กุ้ง
gûng/kuŋ˥˩/
The Thai word for shrimp is กุ้ง (gûng).
กุ้ง is used to refer to the flesh of the crustacean known as shrimp.
Meaning: flesh of the crustacean (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is gûng. The IPA is /kuŋ˥˩/.
Did you know?
- In Thai culture, กุ้ง is not just a food item but is also a common and affectionate nickname for people.
- While กุ้ง means 'shrimp', the word for 'lobster' is กุ้งมังกร, which literally translates to 'dragon shrimp'.
- The Thai word กุ้ง is related to the Ahom word kuṅ used in India, showing how far the Tai language family spread historically.
Examples in context
- คุณรับประทานกุ้งไหมDo you eat shrimp?
- ไปทานกุ้งดีมั้ย?Do you want to eat shrimp?
- กุ้งตัวนี้ตัวใหญ่มากkung tua ni tua yai makThis shrimp is very big.
- ฉันชอบกินกุ้งเผาchan chop kin kung phaoI like eating grilled shrimp.
- เขาสั่งต้มยำกุ้งมาหนึ่งที่khao sang tom yam kung ma nueng thiHe ordered one serving of shrimp tom yum.
Example conversation
At a seafood restaurant, a woman and a man are looking at the menu.
- ณิชา Nichaวิทวัส อยากกินกุ้งไหมคะwitthawat yak kin kung mai khaWitthawat, do you want to eat shrimp?
- วิทวัส Witthawatอยากครับ กุ้งสดหรือเปล่าyak khrap, kung sot rue plaoYes, I do. Is the shrimp fresh?
- ณิชา Nichaสดแน่นอนค่ะ ร้านนี้ดีมากsot nae norn kha, ran ni di makIt's definitely fresh. This restaurant is very good.
- วิทวัส Witthawatงั้นสั่งกุ้งมาเลยครับngan sang kung ma loei khrapThen let's order the shrimp right away.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry กุ้ง, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries กุ้ง, CC BY-SA 4.0.
