Thai menu flavor words and spice-level requests
How to ask for mild or less spicy Thai food, plus the core Thai words for spicy, sour, sweet, salty, bitter and rich, with caveats on spelling and heat.
Contents
The short answer: how to ask for less heat
If you want to control the heat of a Thai dish, the key word is phèt (เผ็ด), meaning spicy. To ask for no heat, say mâi phèt (ไม่เผ็ด), "not spicy." For a small amount of heat, phrasebook sources give pet nit noi, "a little spicy," and phèt nói (เผ็ดน้อย), which one source lists with a gloss beginning "less." That gloss is cut off in the available text, so it is best read as a request for reduced heat rather than a precise level.
Start at the mild end. One ordering tip for Thailand recommends opening with mâi phèt or pet nit noi because a Thai "little spicy" is often very spicy for visitors. It is easier to add heat at the table than to remove it from a finished dish.
| Thai | Romanization | Meaning |
| เผ็ด | phèt (also written pet or phet) | spicy |
| ไม่เผ็ด | mâi phèt (also written mai phet) | not spicy |
| เผ็ดน้อย | phèt nói | less spicy (source gloss truncated) |
| (Thai script not supplied) | pet nit noi | a little spicy |
These phrases state a preference. They cannot guarantee how hot a dish will be. Kitchens interpret the words differently, and a cook's idea of "a little" may be far hotter than yours.
Core Thai flavor words on menus
Thai cooking is often described by its balance of tastes. These words help you read descriptions and ask questions about a dish:
| Thai | Romanization | English |
| เผ็ด | phèt | spicy |
| เปรี้ยว | prîao | sour |
| หวาน | wǎan | sweet |
| เค็ม | khem | salty |
| ขม | khǒm | bitter |
| มัน | man | rich |
In this vocabulary, man describes richness, which is a separate quality from heat. A dish can be rich without being spicy.
Where the heat and bitterness come from
Background material on Thai food names fresh or ground dried chili peppers and peppercorn as sources of heat, along with chili paste and red curry paste. Bitterness can come from ma-ra, which the source describes as bitter gourd or bitter cucumber. Knowing these ingredients helps you spot likely hot or bitter dishes on a menu before you order.
Other useful table phrases
- ขอเมนูหน่อย (khŏr menu nòi): Can I have the menu, please?
- อร่อยมาก (a-ròi mâak): Very delicious!
Spelling, pronunciation and coverage gaps
There is no single standard romanization. The same word can appear as phèt, phet or pet, and sources differ in how they mark Thai tones. The guidance here comes from short excerpts rather than complete sources, so check pronunciation and translations against a full Thai language reference. The available material does not include a phrase for requesting extra heat, does not explain regional differences in how spice words are used, and does not describe the numbered or pepper-icon heat scales some restaurants use. For those, ask the restaurant directly.
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