เค็ม
kem/kʰem˧/
The English word "salty" is translated into Thai as เค็ม (kem).
The primary use of เค็ม is to describe a flavor that tastes of salt. However, in a slang context, it can also be used to describe a person who is stingy or miserly.
Meaning: tasting of salt (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
To modify the intensity of the saltiness, you can add words after เค็ม. To say something is "very salty", use เค็มมาก. To express that the saltiness is excessive or "too salty", use เค็มไป.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as kem and pronounced /kʰem˧/.
Did you know?
- In Thai culture, describing someone as เค็ม implies they are so stingy they behave like salt that preserves things and prevents them from spending.
- The Thai word เค็ม is a linguistic relative of words in Ahom, a language once spoken by the ruling dynasty of the kingdom of Assam in India.
- While เค็ม describes saltiness, the Thai word for salt itself is เกลือ, which has a completely different sound and structure.
Examples in context
- น้ำซุปเค็มไปหน่อยThe soup is a bit too salty.This sentence is useful for describing soup that is a bit too salty using เค็ม.Tatoeba #10487162 by Somsak, translation #4177428 by Hybrid
- น้ำแกงเค็มเกินไปThe soup is too salty.Tatoeba #3751675 by Vortarulo, translation #433591 by Clavain
- อาหารเค็มมากThe food is very salty.
- น้ำทะเลเค็มThe sea water is salty.
- ไข่เจียวนี้เค็มมากkhai chiao ni khem makThis omelet is very salty.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are tasting a dish together.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritลองชิมจานนี้ดูสิครับlong chim chan ni du si khrapPlease try this dish.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanรสชาติเค็มไปหน่อยนะคะrot chat khem pai noi na khaIt tastes a bit too salty.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritจริงด้วย ผมใส่เกลือเยอะไปching duai phom sai klue yue pàiYou're right, I put in too much salt.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanเติมน้ำเปล่านิดหน่อยก็น่าจะดีค่ะtoem nam plao nit noi ko na cha di khaAdding a bit of water should help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “salty” translations and entries เค็ม, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries เค็ม, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
