หวานน้อย
wan noi
In Thai, "less sweet" is หวานน้อย (wan noi).
This phrase is used to request that a drink or food contain a smaller amount of sugar than usual. You can make a request more polite by adding ขอ (please) to the beginning of your sentence.
Which one should you use?
If your goal is to have no sugar at all, do not use หวานน้อย. Instead, use ไม่หวาน to specify that you want the item to be not sweet.
How do you pronounce it?
wan noi
Did you know?
- The word หวาน (sweet) is also used in Thai to describe a romantic or 'lovey-dovey' relationship. Calling a couple หวาน suggests they are acting very affectionately toward one another.
- Thai culture often views 'sweetness' as a primary flavor profile for savory dishes too. Using หวานน้อย when ordering a main meal like Pad Thai can be a signal to the cook to reduce the palm sugar, which is often added in large quantities.
- In many Thai bubble tea shops, the sweetness level is often quantified on a scale from zero to one hundred, meaning you can actually request 'one hundred percent sweet' if you want maximum sugar.
Examples in context
- ขอหวานน้อยครับkho wan noi khrapLess sweet, please.
- สั่งแบบหวานน้อยนะคะsang baep wan noi na khaI'm ordering it less sweet.
- ฉันชอบดื่มแบบหวานน้อยchan chop duem baep wan noiI like to drink it less sweet.
Example conversation
At a coffee shop, Kanokwan is ordering a drink.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanเอสเพรสโซ่เย็นหวานน้อยหนึ่งแก้วค่ะespresso yen wan noi nueng kaew khaOne iced espresso, less sweet, please.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitได้ครับ รับอะไรเพิ่มไหมครับdai khrap rap arai phoem mai khrapCertainly. Would you like anything else?
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanไม่ค่ะ ขอบคุณค่ะmai kha khop khun khaNo, thank you.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitรอสักครู่นะครับro sak khru na khrapPlease wait a moment.
