Food and drink ชานมไข่มุก chaa-nom kài-múk
bubble tea, pearl milk tea noun
- chaa mid
- nom mid
- kài low
- múk 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: ชานมchaa-nom milk tea ไข่มุกkài-múk pearl
How to use it
ชานมไข่มุกchaa-nom kài-múk is "milk tea with pearls", the chewy tapioca balls; ไข่มุกkài-múk is the same word as the pearls of a necklace. Bubble tea shops let you choose the sweetness: หวานน้อยwǎan náwy, less sweet, or ไม่หวานmâi wǎan, no sugar, and the classic Thai base is orange iced tea, ชาเย็นchaa yen.
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:
- cha nom khai muk
- chanom kai mook
- cha kai muk
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