← Guides · By Ray Lei · Published 2026-11-14

How do you read a Thai menu (common words for meats, cooking styles, spice)?

Q: What does ผัด mean on a Thai menu?

ผัด (pad or phat) means stir-fried. It is one of the most common words on Thai menus, appearing in many dish names: ผัดไทย (pad thai, stir-fried noodles), ผัดซีอิ๊ว (pad see ew, stir-fried wide noodles), ผัดกระเพรา (pad krapao, stir-fried holy basil), ผัดพริกแกง (pad prik gaeng, stir-fried with curry paste). When you see ผัด in a dish name, the dish involves stir-frying in a wok at high heat.

Q: What does แกง mean on a Thai menu?

แกง (gaeng) means curry. It appears in curry dish names: แกงเขียวหวาน (gaeng khiao wan, green curry), แกงแดง (gaeng daeng, red curry), แกงมัสมั่น (gaeng massaman, massaman curry), แกงกะหรี่ (gaeng kari, yellow curry). Thai curries are typically made with coconut milk and a paste base of chilies, lemongrass, galangal, and other aromatics. The word แกง alone can also refer to soups — it is a broad term for soupy or sauce-based dishes.

Q: What does ต้ม mean on a Thai menu?

ต้ม (tom) means boiled or simmered — it appears in soup dish names. The most famous example is ต้มยำ (tom yum, spicy sour soup) and ต้มข่า (tom kha, coconut galangal soup). The word ต้ม indicates the cooking method is simmering in a broth or liquid, distinguishing these dishes from stir-fried (ผัด) or fried (ทอด) preparations.

Q: How do you identify protein words on a Thai menu?

Thai menu dish names follow a pattern: cooking method + protein (+ additional ingredients). The protein words to recognize are: หมู (moo, pork), ไก่ (gai, chicken), เนื้อ (neua, beef), กุ้ง (kung, shrimp), ปลา (pla, fish), เป็ด (pet, duck), เต้าหู้ (tao hu, tofu). So ผัดไก่ (pad gai) = stir-fried chicken, ต้มยำกุ้ง (tom yum kung) = spicy shrimp soup, แกงเนื้อ (gaeng neua) = beef curry.

Q: What is the difference between ผัดไทย and ผัดซีอิ๊ว?

Both are stir-fried noodle dishes (ผัด = stir-fried), but they use different noodles and sauces. ผัดไทย (pad thai) uses thin rice noodles (sen lek) stir-fried with eggs, bean sprouts, green onion, and a tamarind-fish sauce-sugar sauce. It has a sweet-tangy flavor. ผัดซีอิ๊ว (pad see ew) uses wide flat rice noodles (sen yai) stir-fried with eggs, Chinese broccoli, and soy sauce. It has a savory, slightly smoky wok-char flavor and is generally milder than pad thai in terms of complexity.

Thai menu dishes follow a predictable pattern: cooking method + protein (+ additional ingredients). Once you know ผัด (stir-fried), แกง (curry), ต้ม (soup), ทอด (fried), and the protein words, most dish names become decodable. This is a focused vocabulary glossary. For the full Thai menu reading guide, see the Thai menu reading guide.

Thai menu vocabulary is more systematic than it appears. The same handful of words recur in different combinations to create most dish names: a cooking method word combined with a protein word, often with an additional flavor or ingredient word. ผัดไทย (pad thai) is stir-fried (ผัด) + Thai (ไทย). ต้มยำกุ้ง (tom yum kung) is boiled/simmered (ต้ม) + sour-spicy broth (ยำ) + shrimp (กุ้ง). แกงเขียวหวานไก่ (gaeng khiao wan gai) is curry (แกง) + green-sweet (เขียวหวาน) + chicken (ไก่).

Once you recognize the component words, you can decode most dish names even without reading Thai script. This guide organizes the most useful vocabulary by category — proteins, cooking methods, spice words, and common menu terms.

Thai menu vocabulary: 25 key terms

Proteins

Thai	Romanization	Meaning	Example
หมู	Moo	Pork	ผัดหมู = stir-fried pork
ไก่	Gai	Chicken	ต้มข่าไก่ = chicken galangal coconut soup
เนื้อ	Neua	Beef (also means meat in general)	ผัดเนื้อ = stir-fried beef
กุ้ง	Kung	Shrimp / prawn	ต้มยำกุ้ง = spicy shrimp soup
ปลา	Pla	Fish	ปลาทอด = fried fish
เป็ด	Pet	Duck	แกงเป็ด = duck curry
เต้าหู้	Tao hu	Tofu	ผัดเต้าหู้ = stir-fried tofu

