Thai menus can be intimidating — dish names are long, and English translations are often confusing or missing entirely. But once you learn a few key words, you can decode almost any Thai dish name. Here's your survival guide.
The Building Blocks of Thai Dish Names
Most Thai dish names follow a pattern: Cooking Method + Protein + (Flavor/Style). Learn these and you'll understand 80% of any menu.
Cooking Methods (the first word)
| Thai | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ผัด | Pad / Phat | Stir-fried | Pad Thai, Pad Krapow |
| ต้ม | Tom | Boiled / Soup | Tom Yum, Tom Kha |
| แกง | Kaeng / Gaeng | Curry | Kaeng Kiew Wan (Green Curry) |
| ยำ | Yum | Spicy salad | Yum Som O (Pomelo Salad) |
| ทอด | Tod / Tod | Fried / Deep-fried | Pla Tod (Fried Fish) |
| ปิ้ง/ย่าง | Yaang / Yang | Grilled / Roasted | Gai Yang (Grilled Chicken) |
| นึ่ง | Neung | Steamed | Pla Neung (Steamed Fish) |
Proteins (the second word)
| Thai | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| กุ้ง | Goong / Kung | Shrimp |
| ไก่ | Gai | Chicken |
| หมู | Moo | Pork |
| เนื้อ | Neua / Nua | Beef |
| ปลา | Pla | Fish |
| เป็ด | Pad / Pet | Duck |
| หมึก | Meuk / Mook | Squid |
| เต้าหู้ | Tao Hu | Tofu |
Must-Know Flavor Words
| Thai | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| เผ็ด | Phet | Spicy |
| ไม่เผ็ด | Mai Phet | Not spicy |
| เผ็ดน้อย | Phet Noi | A little spicy |
| หวาน | Waan | Sweet |
| เปรี้ยว | Priao | Sour |
| เค็ม | Khem | Salty |
Key Ingredients
| Thai | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ข้าว | Kao / Khao | Rice |
| เส้น | Sen | Noodles |
| กะเพรา | Krapow / Kaphrao | Holy basil |
| พริก | Prik | Chili |
| กระเทียม | Kratiem | Garlic |
Putting It Together: Decoding a Dish Name
Now let's decode some common dishes:
- ผัดกะเพรา (Pad Krapow) = Stir-fried (ผัด) + Holy basil (กะเพรา) = Stir-fried with holy basil (usually with minced pork)
- ต้มยำกุ้ง (Tom Yum Goong) = Boiled (ต้ม) + spicy-sour (ยำ) + shrimp (กุ้ง) = Spicy sour shrimp soup
- ข้าวผัด (Kao Pad / Khao Phat) = Rice (ข้าว) + stir-fried (ผัด) = Fried rice
- แกงเขียวหวาน (Kaeng Kiew Wan) = Curry (แกง) + green (เขียว) + sweet (หวาน) = Sweet green curry
Pro Tip: Use Nara Menu
Instead of memorizing all these words, use Nara Menu — our AI-powered menu translation tool. Restaurants that use Nara Menu have menus already translated into English and Chinese, with full descriptions of each dish. Look for the Nara Menu QR code at participating restaurants, or get your restaurant set up with multilingual menus.