Lemongrass in Thai

“Lemongrass” in Thai is ตะไคร้dtà-krái.

ตะไคร้ dtà-krái

lemongrass noun

  • dtà low
  • krái high
  • Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
  • High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.

How to use it

The stalks are bruised and simmered in tom yum and tom kha, or pounded into curry pastes; Thais leave the woody pieces in the bowl. Sliced paper-thin, lemongrass is also tossed raw into salads, and boiled with pandan and sugar it makes a cooling drink, น้ำตะไคร้náam dtà-krái.

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:

  • takrai
  • ta krai
  • ta khrai
  • ta-krai

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
  • ส้มตำ sôm-dtam Papaya salad

    papaya salad, som tam

  • ก๋วยเตี๋ยว gǔay-dtǐaw Noodles

    noodle soup

  • ข้าวซอย kâao-sawy Khao soi

    khao soi (Chiang Mai's curry noodle soup)

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