มะเขือเทศ
má-kʉ̌ʉa-têet/ma˦˥.kʰɯa̯˩˩˦.tʰeːt̚˥˩/
The Thai word for tomato is มะเขือเทศ (má-kʉ̌ʉa-têet).
มะเขือเทศ is a noun used to refer to the tomato fruit.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of มะเขือ (berry/eggplant) and เทศ (foreign), literally meaning 'foreign berry'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is má-kʉ̌ʉa-têet. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In Thai markets, you may see 'cherry tomatoes' called มะเขือเทศราชินี, which translates to 'queen tomato'.
- Thai shares a similar naming logic with Chinese, where the word for tomato 番茄 also combines 'foreign' and 'eggplant'.
- Because the word contains the word for 'eggplant', a Thai person might occasionally refer to a tomato as a type of 'foreign eggplant'.
Examples in context
- ฉันชอบกินมะเขือเทศสด.chan chop kin ma-khuea-thet sot.I like to eat fresh tomatoes.
- มะเขือเทศลูกนี้สีแดงมาก.ma-khuea-thet luk ni si daeng mak.This tomato is very red.
- คุณต้องการซื้อมะเขือเทศไหม?khun tong kan sue ma-khuea-thet mai?Do you want to buy tomatoes?
Example conversation
At a local market.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanมะเขือเทศพวกนี้ราคาเท่าไหร่คะ?ma-khuea-thet phuak ni ra-kha thao-rai kha?How much are these tomatoes?
- วิทวัส Witthawatกิโลละสามสิบบาทครับ.ki-lo la sam-sip bat khrap.It is thirty baht per kilo.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanงั้นขอซื้อสองกิโลค่ะ.ngan kho sue song ki-lo kha.Then I will take two kilos.
- วิทวัส Witthawatได้ครับ เดี๋ยวผมจัดให้ครับ.dai khrap diao phom chat hai khrap.Certainly, I will get them for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tomato” translations and entries มะเขือเทศ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries มะเขือเทศ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
