Food and drinktom yum (hot and sour soup) noun
- dtôm falling
- yam mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
Classifier: ชามchaam · bowl; counting word for bowls
How to use it
A hot and sour broth flavoured with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce and chilli. It comes clear, น้ำใสnáam sǎi, or creamy, น้ำข้นnáam kôn, with milk or coconut milk stirred in. The herbs are there for flavour: Thais leave the woody pieces at the side of the bowl.
The shrimp version, ต้มยำกุ้งdtôm-yam gûng, was added to UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2024.
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:
- tom yum
- tom yam
- tom yum goong
- tom yum kung
- tomyum
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