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Thai

ต้มยำ

Components

ต้ม
ยำ

Pronunciation

tôm yam

ต้มยำ

tôm yam

tom yum

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  1. 1 tom yum、Thai hot-and-sour soup
  2. 2 tom yum flavor、tom yum-style

This word refers to tom yum, a Thai soup known for its hot-and-sour taste and aromatic herbs. It is also used in food names to indicate tom yum flavor.

1

tom yum、Thai hot-and-sour soup

Noun⭐️4 Often used

A Thai hot-and-sour soup flavored with aromatic herbs such as lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, and galangal.

2

tom yum flavor、tom yum-style

Noun⭐️3 Common

Used within the name of a dish or food product to describe its hot, sour, and aromatic tom yum flavor.

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Learning notes

Explanation

ต้มยำ is the name of a Thai dish characterized by sourness, heat, and the aroma of Thai herbs. The word can be analyzed as ต้ม, “to boil or simmer,” plus ยำ, which is associated with mixing ingredients in a sour and spicy dressing. In everyday use, however, it is best learned as the name of a single category of soup. The main ingredient normally follows ต้มยำ: กุ้ง “shrimp” gives ต้มยำกุ้ง, while ไก่ “chicken” gives ต้มยำไก่. The broth may be น้ำใส, a clear version, or น้ำข้น, a richer version often made with evaporated milk. Restaurant portions can be counted with ที่; ถ้วย and ชาม refer to a cup or bowl, and หม้อ to a pot.

Usage

The word is common in Thai restaurants, home cooking, menus, and packaged-food labels. When ordering, speakers often specify the main ingredient, choose a clear or creamy broth, and state how spicy they want it.

Caution

ต้มยำ alone does not mean “shrimp tom yum”; the shrimp is expressed by กุ้ง in ต้มยำกุ้ง. Also, ยำ by itself usually refers to a mixed dish or salad with a sour and spicy dressing, rather than the soup called ต้มยำ.

Component words

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