PeopleChef in Thai
A cook or chef in Thai is พ่อครัวpâw-krua for a man and แม่ครัวmâe-krua for a woman.
cook, chef (a man) noun
- pâw falling
- krua mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
Classifier: คนkon · person, people
cook, chef (a woman) noun
- mâe falling
- krua mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
How to use it
In a Thai kitchen the cook is the "kitchen father" or "kitchen mother", พ่อครัวpâw-krua or แม่ครัวmâe-krua. Hotels and upmarket restaurants borrow the English word chef.
At a street stall the cook is often the owner too: call her ป้าbpâa or พี่pîi, and to compliment the cooking say อร่อยมากà-ràwy mâak.
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:
- pho khrua
- por krua
- mae khrua
More people in Thai
All people
Learn Thai with the free course
A complete course from your first phrase to real conversations, with audio for every word and AI speaking practice. Free, no sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones