Food and drink กะทิ gà-tí
coconut milk, coconut cream noun
- gà low
- tí 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.
How to use it
The rich white milk squeezed from grated coconut flesh, not the clear water inside a young coconut, which is น้ำมะพร้าวnáam má-práao. Markets grate and press it fresh on machines. It goes into green curry, massaman, tom kha and countless desserts, and salted coconut cream is poured over mango sticky rice.
Both syllables are short: a low gà and a high tí.
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:
- kati
- kathi
- ka tee
More food and drink in Thai
All food and drink- ข้าว kâao Rice
- ข้าวเหนียว kâao-nǐaw Sticky rice
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones