มะละกอ
papaya
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 papaya
This is the everyday Thai word for papaya. It usually refers to the fruit, whether ripe and sweet or unripe and used in cooking, but it can also refer to the papaya plant in context.
papaya
The edible papaya fruit, including both sweet ripe papaya and firm unripe papaya used in savory dishes.
-
ส้มตำทำจากมะละกอดิบ sôm tam tham càak málákɔɔ dìp Som tam is made from unripe papaya. ส้มตำทำจากมะละกอดิบ details
Learning notes
Explanation
This is the standard, neutral Thai word used in both conversation and writing. By itself, it most often means the fruit. มะละกอสุก is ripe papaya, while มะละกอดิบ is unripe green papaya. Ripe papaya is commonly eaten as a sweet fruit; unripe papaya is shredded and used in dishes such as ส้มตำ (som tam). The usual everyday classifier for individual fruits is ลูก, as in มะละกอสองลูก, “two papayas.” ผล is also used, especially in more formal or written contexts. The classifier for papaya plants is ต้น.
Usage
It is commonly used when buying fruit, discussing ripeness or food preferences, and talking about ingredients in dishes such as som tam. In gardening and farming contexts, ต้นมะละกอ is used for the papaya plant or tree.
Caution
มะละกอสุก and มะละกอดิบ are used for different stages and culinary purposes. Here, ดิบ means unripe or green, not merely uncooked. Since มะละกอ alone usually suggests the fruit, use ต้นมะละกอ when you need to refer clearly to the plant.