ชาม
chaam/t͡ɕʰaːm˧/
The word for a bowl in Thai, meaning a container for food, is ชาม (chaam). If unsure, use ชาม. Wiktionary also lists ถ้วย (tûai).
Meaning: container for food (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ชาม | chaam | /t͡ɕʰaːm˧/ |
| ถ้วย | tûai | /tʰua̯j˥˩/ |
ชาม is the everyday word for a bowl you eat from, such as a bowl of rice, soup or noodles. A more specific term is ชามแกง, a bowl used for curry or soup.
Which one should you use?
ชาม is typically used for larger bowls, such as soup or noodle bowls. ถ้วย (tûai) is used for smaller bowls and cups, for example the little bowls that hold dipping sauce or a small dessert.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you count bowls, Thai uses the classifier ใบ after the number, so the number and ใบ follow the word ชาม.
How do you pronounce it?
ชาม is said chaam, /tɕʰaːm˧/, in one syllable with a long a sound and a mid, level tone.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use ถ้วย for a big noodle or soup bowl. For those, ชาม is the natural word.
Did you know?
- When speaking about bowls, Thai speakers use the classifier ใบ, which is the same word used to count leaves or pieces of paper.
- The word ชาม is not native to Thai but was borrowed from Proto-Mon-Khmer, making it a linguistic relative of the Khmer word ជាម.
- Thai culture uses the word ถ้วย for both small bowls and cups, meaning the same word can describe a vessel for dipping sauce or a vessel for tea.
Examples in context
- ชามนี้เล็กเกินไปThis bowl is too small.ชาม here means a bowl that is too small to be useful.Tatoeba #10162192 by Somsak, translation #6900280 by kaiperkins271
- ช่วยส่งชามใบนั้นให้หน่อยchuai song cham bai nan noiPlease pass that bowl to me.
- เขาวางชามไว้บนโต๊ะkhao wang cham wai bon tohHe placed the bowl on the table.
Example conversation
In a kitchen, a man is helping a woman set the table.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitต้องใช้ชามกี่ใบครับtong chai cham ki bai khrapHow many bowls do I need to use?
- พิมล Pimonใช้ชามสี่ใบค่ะchai cham si bai khaUse four bowls.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitนี่ครับ ชามสำหรับซุปni khrap, cham samrap supHere are the bowls for the soup.
- พิมล Pimonขอบคุณมากค่ะkhop khun mak khaThank you very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bowl” translations and entries ชาม, ถ้วย, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ชาม, ถ้วย, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
