หล่อน (lon) in Thai: the “she” of novels

Lon, หล่อนlàwn, is “she” in Thai novels and old films; said out loud today, it sounds dated and often catty.

หล่อน làwn

she, her (in novels; old-fashioned) pronoun literary

làwn low

Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.

How to use it

หล่อนlàwn is "she" in novels and short stories, especially older ones, and in old films and translated subtitles. Said out loud today it sounds dated and often condescending, even catty, above all when it's aimed at a woman as "you". Leave it to books.

To talk about a woman, Thais say เขาkǎo (he, she) or use her name or nickname; in stories and songs you'll also hear เธอtoe.

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:

lon
lorn
hlon

More formal words in Thai

All formal words

การ gaan Kaan (prefix)
-ing, -tion: turns a verb into a noun (the act of …)
ความ kwaam Kwaam (prefix)
-ness (turns a verb or adjective into a noun)
ผู้ pûu Phu (prefix)
person (who …): makes words for people, like -er
นัก nák Nak (prefix)
-er, -ist: someone who does it (as a job or a passion)
ซึ่ง sûeng Who, which (formal)
which, who (adds information; formal, written)
เมื่อ mûea When (formal)
when, once (formal)

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