Food and drinkHot pot in Thai
“Hot pot” in Thai is สุกี้sù-gîi; the Japanese-style one is ชาบูchaa-buu.
Thai hot pot (suki) noun
- sù low
- gîi falling
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
shabu (Japanese-style hot pot) noun
- chaa mid
- buu mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
How to use it
At a สุกี้sù-gîi restaurant a pot of broth bubbles on the table: you cook meat, seafood, vegetables, egg noodles and an egg in it yourself, then dip everything in a spicy, sour sauce. The chain MK made it a family favourite. Street stalls also sell สุกี้sù-gîi as a one-bowl dish of glass noodles, meat and vegetables, in soup or stir-fried.
ชาบูchaa-buu, from Japanese shabu-shabu, is the same idea, often with a small pot for each diner, and many shabu places are all-you-can-eat.
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:
- suki
- sukee
- suki yaki
- shabu
- chabu
- shabu shabu
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