น้ำส้ม
náam-sôm/naːm˦˥.som˥˩/
The English phrase "orange juice" is translated into Thai as น้ำส้ม (náam-sôm).
น้ำส้ม is the standard term used to refer to the juice of squeezed oranges, particularly in culinary contexts.
Meaning: juice of squeezed oranges (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of two parts: น้ำ, meaning water or liquid and ส้ม, meaning orange.
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse น้ำส้ม with น้ำส้มสายชู, which means vinegar.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced náam-sôm.
Did you know?
- The word น้ำ (liquid) and ส้ม (sour/orange) combine to create a phrase that literally translates to 'sour water'.
- The word ส้ม is unique because it functions both as a noun for the fruit and an adjective meaning 'sour'.
- The word ส้ม is linguistically related to the Lao word ນ້ຳສົ້ມ, showing a shared botanical vocabulary across the Mekong region.
Examples in context
- ฉันชอบดื่มน้ำส้มตอนเช้า.chan chop duem nam-som ton chao.I like to drink orange juice in the morning.
- ขอน้ำส้มหนึ่งแก้วครับ.kho nam-som nueng kaew khrap.One glass of orange juice, please.
- น้ำส้มแก้วนี้อร่อยมาก.nam-som kaew ni a-roi mak.This glass of orange juice is very delicious.
Example conversation
At a breakfast table at home.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanวิทวัส อยากดื่มน้ำส้มไหมคะwitthawat yak duem nam som mai khaWitthawat, would you like some orange juice?
- วิทวัส Witthawatอยากครับ ขอบคุณมากครับyak khrap khop khun mak khrapYes, please. Thank you very much.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanน้ำส้มอยู่ในตู้เย็นนะคะnam som yu nai tu yen na khaThe orange juice is in the refrigerator.
- วิทวัส Witthawatเดี๋ยวผมเทเองครับdiao phom the eng khrapI will pour it myself.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “orange juice” translations and entries น้ำส้ม, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries น้ำส้ม, CC BY-SA 4.0.
