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Pronunciation
How to Pronounce Thai Dish Names
Reading “Tom Yum Goong” and saying it are two different things. Here’s how to hit the sounds – and hear them for yourself.
Thai is a tonal language – the same syllable with a different pitch is a different word. That sounds hard, but to order you only need to be roughly right. Waiters are used to travellers and meet you halfway. A few landmarks go a long way.
Five you’ll need constantly
- Pad Thai – “padd thai” (not “pod”). Stir-fried noodles.
- Tom Yum – “tom yam”. The hot-and-sour soup; add “Goong” (prawn) for Tom Yum Goong.
- Massaman – “mat-sa-man”. A mild, rich curry with peanuts and potato.
- Som Tam – “som tam”. Green papaya salad.
- Khao Pad – “kow padd”. Fried rice.
The reliable way
Written phonetics only get you so far – you need to hear the word. In the Mol Thaifood app, every dish has a tappable Thai name. Open the dish, play the pronunciation, repeat it once, order. It’s the fastest pronunciation trainer you’ll find, and it covers all 245+ dishes – not just the five famous ones.
Kids love this part: hand them the phone and let them play the dish names – by the second night they’ll order their own food in Thai.
Get the sound roughly right, and you’ll notice the difference in how you’re treated. A little effort with the language is the warmest thing a guest can bring.
Every dish, ready to hear. Free, works offline, 245+ dishes in six languages.
