Lao Duang Duean (ลาวดวงเดือน): meaning and key lines
Prince Phen Phatthanaphong, Krom Muen Phichai Mahinthrodomพระองค์เจ้าเพ็ญพัฒนพงศ์ กรมหมื่นพิไชยมหินทโรดม
What the song is about
ลาวดวงเดือนlaao duang-duean, “Lao Duang Duean (The Moon Song)”, is a classic Thai song by Prince Phen Phatthanaphong, Krom Muen Phichai Mahinthrodom. The best-loved classical Thai love song, more than a hundred years old and still sung at concerts, school contests and TV shows. Its Lao-flavoured words and poetic style show learners an older, more elegant layer of Thai, alongside everyday phrases such as 'it's late' and 'I worry about you'.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Prince Phen Phatthanaphong, Krom Muen Phichai Mahinthrodom (words and music)
- Style
- Classic
- Level
- B2 (upper intermediate)
- Mood
- tender, longing, moonlit
- Views
- about 300K (Oct 2026)
- Video
- Khun Phra Chuay (official channel of the Thai culture TV show)
- Lyrics
- Public domain
Key lines, explained
Tap a line to hear it. Once the video is playing, lines jump to their moment in the song.
- โอ้ ôoละ láหนอ nǎwดวงเดือน duang-dueanเอย oei
Oh, my moon, my Duang Duean…
ดวงเดือนduang-duean = the moon (ดวงduang is the classifier for moons and stars), here the singer's beloved. โอ้ôo…หนอnǎw and เอยoei are poetic sighs, like 'oh' and 'alas'. - ข้อย kâwyมา maaเว้า wáoรัก rákเจ้า jâoสาว sǎaoคำดวง kam-duang
I have come to tell you of my love, my golden girl.
ข้อยkâwy (I) and เว้าwáo (to speak) are Lao/Isan words; the song is in the 'Lao' style. เจ้าjâo = you, to someone dear. คำkam means gold in Lao and Northern Thai, so สาวคำดวงsǎao kam-duang is something like 'golden moon girl'. - โอ้ ôoดึก dùekแล้ว láewหนอ nǎwข้อย kâwyขอ kǎwลา laaล่วง lûang
Oh, it is late now; I must take my leave.
ดึกแล้วdùek láew = it's late (at night), an everyday phrase: ดึกแล้ว ไปนอนเถอะdùek láew bpai nawn tòe = it's late, go to bed. ขอลาkǎw laa = to ask leave to go, a polite goodbye; ล่วงlûang = to go on, pass. - อก òkพี่ pîiเป็นห่วง bpen-hùangรัก rákเจ้า jâoดวงเดือน duang-dueanเอย oei
My heart worries for you; I love you, my moon.
อกòk = chest, the seat of feelings in poetry. พี่pîi = 'I' for a man speaking to his sweetheart. เป็นห่วงbpen-hùang = to worry about someone you care for; เป็นห่วงนะbpen-hùang ná means 'take care, I worry about you'. - จะ jàหา hǎaไหน nǎiมา maaเทียม tiamเจ้า jâoดวงเดือน duang-dueanเอย oei
Where could I ever find anyone to compare with you, my moon?
หาhǎa = to look for. หาไหนhǎa nǎi = 'look where', i.e. where could I find. มาเทียมmaa tiam = to come and equal. A rhetorical question meaning nobody compares to you. - หอม hǎwmกลิ่น glìnเกสร gee-sǎwnเกสร gee-sǎwnดอกไม้ dàwk-máai
Fragrant is the scent of pollen, the pollen of flowers.
หอมhǎwm = fragrant, nice-smelling (also the Thai sniff-kiss). กลิ่นglìn = smell, scent. ดอกไม้dàwk-máai = flower. Next he says the flowers are not as sweet as his beloved. - โอ้ ôoโอ้ ôoเป็น bpenกรรม gamต้อง dtâwngจำ jamจาก jàakไป bpai
Oh, oh, it is my karma: I am forced to leave you.
