used to. After a verb about thinking or feeling, ขึ้นมา says the thought arrived on its own: นึกขึ้นมาได้ is it suddenly coming back to you. Nothing moves upward in either case.

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1 นอนsleeping…
ช่วงนี้เขานอนน้อยลง
chûang-níi khǎo nawn nói long
He's been sleeping less lately.
ช่วง/ chûang=periodนี้/ níi=thisเขา/ khǎo=he/she/theyนอน/ nawn=sleepน้อย/ nói=littleลง/ long=(down)
ขึ้น = going up, ลง = going down, and Thai attaches them to the adjective to mean 'more' or 'less' over time. น้อยลง is 'less than before', not simply 'little'.
2 ภาษาไทยThai…
ภาษาไทยของเขาดีขึ้นมากครับ
phaa-sǎa thai khǎwng khǎo dii khûen mâak khráp
Her Thai is getting a lot better.
ภาษาไทย/ phaa-sǎa thai=Thaiของเขา/ khǎwng khǎo=herดี/ dii=goodขึ้น/ khûen=more ("up")มาก/ mâak=veryครับ/ khráp=polite(m)
3 นึกremember…
นึกขึ้นมาได้ค่ะ
núek khûen maa dâi khâ
Oh, it's come back to me — I remember now.
นึก/ núek=think ofขึ้น/ khûen=upมา/ maa=("come")ได้/ dâi=canค่ะ/ khâ=polite(f)
ขึ้นมา after a verb about thinking or feeling says the thought turned up on its own — it just came to you. Nothing physically goes up.
4 คิดcome up with…
คิดขึ้นมาได้ยังไงคะ
khít khûen maa dâi yang-ngai khá
How did you come up with that?
คิด/ khít=thinkขึ้น/ khûen=upมา/ maa=("come")ได้/ dâi=canยังไง/ yang-ngai=howคะ/ khá=polite(f)
คิดขึ้นมา is 'come up with': the idea arrived. ได้ยังไง asks how it was managed.
5 ไม่ดีbad…
รู้สึกไม่ดีขึ้นมาเฉยๆ
rúu-sùek mâi dii khûen maa chǒei-chǒei
A bad feeling came over me suddenly, for no reason.
รู้สึก/ rúu-sùek=feelไม่/ mâi=notดี/ dii=goodขึ้น/ khûen=upมา/ maa=("come")เฉยๆ/ chǒei-chǒei=for no reason
ขึ้นมา works for feelings too: one rose up on its own. เฉยๆ at the end is 'for no reason'.