Describing things หอม hǎwm
fragrant; to give a sniff-kiss adjective
- hǎwm rising
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
You'll hear it in Lao Duang Duean (ลาวดวงเดือน).
How to use it
หอมhǎwm is any good smell: flowers, fresh rice, clean laundry, grilled pork at a street stall. Thai jasmine rice is ข้าวหอมมะลิkâao hǎwm má-lí, "fragrant jasmine rice". It's also the Thai sniff kiss, a gentle sniff on the cheek for children and loved ones: หอมแก้มhǎwm gâem. A bad smell is เหม็นměn.
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:
- hom
- horm
More describing things in Thai
All describing things
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones