Culture and festivalsa layperson (what monks call lay people) noun
- yoom mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
Classifier: คนkon · person, people
You'll hear it in Dod Di Dong (โดดดิด่ง).
How to use it
โยมyoom is what a Buddhist monk calls anyone who isn't ordained, both when he speaks to them and about them: โยมมาจากไหนyoom maa jàak nǎi, where have you come from? A monk calls his own parents โยมพ่อyoom pâw and โยมแม่yoom mâe. The formal word for a layperson is ฆราวาสká-raa-wâat. People speak to an older monk as หลวงพ่อlǔang-pâw, "venerable father".
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:
- yome
- yoam
Read more
- Song Dod Di Dong (โดดดิด่ง) The idol group's first song in Isan, from the film Thai Baan x BNK48, in which the Bangkok idols go to an Isan village to learn the music. Sung entirely in Isan, it paints a village merit fair: dancing in the midday sun, the twang of the phin lute, everyone pitching in. By 2026 it had more views than any other video on BNK48's channel, and its lines teach Isan's sound changes and its everyday words for calling, running, dancing and having fun.
Culture Monks and Merit in Thailand: Tak Bat and How to Behave How Thais make merit, how to give alms to monks at dawn, the rules around monks (especially for women), and the words you'll hear.
More culture and festivals in Thai
All culture and festivals- เพลงชาติ pleeng-châat National anthem in Thai
Learn Thai with the free course
A complete course from your first phrase to real conversations, with audio for every word and AI speaking practice. Free, no sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones