ນ້ຳ
nam[nam˥˨]
The Lao word for water is ນ້ຳ (nam).
The word ນ້ຳ is used broadly to refer to any liquid, including water, juice, soup or broth, depending on the context.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
nam
Did you know?
- In Lao culture, ນ້ຳ is often paired with 'heart' (ໃຈ) to create idioms about kindness and emotional states, such as ນ້ຳໃຈ (nam chai) meaning generosity.
- During the Lao New Year, ສົງການ (Songkran), people throw ນ້ຳ on strangers and family to wash away bad luck and purify the soul for the coming year.
- In traditional Lao beliefs, certain bodies of ນ້ຳ are thought to be inhabited by ນາກ (Naga), mythical serpent-like creatures that control the rainfall.
Examples in context
- ຂ້ອຍຢາກດື່ມນ້ຳ.khoy yak deum nam.I want to drink water.
- ນ້ຳໃນຕູ້ເຢັນເຢັນຫຼາຍ.nam nai tou yen yen lai.The water in the fridge is very cold.
Example conversation
A guest is visiting a friend's house.
- Aເຈົ້າມາເຮືອນຂ້ອຍ, ດື່ມນ້ຳກ່ອນ.chao ma heuan khoy, duem nam kon.Since you are at my house, drink some water first.
- Bຂອບໃຈ, ຂ້ອຍກຳລັງຫິວນ້ຳຢູ່.khop chai, khoy kam lang hi nam yu.Thank you, I am thirsty for water.
- Aນ້ຳນີ້ມີນ້ຳກ້ອນນຳເດີ້.nam ni mi nam kon nam der.This water has ice in it too.
- Bດີຫຼາຍ, ຂອບໃຈຫຼາຍໆ.di lai, khop chai lai lai.That's great, thank you very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries ນ້ຳ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
