Culture and festivalsOr jao: the old Thai “you” from Love Destiny
Or jao, ออเจ้าaw-jâo, is an old Thai word for “you” from the Ayutthaya era, which the 2018 drama Love Destiny made a nationwide catchphrase.
you (old word, Ayutthaya era) pronoun
- aw mid
- jâo falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
You'll hear it in Oh, My Dear (ออเจ้าเอย).
How to use it
ออเจ้าaw-jâo is how people of the old Ayutthaya kingdom said "you" to an equal or to someone younger or lower in rank. In Love Destiny, บุพเพสันนิวาสbùp-pee-sǎn-ní-wâat, the hero calls the heroine ออเจ้าaw-jâo, and in 2018 the whole country picked it up: friends teased each other with it, and brands put it in their ads. Today it's said for fun, in period costume or to sound sweetly old-fashioned. Everyday Thai says คุณkun, or เธอtoe to someone close.
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:
- or jao
- orjao
- ao jao
- aojaow
- or jaow
- o jao
Read more
- Song Oh, My Dear (ออเจ้าเอย) A love song from Love Destiny (2018), the Ayutthaya-era drama that had all of Thailand saying aw-jao (or jao), the old word for 'you' this song is built around. A man longs for the woman he loves and fears losing her, in the courtly Thai of a period drama. Learn the catchword, a formal way to ask a question, and everyday words like afraid, far, smile and sad.
- Guide Learn Thai with Thai dramas: the words you hear in every series P'Win, na, gu and mueng: the Thai you hear in every BL series and lakorn, what it really means and what not to copy, plus how to learn Thai from dramas.
More culture and festivals in Thai
All culture and festivals- เพลงชาติ pleeng-châat National anthem in Thai
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones