Places เชียงใหม่ chiang-mài
Chiang Mai name
- chiang mid
- mài low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
Parts: เชียงchiang city (an old Northern word) ใหม่mài new
How to use it
เชียงใหม่chiang-mài means "new city": it was founded in 1296 as the new capital of the Lanna kingdom. The second syllable is ใหม่mài (new), with a low tone, not the question word ไหมmǎi.
People from the North are คนเหนือkon nǔea, and many still speak Northern Thai, คำเมืองkam mueang, at home. Our regional Thai guide has the words you'll hear there.
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:
- chieng mai
- chiang may
- jiang mai
More places in Thai
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones