Food and drink มะละกอ má-lá-gaw
papaya noun
- má high
- lá high
- gaw mid
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
Classifier: ลูกlûuk · counting word for fruit and round things
How to use it
Ripe orange papaya, มะละกอสุกmá-lá-gaw sùk, is a breakfast fruit, often with a squeeze of lime. Hard green papaya, มะละกอดิบmá-lá-gaw dìp, is used as a vegetable: shredded and pounded, it becomes ส้มตำsôm-dtam, whose name doesn't even mention the papaya.
Say it má-lá-gaw: two quick high syllables, then a flat gaw.
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:
- malako
- ma la ko
- malakor
- malakaw
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