How do I ask if a dish is spicy before ordering?

jaan nee phet mai khrap (จานนี้เผ็ดไหมครับ) means "is this dish spicy?" A simple yes/no check that is worth asking before you commit to an unfamiliar dish.

Spice and allergies

No spicy in Thai: how to say "not spicy, please"

Q: How do you say "no spicy" in Thai?

mai phet na khrap (ไม่เผ็ดนะครับ) for a man, mai phet na kha for a woman. Mai phet means "not spicy," and the na softens it into a friendly request rather than a command. It is the phrase to use for "no spicy," "not spicy" and "no spice" alike.

Q: How do you say "a little spicy" or "not too spicy" in Thai?

phet nit-noi dai khrap (เผ็ดนิดหน่อยได้ครับ) means "a little spicy is fine." Nit-noi is "a little bit." To ask the cook to keep it mild, say kho phet noi-noi dai mai khrap (ขอเผ็ดน้อยๆ ได้ไหมครับ), "can you make it just a little spicy?"

Q: Will "not spicy" in Thailand still have some heat?

Often, yes. Thai "not spicy" can still carry more chili than a Western palate expects, since the baseline is different. For genuinely zero heat, be explicit or ask staff to double-check.

ไม่เผ็ดนะครับ, mai phet na khrap (a woman ends it with kha): "not spicy, please." Mai phet means "not spicy," and the na softens it into a friendly ask. Say it before the cook starts. Want some heat? phet nit-noi dai is "a little spicy is fine."

Every spice level, from none to a lot

Six phrases from Thailo's phrasebook: asking for no chili, asking for a little, making it clear you truly cannot eat it, and checking a dish before you order:

No spicy, not spicy, no spice: one phrase

English has three ways to say it; Thai has one. Mai is "not" and phet is "spicy," so mai phet covers "no spicy," "not spicy" and "no spice" alike. The part that changes is the ending: men close with khrap, women with kha, and that ending follows who is speaking. The krap and ka guide explains why it matters.

A little spicy: phet nit-noi

Zero chili can make some Thai dishes taste flat, and many travelers end up happier one step up. phet nit-noi dai khrap says "a little spicy is fine." If you want to ask for it, kho phet noi-noi dai mai khrap uses kho ... dai mai, the everyday "can I have...?" frame, around phet noi-noi, "a little spicy." And if you love heat, ao phet maak-maak loei khrap, เอาเผ็ดมากๆ เลยครับ, says so: "very spicy, please!"

A genuine allergy is a different conversation

If you have a real chili allergy, treat this differently: say phom gin phet mai dai loei, and consider confirming with staff, since Thai "not spicy" and a Western "not spicy" don't always mean the same thing. Pair this with knowing how to order food in the first place, and with the emergency phrases, which include how to say you are having a reaction and how to ask for a hospital.

Thailo on iPhone: a phrase pack, every phrase with audio and a usage note

Practice this before you land

How you'd learn this in Thailo

The Spice, Allergies & Diet phrase pack lives in Destination 2, Night market eats, right alongside ordering. Every phrase includes Thai audio, and the ones that need it carry a cultural note, like the fact that Thai "not spicy" runs hotter than you'd expect, so you know what you're asking for.

How do you say "no spicy" in Thai?

mai phet na khrap, ไม่เผ็ดนะครับ, if you are a man; mai phet na kha if you are a woman. Mai phet is "not spicy" and the na turns it into a friendly request. "No spicy," "not spicy" and "no spice" are all the same request in Thai, so this one phrase covers every way you might think to say it.

How do you say "a little spicy" or "not too spicy" in Thai?

phet nit-noi dai khrap, เผ็ดนิดหน่อยได้ครับ, "a little spicy is fine." Nit-noi means "a little bit," and it is the word to reach for when you want some heat but not the full Thai level. To ask for it as a request, say kho phet noi-noi dai mai khrap, ขอเผ็ดน้อยๆ ได้ไหมครับ, "can you make it just a little spicy?" Women end both with kha.

Will "not spicy" in Thailand still have some heat?

Frequently. What a vendor considers "not spicy" can still register as mild heat to a Western palate, since Thai food's baseline is spicier. If you need genuinely zero chili, say phom gin phet mai dai loei khrap, ผมกินเผ็ดไม่ได้เลยครับ, "I can't eat spicy food at all." It tells the cook this is a real limit.