tom kha

noun

A Thai soup or soup base: a spicy curry in coconut milk with galangal, usually made with chicken.

OriginThai ต้มข่า →
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Meanings

nountom kha (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA Thai soup or soup base: a spicy curry in coconut milk with galangal, usually made with chicken.

    Shiitakes bring their complex flavour to miso soup and tom kha, and are sensational sautéed.

    2016, Tess Masters, The Perfect Blend: 100 Blender Recipes to Energize and Revitalize, →ISBN

Origin

  1. Thaiต้มข่า
  2. Englishtom kha

Borrowed from Thai ต้มข่า (dtôm-kàa), from ต้ม (dtôm) + ข่า (kàa, “galangal”).

More words from Thai

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tom kha. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tom%20kha

MLA

“tom kha.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tom%20kha. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tom kha,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tom%20kha.

Source: tom kha on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.