How to Say “Younger brother/sister” in Thai

When to use it

The mirror of พี่ (phîi) — น้อง (nɔ́ɔng) means "younger sibling" and is used for anyone younger, again far beyond literal siblings. This พี่/น้อง (phîi/nɔ́ɔng) age-based system is core to how Thai social address works, more so than fixed titles like "Mr./Ms." Using these terms conveys a warm, close vibe. That said, น้อง (nɔ́ɔng) is used somewhat less than พี่ (phîi) — with younger people you already know, you'd typically just call them by their nickname rather than น้อง (nɔ́ɔng) + name. น้อง (nɔ́ɔng) + name is mainly reserved for addressing little kids, babies, or pets.

Why you've seen it spelled differently

You may have seen น้อง written as: nong, norng, nawng.

There is no single standard for writing Thai in the Roman alphabet — phrasebooks, road signs, and tourist guides each follow a different system, and many just invent their own spellings. The romanization on this page uses a consistent IPA-based system that marks all five tones and distinguishes short from long vowels. The same word always gets the same spelling. Paste any Thai to see it romanized →

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