Food and drink หน่อไม้ nàw-máai
bamboo shoots noun
- nàw low
- máai high
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
Parts: หน่อnàw shoot, sprout ไม้máai wood, plant
How to use it
Fresh shoots appear in markets in the rainy season. They go into red curry and soups, and into the Isan salad ซุปหน่อไม้súp nàw-máai: shredded shoots with herbs, chilli and pla ra, not a soup at all.
Bamboo itself is ไผ่pài.
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- nor mai
- no mai
- naw mai
- normai
- nomai
More food and drink in Thai
All food and drink- ข้าว kâao Rice
- ข้าวเหนียว kâao-nǐaw Sticky rice
- ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง kâao-nǐaw má-mûang Mango sticky rice
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones