Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ทำอาหาร | tam aa-hăan | /tʰam˧.ʔaː˧.haːn˩˩˦/ |
| ปรุงอาหาร | bprung aa-hăan | |
| ประกอบอาหาร | bprà-gòp aa-hăan | |
| หุงหาอาหาร | hŭng-hăa aa-hăan |
While ทำอาหาร is the general term for cooking, you might use ลักษณะการทำอาหาร when referring to a cooking method, สูตรอาหาร when discussing a recipe or เครื่องใช้ในการทำอาหาร when referring to cooking utensils.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ทำอาหาร is composed of ทำ, meaning to do or make and อาหาร, meaning food.
Which one should you use?
ทำอาหาร is a general term for cooking. In contrast, ปรุงอาหาร focuses more specifically on the act of seasoning or flavoring food. ประกอบอาหาร is a more technical way to express the preparation of food, while หุงหาอาหาร is a literary or archaic version.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ทำอาหาร is the most common, everyday way to say 'to cook'. For formal settings or written instructions, you should use ประกอบอาหาร. If you are reading formal writing or storytelling, you may encounter the literary term หุงหาอาหาร.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb ทำอาหาร does not change its form based on tense. Instead, time-related words or particles are added to indicate the past or future.
How do you pronounce it?
tam aa-hăan
Did you know?
- The term ปรุง is used not just for cooking, but also for the act of 'improving' or 'adjusting' something, such as 'improving' a person's reputation or 'adjusting' a melody.
- While English uses the same word for cooking anything, in Thai, the verb หุง is specifically reserved for cooking rice.
- In Thai culture, the act of ทำอาหาร is often a communal effort where family members gather to prep ingredients together rather than one person cooking alone.
Examples in context
- คุณทำอาหารได้ไหมCan you cook?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has the ability to cook.Tatoeba #8720325 by pastelite, translation #5195303 by CK
- คุณต้องทำอาหารไหมDo you have to cook?This sentence is useful for asking if cooking is a necessity.Tatoeba #10680267 by Somsak, translation #10258657 by LimeGreenTeknii
- คุณทำอาหารนี้ได้อย่างไรHow did you cook this?This sentence is useful for asking about the process used to cook a specific dish.Tatoeba #10486615 by Somsak, translation #1985735 by Xianan
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is deciding on their meal for the evening at home.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanธีรภัทร คุณอยากกินอะไรไหมTheeraphat, khun yak kin a-rai maiTheeraphat, do you want to eat anything?
- ธีรภัทร TheeraphatผมอยากกินฝีมือคุณครับPhom yak kin fi mue khun khrapI want to eat food made by you.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanถ้าอย่างนั้น ฉันจะทำอาหารเองTha yang nan, chan cha tham a-han engIn that case, I will cook myself.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatขอบคุณครับ กนกวรรณKhop khun khrap, KanokwanThank you, Kanokwan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cook” translations and entries ทำอาหาร, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
