Shangri Lingua

How to say “squid” in Thai

ปลาหมึก

bplaa-mùek

/plaː mɯ̀k/

ปลาหมึก means squid.

Pronunciation and usage

Tone: mid, low

Literally “ink fish”: bplaa is fish and mùek is ink.

Reading the romanization: the mark over a vowel shows its tone. bp and dt are a p and a t with no puff of air, while plain p, t and k have the puff. The IPA shows the exact sounds, and Learn the IPA explains how to read it.

Examples

  • ปลาหมึกย่าง

    bplaa-mùek yâang/plaː mɯ̀k jâːŋ/

    Grilled squid.

  • ข้าวผัดปลาหมึก

    kâao pàt bplaa-mùek/kʰâːw pʰàt plaː mɯ̀k/

    Squid fried rice.

How it’s spelled

Thai is written in a fixed order, which isn’t always the order you hear. Here’s each letter of ปลาหมึก in the order you’d write it.

  • ป

    “bp” starts the word.

    po pla, from ปลา (fish)Mid class

    Same as บ, but the right side rises tall.

  • ล

    “l” joins the ป, so the first syllable starts “bpl”.

    lo ling, from ลิง (monkey)Low class

    An arch with a loop at the foot on the left. Compare ส.

  • า

    The vowel “long a”: “bplaa”.

    sara aa

    A hook over the top and a straight drop down.

  • ห

    Silent, and written only to change the tone: it makes the next letter follow high class rules.

    ho hip, from หีบ (chest)High class

    Like ท, with a small extra loop at the top of the right leg. Also silently raises the letter after it.

  • ม

    “m” starts the second syllable.

    mo ma, from ม้า (horse)Low class

    A loop at the top left, a second loop at the bottom left, and a W-shaped base. Compare น.

  •  ึ

    The vowel “short ue”. Sits on top of the consonant.

    sara ue

    Like sara i, with a small circle on the right.

  • ก

    “k” ends the word.

    ko kai, from ไก่ (chicken)Mid class

    No loop at all: a beak at the top left and two legs. Compare ภ and ถ, which add a loop.

Why the tones are mid, low

  1. Bplaa: ป is mid class with a long vowel, so it’s live. Mid and live gives a mid tone.
  2. Mùek: the silent ห gives ม high class rules, and it ends in “k”, so it’s dead. High and dead gives a low tone.

New to consonant classes and live or dead syllables? See how Thai tones work.

Learn to write it

The Shangri Lingua app has a Thai writing course that teaches every letter in this word. You write with your finger or Apple Pencil, and the app checks each letter and gives you more help if you get stuck. Get it on the App Store.

More meats

Learn these words together in the lesson Have you eaten yet?, or browse all Thai vocabulary.