กุ้ง
gûng/kuŋ˥˩/
The English word 'prawn' is translated into Thai as กุ้ง (gûng).
กุ้ง is used to refer to a large shrimp or prawn.
Meaning: large shrimp (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced as gûng. The IPA transcription is /kuŋ˥˩/.
Did you know?
- In Thai culture, กุ้ง is the name of a common nickname for people, often chosen because it sounds cute or relates to a family's love for seafood.
- The word กุ้ง is used for all crustaceans of the shrimp and prawn family regardless of size, meaning there is no native Thai word that distinguishes a 'shrimp' from a 'prawn'.
- If you see กุ้งแห้ง (dried prawn) on a menu, it refers to tiny, sun-dried shrimp used as a seasoning rather than the large 'prawn' the word กุ้ง usually implies.
Examples in context
- กุ้งตัวใหญ่มากkung tua yai makThe prawn is very large.
- ฉันชอบกินกุ้งเผาchan chop kin kung phaoI like eating grilled prawn.
- มีกุ้งอยู่ในจานนี้ไหมmi kung yu nai chan ni maiIs there any prawn in this dish?
Example conversation
A couple is ordering food at a seafood restaurant.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritกนกวรรณ ลองสั่งกุ้งไหมkanokwan long sang kung maiKanokwan, do you want to try ordering some prawns?
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanเอาค่ะ ฉันชอบกินกุ้งao kha chan chop kin kungYes, please. I love eating prawns.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritสั่งกุ้งเผามาแบ่งกันนะsang kung phao ma baeng kan naLet's order grilled prawns to share.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanดีเลยค่ะ สั่งเลยdi loei kha sang loeiThat's great. Order them now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “prawn” translations and entries กุ้ง, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