Cooking methods

Thai	Romanization	Meaning	Example
ผัด	Pad	Stir-fried	ผัดไทย = pad thai
ทอด	Thod	Deep-fried	ไก่ทอด = fried chicken
ต้ม	Tom	Boiled / simmered / soup	ต้มยำ = spicy sour soup
แกง	Gaeng	Curry (also: broth-based dish)	แกงเขียวหวาน = green curry
ย่าง	Yang	Grilled	ไก่ย่าง = grilled chicken
นึ่ง	Nueng	Steamed	ปลานึ่ง = steamed fish
ลาบ	Laab	Minced meat salad (Isaan style)	ลาบไก่ = chicken larb

Spice and flavor words

Thai	Romanization	Meaning
เผ็ด	Phet	Spicy / hot
ไม่เผ็ด	Mai phet	Not spicy
หวาน	Wan	Sweet
เค็ม	Khem	Salty
เปรี้ยว	Priao	Sour / tangy

Common menu words

Thai	Romanization	Meaning	Notes
ข้าว	Khao	Rice	ข้าวสวย = steamed rice; ข้าวผัด = fried rice
ก๋วยเตี๋ยว	Guaytiaw	Noodles (rice noodles)	Various widths: เส้นใหญ่ (wide), เส้นเล็ก (thin)
ผัก	Phak	Vegetables	ผัดผัก = stir-fried vegetables
ไข่	Khai	Egg	ไข่ดาว = fried egg; ไข่เจียว = omelette
น้ำมัน	Nam man	Oil	ไม่ใส่น้ำมัน = no oil
น้ำปลา	Nam pla	Fish sauce	Fermented fish sauce; ubiquitous in Thai cooking

Practical notes

Dish names follow a pattern. Most Thai dishes are named: cooking method + protein + optional additional ingredient. ผัดกุ้ง (pad kung) = stir-fried shrimp. ต้มยำปลา (tom yum pla) = spicy fish soup. แกงไก่ (gaeng gai) = chicken curry. Once you know the components, most names become readable.
เผ็ด appears in dish names, not just on request. Some dishes have เผ็ด in their name, indicating they are inherently spicy: ต้มยำ (spicy-sour soup), แกงเขียว (green curry). These are not modified by saying mai phet — the spice is built in.
น้ำปลา (fish sauce) is in almost everything. Fish sauce is the foundational salty-umami ingredient in Thai cooking and is present in most dishes, including many salads, curries, and stir-fries. It is derived from fermented fish. For severe fish allergies, verify with the restaurant whether specific dishes can be made without it.
ข้าว (rice) appears frequently in dish name prefixes. ข้าวผัด (khao pad) = fried rice. ข้าวมันไก่ (khao man gai) = chicken on oiled rice. ข้าวหน้าเป็ด (khao na pet) = duck over rice. Any dish beginning with ข้าว is a rice-based dish.
To scan a Thai menu and see what each dish contains before ordering, ChefBear can help translate Thai menus and explain each dish.

Frequently asked questions

What does ผัด mean on a Thai menu?

ผัด (pad) means stir-fried. It appears in many dish names: ผัดไทย (stir-fried noodles), ผัดซีอิ๊ว (wide noodle stir-fry), ผัดกระเพรา (holy basil stir-fry). When you see ผัด, the dish involves wok stir-frying.

What does แกง mean on a Thai menu?

แกง (gaeng) means curry — it appears in curry dish names: green curry (แกงเขียวหวาน), red curry (แกงแดง), massaman (แกงมัสมั่น), yellow curry (แกงกะหรี่). It can also refer to broth-based dishes more broadly.

What does ต้ม mean on a Thai menu?

ต้ม (tom) means boiled or simmered. It appears in soup names: ต้มยำ (tom yum, spicy sour soup), ต้มข่า (tom kha, coconut galangal soup). The word indicates the dish is cooked by simmering in liquid.

How do you identify protein words on a Thai menu?

Key protein words: หมู (moo, pork), ไก่ (gai, chicken), เนื้อ (neua, beef), กุ้ง (kung, shrimp), ปลา (pla, fish), เป็ด (pet, duck), เต้าหู้ (tao hu, tofu). Dish names follow the pattern: cooking method + protein.

What is the difference between ผัดไทย and ผัดซีอิ๊ว?

Both are stir-fried noodle dishes. ผัดไทย uses thin rice noodles with a sweet-tangy tamarind sauce. ผัดซีอิ๊ว uses wide flat rice noodles with soy sauce — savory and smoky. Pad see ew is generally milder than pad thai.