Food and drink
banana noun
- glûay falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
Classifier: ลูกlûuk · counting word for fruit and round things
One banana is กล้วยลูกหนึ่งglûay lûuk nùeng, but at the market they're sold by the bunch, a หวีwǐi.
Taught in Unit 9 · Lesson 1: Fruit and colours of the free course.
Practise it freeHow to use it
Thailand grows dozens of kinds of banana, and you'll see them grilled as กล้วยปิ้งglûay bpîng, fried as กล้วยทอดglûay tâwt and in desserts. The leaves wrap food at every market, and Loy Krathong floats are made from the trunk and leaves.
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:
- kluay
- kluai
- gloo-ay
- klauy
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
Learn this word in Unit 9, free
Unit 9 · At the market · Fruit and colours. Short lessons with audio for every word, speaking practice and spaced review. No sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones