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    Home » Articles » Food and Travel

    Vegetarian Thai Phrases and Tips on Ordering Vegan Food in Thailand

    4 October, 2016 by Kip 2 Comments

    Vegetarian Thai phrases


    With little preparation and knowledge it's easy to feel overwhelmed and unable to request or identify vegan options in Thailand beyond mango sticky rice and spring rolls. Fortunately Thais are well versed in the concept of veganism even if it isn't always referred to as such, and with patience and perseverance Thailand is an endlessly rewarding destination for food-loving vegans.

    While I have been visiting Thailand since 2003, it wasn't until I had a few trips under my belt before I learned to navigate the menus and to understand what fell under the umbrella of my dietary choices. Recently I began to study the language, and so my reason for writing this vegan guide to Thai travel is twofold: to explain the Thai notion of veganism and to provide some useful Thai phrases for vegans in Thailand. Since Thai is a tonal language I have also included written translations to show food purveyors in case they can't understand you.

    The word jay (imagine someone who is drunk, trying to sound cool while clumsily leaning against a door frame, greeting you “aaaaaaay” – that's the pronunciation of the 'ay' in jay, long and low) translates to a kind of veganism. This diet also forbids some ingredients (including garlic, onion, grachai, and other strong spices), but it almost certainly guarantees a meal free from any animal products (a caveat: honey is allowed, and sometimes oyster sauce is used).

    At times the concepts of veganism and vegetarianism are conflated in Thailand, but technically while jay (เจ) Thai food is almost always vegan, vegetarian (mangsawirat or มังสวิรัติ) Thai food may utilise eggs, fish sauce, and/or some other animal derived ingredients. Since most Thai cuisine is unlikely to contain dairy (although I have seen it creeping more into the diet over the past dozen years), milk products are not a major concern but are still allowed in mangsawirat foods.

    In more recent times the word vegan has been transliterated to Thai and is more familiar in bigger cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai. In rural parts of the country, however, you may find more luck sticking with jay as a descriptor of what you eat.

    How to ask if food is suitable for vegans and vegetarians in Thailand

    First note importance of the gendered polite particles ka and krap, which are appended to sentences in Thai language. If you are a woman, you use ka (sometimes you will hear women also say ha or ja, which is a variant of ka) and if you are a man you use krap (often pronounced more like club or cup). It isn't mandatory to use these words, but it is an indication of politeness in speech.

    Do you have any vegan food? (keep in mind vegan as a word is a newer concept in Thailand so if there is confusion you can try the next example)
    Mee ahaan weegan mai (ka/krap)?
    มีอาหารวีแกนไหม

    Do you have any jay food?
    Mee ahaan jay mai (ka/krap)?
    มีอาหารเจไหม

    Do you have any vegetarian food?
    Mee ahaan mangsawirat mai (ka/krap)?
    มีอาหารมังสวิรัติไหม

    Typical responses might be:

    No, don't have.
    Mai mee (ka/krap)
    ไม่มี

    No, cannot.
    dai mai (ka/krap)
    ไม่ได้

    Other useful Thai words to know as a vegan in Thailand

    ไก่ = gai = chicken
    ไข่ = kai = egg
    นม / น้ำนม = nam nom (or just nom) = milk
    เนย = nooei = butter
    เนื้อสัตว์ = nuua sat = meat
    เนื้อ = nuua = meat (beef)
    หมู = moo = pork
    ลูกแกะ = look gae = lamb
    กุ้ง = goong = shrimp
    กะปิ = gapi = shrimp paste
    ปลา = plaa = fish
    น้ำปลา = nam plaa = fish sauce
    ปลาร้า = plaa raa = fermented fish paste
    ซอสหอยนางรม = sot hooi naang rom = oyster sauce
    น้ำผึ้ง = nam pung = honey
    เจ = jay = vegan (a colour scheme of red text on a yellow background will distinguish signposts)
    อาหารเจ = ahaan jay = vegan food
    อาหารมังสวิรัติ = ahaan mangsawirat = vegetarian food
    อาหารวีแกน or อาหารวีแก้น = ahaan weegan = vegan food (but this is a newer word so use เจ/jay as fallback)

    ไม่ใส่ = mai sai (ka/krap) = don't add/put in (e.g. mai sai nam bplaa)
    ไม่เอา = mai ao ka/krap = do not want (e.g. mai ao nuua sat)
    ใส่ถุง = sai tung = put in a bag (effectively this is a way to order takeaway)

    Other tips

    Don't lose your temper. Saving face is important in Thai culture, so you will only embarrass yourself, your company, and the proprietor if you lose patience and act out. I have met countless Western vegans in Thailand who spit venom over local vendors for effectively not understanding English and/or their own cultural values. Please, spend your energy elsewhere – berating a human being for not understanding that you don't eat fish sauce makes you look foolish. It's straightforward to communicate veganism in Thailand, so there is no need for drama.

    More Resources for Vegan Travel in Thailand

    Seven Thai vegan foods to try in Thailand
    Traveling Vegan in Thailand
    Vegan Bangkok: Malls and Supermarkets
    Vegan and Vegetarian Thailand
    Some Vegan Bangkok Eats and Treats

    More Food and Travel

    • Dining and recipe writing without pictures
    • Vegan in Busan, South Korea
    • Vegan in Seoul (Food + Travel Notes)
    • Hat Yai Vegetarian Festival 2018 เทศกาลกินเจหาดใหญ่

    Reader Interactions

    I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below. Please do not comment about nonvegan products or activities.

    Comments

    1. Allan Wilson

      May 16, 2017 at 8:33 am

      I find that "phom kin jay" works well. I'm not vegetarian or vegan but it's always a good way to rid of pushy meat vendors on trains etc.. It must be hard however to avoid fish sauce. The work "khem" means salty so it's a way to avoid it, although mai sai nam pla would probably be easier 🙂

      Reply
    2. I reserve the right to improve malicious and trollish comments.

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    1. A guide to vegetarian food in Thailand – Phoren Yatra says:
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