Food and drinkKhanom jeen in Thai
Khanom jeen, ขนมจีนkà-nǒm-jiin, are soft, fresh rice noodles eaten with curry.
khanom jeen (soft fermented rice noodles) noun
- kà low
- nǒm rising
- jiin mid
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
How to use it
Thin, slightly sour rice noodles, sold in little coiled nests and eaten at room temperature with a curry ladled on top: fish curry น้ำยาnáam-yaa, green curry or, in the North, the tomato and pork broth น้ำเงี้ยวnáam-ngíaw. A free basket of fresh herbs, beans and pickles comes with it.
Despite the name, it's neither a sweet, ขนมkà-nǒm, nor Chinese, จีนjiin: the name is thought to come from the Mon language, where it means "cooked noodles".
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:
- khanom jeen
- kanom jeen
- khanom chin
- kanom chin
- ka nom jeen
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