น้ำมันพืช
nám-man-pʉ̂ʉt/nam˦˥.man˧.pʰɯːt̚˥˩/
The English phrase 'cooking oil' is translated into Thai as น้ำมันพืช (nám-man-pʉ̂ʉt).
น้ำมันพืช refers to purified fat. On its own, the word น้ำมัน can be used on its own to mean 'oil' in a general sense, such as engine oil or general liquid oil.
Meaning: purified fat (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of น้ำมัน (oil) and พืช (plant/vegetable), literally meaning 'plant oil'.
Which one should you use?
While น้ำมันพืช refers to vegetable/plant oil, น้ำมันสัตว์ is used to refer to animal fats or oils.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is nám-man-pʉ̂ʉt. The word consists of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- While น้ำมันพืช means 'vegetable oil', the word น้ำมัน is also used to refer to 'gasoline' or 'petrol' at a filling station.
- The word น้ำ (water) is the first part of the word for oil, น้ำมัน, even though oil and water do not mix.
- Thai culture has a deep history of using 'infused oils' for medicinal purposes, where น้ำมัน is combined with herbs to create topical rubs rather than food.
Examples in context
- คุณใช้ น้ำมันทำอาหาร ประเภทไหนในสูตรนี้คะ?What type of cooking oil do you use in this recipe?
- น้ำมันพืชขวดนี้ราคาเท่าไหร่ครับnam-man-phuet khuat ni ra-kha thao-rai khrapHow much is this bottle of cooking oil?
- ฉันใช้น้ำมันพืชผัดผักchan chai nam-man-phuet phat phakI use cooking oil to stir-fry vegetables.
- กรุณาซื้อน้ำมันพืชมาด้วยนะka-ru-na sue nam-man-phuet ma duai naPlease buy some cooking oil too.
Example conversation
At a grocery store.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinวิทวัส ช่วยหยิบน้ำมันพืชให้หน่อยได้ไหมwit-tha-wat chuai yip nam-man-phuet hai noi dai maiWitthawat, can you please grab the cooking oil for me?
- วิทวัส Witthawatได้ครับ จะเอาขวดใหญ่หรือขวดเล็กดีdai khrap, cha ao khuat yai rue khuat lek diSure, do you want the large bottle or the small one?
- สิรินทร์ Sirinเอาขวดเล็กก็พอค่ะao khuat lek ko pho khaThe small bottle is enough.
- วิทวัส Witthawatรับทราบครับ เดี๋ยวผมไปหยิบให้rap-sap khrap, diao phom pai yip haiGot it, I will go get it for you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry น้ำมันพืช, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
