Food and drinkeggplant, aubergine noun
- má high
- kǔea rising
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
Classifier: ลูกlûuk · counting word for fruit and round things
How to use it
Thai eggplants come in many shapes. The small, round green มะเขือเปราะmá-kǔea-bpràw is crunchy and goes into green curry or is eaten raw with chilli dip; tiny, bitter pea eggplants, มะเขือพวงmá-kǔea-puang, grow in bunches; long green or purple มะเขือยาวmá-kǔea yaao is grilled for salads.
The tomato is a "foreign eggplant", มะเขือเทศmá-kǔea-têet.
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:
- makhuea
- makua
- makheua
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