เป็นกรรมbpen gam = it's (bad) karma, said about any misfortune you cannot escape. ต้องdtâwng = must; จำjam here means 'unwillingly' (as in จำใจjam jai), not 'remember'. จากไปjàak bpai = to leave, to part. - ข้อย kâwyเบิ่ง bòengดู duuฟ้า fáaละ láหนอ nǎwเห็น hěnมืดมน mûuet-mon
I gaze up at the sky and see only darkness.
เบิ่งbòeng = to look (Lao/Isan, Central ดูduu); here both are used together. ฟ้าfáa = sky. มืดมนmûuet-mon = dark and gloomy, also said of a hopeless future.
Words you'll learn
- ดวงเดือน duang-duean
the moon (poetic); a sweetheart
- ข้อย kâwy
I, me (Lao/Isan)
Central Thai: ผมpǒm / ฉันchǎn.
- เว้า wáo
to speak (Isan)
Isan. Central Thai: พูดpûut. เว้าอีสานได้บ่wáo ii-sǎan dâi bàw = can you speak Isan?
- เจ้า jâo
you (to a loved one, poetic or Northern/Isan)
- ดึก dùek
late at night
Only for late at night. ดึกแล้วdùek láew (it's late) is also the polite way to end an evening.
- ลา laa
to take leave, say goodbye
ขอลาkǎw laa = (formal) may I take my leave; ลาก่อนlaa gàwn = goodbye (for a long time); ลาป่วยlaa bpùay = to take sick leave.
- เป็นห่วง bpen-hùang
to worry about (someone)
Worrying because you care. You know the same ห่วงhùang from ไม่ต้องห่วงmâi dtâwng hùang (don't worry).
- หา hǎa
to look for; to go and see someone
Rising tone. ไปหาbpai hǎa + a person is 'go and see': ไปหาน้ำbpai hǎa náam go and see Nam.
- เทียม tiam
to equal, match (poetic); artificial
จะหาไหนมาเทียมjà hǎa nǎi maa tiam = where could I find (anyone) to equal (you)? In everyday Thai it means 'artificial': ฟันเทียมfan tiam = false teeth.
- หอม hǎwm
fragrant; to give a sniff-kiss
- กลิ่น glìn
smell, scent
- ดอกไม้ dàwk-máai
flower
- กรรม gam
karma; (bad) fate
กรรมเก่าgam gào = karma from a past life.
- จาก jàak
from
You know it from มาจากmaa jàak (to come from). จากjàak A ถึงtǔeng B is 'from A to B'.
- เบิ่ง bòeng
to look (Lao/Isan)
Central Thai: ดูduu.
- ฟ้า fáa
sky
Grammar in this song
The song mixes Lao/Isan words into Central Thai: ข้อยkâwy (I), เว้าwáo (to speak), เบิ่งbòeng (to look), บ่bàw (not) and สูsǔu (you). Poetic Thai loves sighs and line endings: โอ้ôo "oh", หนอnǎw and ละหนอlá nǎw "alas", เอยoei at the end of a line.
The singer calls himself three different things: ข้อยkâwy, พี่pîi and (in the full text) เรียมriam, an old poetic "I". He calls her เจ้าjâo, ดวงเดือนduang-duean, นวลตาnuan-dtaa and ทรามเชยsaam-choei, all terms of endearment. Inside the poetry sit everyday phrases: ดึกแล้วdùek láew (it's late), ขอลาkǎw laa (I'll take my leave), เป็นห่วงbpen-hùang (I worry about you).
The culture behind it
ลาวดวงเดือนlaao duang-duean was written around 1906-1909 by Prince Phen Phatthanaphong (1882-1909), a son of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who wrote both the words and the melody. He called it ลาวดำเนินเกวียนlaao dam-noen gwian, "the Lao ox-cart journey", because he composed it in the Lao musical style while travelling by ox cart on official duty in Isan; people later named it after its first words, "ดวงเดือนเอยduang-duean oei". A famous story says he poured into it his grief after the family of a northern princess, Chao Chom Chuen, turned down his marriage proposal, although the Fine Arts Department says the story cannot be confirmed. The prince died young, in 1909.
More than a century later it is still one of the most performed Thai songs: classical ensembles play it on the ranat (Thai xylophone), pop and luk thung singers record their own versions, and school children sing it in contests. "Lao" in the title refers to the melodic style, which Thai classical music borrowed from its neighbours.
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones