Food and drink
Colours
orange (the fruit and the colour) noun
- sôm falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
Classifier: ลูกlûuk · counting word for fruit and round things
How to use it
ส้มsôm is the fruit, and with สีsǐi, colour, it's the colour: สีส้มsǐi sôm. Thai oranges are mostly thin-skinned tangerines, often still green outside when they're ripe.
Freshly squeezed orange juice is น้ำส้มคั้นnáam sôm kán. At a noodle stall, though, น้ำส้มnáam-sôm is the chilli vinegar on the table. ส้มsôm also means sour in older words, which is why papaya salad is ส้มตำsôm-dtam, "pounded sour".
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:
- sohm
- sawm
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
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones