นม
nom/nom˧/
The English word milk is expressed in Thai as นม (nom). Wiktionary also lists น้ำนม (náam-nom).
Meaning: liquid (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| นม | nom | /nom˧/ /na˦˥.ma˦˥./ |
| น้ำนม | náam-nom | /naːm˦˥.nom˧/ |
The word นม is used to refer to milk, particularly as a beverage. It is also the standard anatomical term for 'breast'. To specify fresh milk, you can use the phrase นมสด by adding the word สด (sòt), which means 'fresh'. Additionally, the verb รีดนม is used to mean 'to express milk from a mammal'.
What does it mean word for word?
The form น้ำนม is a compound of น้ำ (water/liquid) and นม (milk/breast), literally meaning 'milk liquid'.
Which one should you use?
While น้ำนม refers to the substance itself, the shorter form นม is much more common in daily conversation when referring to milk as a beverage.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
nom
Did you know?
- The verb รีด in รีดนม means 'to press' or 'to iron', reflecting the physical action of milking a cow or expressing milk.
- In Thai slang, นม can be used to describe someone with a large chest, similar to how 'chest' or 'bust' is used in English.
- The word นม is part of a wide family of similar words across Southeast Asia, including Lao and Shan languages.
Examples in context
- ฉันดื่มนมI drank milk.This sentence shows how to use นม to indicate drinking milk.Tatoeba #8675810 by pastelite, translation #806340 by luna_moonsilver
- ผมซื้อนมสองขวดI bought two bottles of milk.This sentence demonstrates using นม when counting bottles.Tatoeba #10143959 by Somsak, translation #19458 by CK
- มีนมอยู่ในตู้เย็นThere is milk in the fridge.This sentence shows how to describe the presence of นม in a location.Tatoeba #8703090 by pastelite, translation #2122293 by freddy1
- เชฟเอาช็อกโกแลตผสมนมใส่ไอศกรีมThe chef mixed chocolate with milk to make ice cream.
- เด็กทารกควรดื่มนมสดอย่างน้อยสองแก้วต่อวันBabies should drink at least two glasses of fresh milk per day.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a kitchen during breakfast.
- วิทวัส Witthawatคุณต้องการนมเพิ่มไหมครับkhun tong kan nom phoem mai khrapDo you want more milk?
- พิมล Pimonขอเพิ่มนมหน่อยค่ะkho phoem nom noi khaPlease give me some more milk.
- วิทวัส Witthawatนมเย็นหรือนมร้อนดีครับnom yen rue nom ron di khrapWould you like cold milk or hot milk?
- พิมล Pimonขอบคุณค่ะ นมเย็นดีกว่าkhop khun kha, nom yen di kwaThank you, cold milk is better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “milk” translations and entries นม, น้ำนม, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries นม, น้ำนม, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
