Food and drink ใบมะกรูด bai-má-grùut
kaffir lime leaves noun
- bai mid
- má high
- grùut low
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
Parts: ใบbai leaf มะกรูดmá-grùut kaffir lime
How to use it
The glossy double leaves are torn into tom yum and curries, shredded very fine over panang curry, and mixed into fish cakes. The knobbly fruit, มะกรูดmá-grùut, is too sour to eat; its zest goes into curry pastes, and it was traditionally used to wash hair.
Many cookbooks now say makrut lime, because kaffir is a slur in South Africa.
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:
- bai makrut
- bai ma krut
- bai magrood
- makrut
- ma krut
- magrut
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