Animals ฉลาม chà-lǎam
shark noun
- chà low
- lǎam rising
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
Classifier: ตัวdtua · counting word for animals, clothes, tables and chairs
How to use it
Thais say ฉลามchà-lǎam or ปลาฉลามbplaa chà-lǎam, "shark fish". The sharks snorkellers meet in Thailand are mostly small blacktip reef sharks, harmless if left alone, and divers hope for the giant whale shark, ฉลามวาฬchà-lǎam waan. Shark fin soup, a Chinese banquet dish, is หูฉลามhǔu chà-lǎam, "shark's ear".
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:
- chalam
- cha lam
- pla chalam
More animals in Thai
All animals
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones