ນ້ຳຕານ
nam tān[nam˥˨.taːn˩(˧)]
ນ້ຳຕານ (nam tān) is the Lao word for sugar.
The word refers to the sucrose derived from sugar cane or sugar beet used to sweeten food and drinks.
Meaning: sucrose from sugar cane or sugar beet used to sweeten food and drink (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
nam tān
Did you know?
- In Lao, the word for sugar ນ້ຳຕານ literally breaks down into 'water' and 'brown', suggesting the substance's original appearance as a brown, liquid-like syrup.
- The word is a linguistic 'twin' to the Thai word น้ำตาล, reflecting the deep historical and cultural ties between the two nations.
- Because the first part of the word is ນ້ຳ, meaning 'water', many liquid sweeteners in Lao use this same prefix pattern.
Examples in context
- ຂ້ອຍຢາກໄດ້ນ້ຳຕານ.khoy yak dai nam tan.I want some sugar.
- ຢ່າໃສ່ນ້ຳຕານຫຼາຍເກີນໄປ.ya sai nam tan lai koen pai.Don't put too much sugar in.
- ນ້ຳຕານຢູ່ໃນຕູ້ເຢັນ.nam tan yu nai tu yen.The sugar is in the refrigerator.
Example conversation
At a coffee shop in Vientiane.
- Aເຈົ້າຕ້ອງການນ້ຳຕານບໍ່?chao tong kan nam tan bo?Do you want sugar?
- Bບໍ່, ຂ້ອຍບໍ່ຢາກໄດ້ນ້ຳຕານ.bo, khoy bo yak dai nam tan.No, I don't want sugar.
- Aຖ້າແນວນັ້ນ, ຂ້ອຍຈະບໍ່ໃສ່ໃຫ້.tha naeo nan, khoy cha bo sai hai.In that case, I won't add it.
- Bຂອບໃຈຫຼາຍໆ.khop chai lai lai.Thank you very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sugar” translations and entries ນ້ຳຕານ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
