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NOTE: I know I said the words only once cuz there are many to get through, but you can press the back arrow to replay the last 5 seconds to hear them again! Or on mobile, tap the left side of the screen twice to replay the last 10 seconds.
How do you say "vegetarian" in Thai? What about "I'm allergic to peanuts." Or "Not spicy" or just "Can I have some ice/coffee/beer"?
Thai food terms will help you not only in Thailand, but also when you read a Thai menu in Thai restaurants! Knowing these words will allow you to know about the dish based simply on the name.
Make sure you check out PART 1 of this series so you know the basics of Thai language before you dive into this one, it will help you with pronunciation and understanding. Also check out PART 2 where I teach you phrases for using in a restaurant, or when buying food from a street vendor.
Please see my Thai Language Basics video first and it'll make this lesson make more sense!
MEATS:
Chicken gai ไก่
Pork moo หมู
Beef neua เนื้อ
Duck bped เป็ด
Eggs kai ไข่
SEAFOOD:
Shrimp goong, gung, kung กุ้ง
Fish pla, bpla ปลา
Seafood ahaan talay อาหารทะเล (when used as a noun, as in "I want some seafood");
talay ทะเล (when used as an adjective, as in "seafood soup")
Squid pla meuk ปลาหมึก
Bivalve shellfish hoi หอย
(This is a general term for things like mussels, clams, oysters, scallops and cockles)
PLANTS:
Tofu taohu เต้าหู้
Vegetables pak ผัก
Nuts tua ถั่ว
(can also refer to all legumes such as beans)
Peanuts tualisong ถั่วลิสง
Cashews med mamuang himapan เม็ดมะม่วงหิมพานต์ (or just med mamuang for short)
Vegetarian mangsawirat มังสวิรัติ
(general term, some people who eat mangsawirat eat eggs, some eat dairy, some are basically vegan, so the term itself isn't specific, but there will definitely be no meat if you get something that is mangsawirat)
Vegan Jay เจ
(this doesn't actually mean vegan, it's a specific way of eating that means no animal products and also pungent herbs like garlic, onion or chives. But if you're very concerned and want to make sure there is absolutely nothing in there that might be animal based, this might be a good term to use.)
COOKING METHODS (TYPES OF DISH):
Stir-Fry Pad ผัด
Soup Tom ต้ม
Curry Gaeng แกง
Steamed Neung นึ่ง
Deep fried Tod ทอด
Grilled (big pieces of meat) Yang ย่าง
Grilled (skewers or smaller things like bananas) Ping ปิ้ง
SPICY TERMS:
Chilies prik พริก
Spicy ped เผ็ด
Very spicy ped ped เผ็ดๆ or ped mak เผ็ดมาก
A little bit spicy ped nid noi เผ็ดนิดหน่อย
Not spicy mai ped ไม่เผ็ด
DRINKS:
Water nam plao นำ้เปล่า
Ice nam kang นำ้แข็ง
Coffee gafae กาแฟ
Tea Cha/nam cha ชา / นำ้ชา
Iced drinks Yen เย็น
(so gafae yen is iced coffee)
Hot Ron ร้อน
Beer Bia เบียร์
OTHER USEFUL TERMS:
To ask for something Kaw ขอ
Sentence structure: Kaw [the thing you're asking for] [polite suffix]
E.g. Kaw nam plao ka (can I have a water please); or add an amount Kaw nam kang 3 krub (3 glasses of ice please)
You can also use the same word to request your dish to be made in a specific way
E.g. Kaw ped ped ka (make it very spicy please)
Please don’t add Mai sai ไม่ใส่
Sentence structure: Mai sai [the thing you don't want] [polite suffix]
E.g. Mai sai kai krub (no eggs please), mai sai prik ka (no chilies please)
Allergic pae แพ้
I am allergic to ...
chun pae ฉันแพ้ ... (female speaker)
pom pae ผมแพ้ ... (male speaker)
**If you want a Thai writing that says "I'm allergic to _____" so you can show people in Thailand, feel free to copy/paste the above "I'm allergic to" followed by any of the food items listed here.
I'm allergic to nuts
Chun pae tua ฉันแพ้ถั่ว (female)
Pom pae tua ผมแพ้ถั่ว (male)
I'm allergic to shrimp
Chun pae goong ฉันแพ้กุ้ง
Pom pae goong ผมแพ้กุ้ง
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