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VerbsFeelings

Kiss in Thai

“Kiss” in Thai is จูบjùup; you'll also hear หอมhǎwm (kiss on the cheek).

จูบ jùup

to kiss (on the lips); a kiss verb

  • jùup low
  • Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
หอม hǎwm

to kiss Thai-style (a sniff-kiss on the cheek); fragrant adjective

  • hǎwm rising
  • Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”

You'll hear หอมhǎwm in Lao Duang Duean (ลาวดวงเดือน).

How to use it

จูบjùup is a kiss on the lips, a word for couples and films. The everyday family kiss is หอมhǎwm: you press your nose to someone's cheek and breathe in, the way parents and grandparents kiss children. It's the same word as "fragrant", so หอมแก้มhǎwm gâem, a kiss on the cheek, is literally "smell the cheek".

Kissing in public is frowned upon in Thailand.

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:

  • joob
  • jub
  • hom
  • hom kaem

More verbs in Thai

All verbs
  • เป็น bpen Be

    to be (a nationality, a job, a role)

  • มี mii Have

    to have

  • ไป bpai Go

    to go

  • มา maa Come

    to come

  • กิน gin Eat

    to eat

  • ดื่ม dùuem Drink

    to drink

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones