Food and drink น้ำส้มสายชู náam-sôm-sǎai-chuu
vinegar noun
- náam high
- sôm falling
- sǎai rising
- chuu mid
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
How to use it
On a noodle stall's condiment set, the jar of sliced chillies in vinegar is พริกน้ำส้มprík náam-sôm, and people just call it น้ำส้มnáam-sôm. Since that's also orange juice, context tells you which one you're getting.
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:
- nam som sai chu
- nam som saichu
- nam som
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