Thai amulet terms are the Thai words collectors use to name an amulet's maker, material, mould, consecration and trade. The core set is phra khrueang (พระเครื่อง, a small Buddha image used as an amulet), phim (พิมพ์, form or mould), nuea (เนื้อ, the substance something is made of), run (รุ่น, an issue or batch) and phutthaphisek (พุทธาภิเษก, the consecration rite) [1]. Below, each term has its Thai script, a transliteration, a plain meaning and a source, most of them the Royal Institute dictionary [1].
Key facts
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Word for "amulet" | พระเครื่อง, short for พระเครื่องราง | [1] |
| When the word appeared | Under King Rama IV, in the Rattanakosin period | [2], [7] |
| Phim | "Form, shape, pattern"; a phra phim is an amulet made from a mould | [1] |
| Nuea | The substance that characterises a thing, as in เนื้อเงิน (silver) | [1] |
| Buying an amulet | Dictionary verbs เช่า (chao) and บูชา (bucha) | [1] |
| Year system | Buddhist Era (BE) = Common Era + 543 | [6] |
| Official romanisation | RTGS, from the Royal Institute; it does not mark tones | [9] |
How to read this Thai amulet glossary
Each entry gives the collector spelling, the Thai script, then a romanisation in italics following the Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS), the Royal Institute's official system [9]. RTGS does not mark tones or vowel length [9], so one Thai word often appears in several English spellings: nuea and nua are the same เนื้อ [1], [10].
Definitions come mainly from the Royal Institute dictionary (พจนานุกรม ฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน 2554) [1]. Trade senses the dictionary lacks are cited to Thai newspapers, journals or Wikipedia. Beliefs are reported as beliefs.
Titles and ranks: Luang Phor, Luang Pu, Ajarn, Kruba
Phra (พระ) — phra. A word used for monks, for Buddha images and for the Buddha, and as an honorific before deities, royalty and monastic ranks [1]. In amulet talk it also stands for the amulet itself, as in chao phra (see Market terms) [1].
Phiksu (ภิกษุ) — phiksu. A man ordained as a Buddhist monk, from Pali bhikkhu [1]. A thera (เถระ) is a senior monk of 10 or more rains [1]. A novice, samanen or nen (สามเณร / เณร), keeps ten precepts [1].
Luang Phor (หลวงพ่อ) — luang pho. Colloquially, a respectful name for a Buddha image, such as Luang Pho Sothon. It is also a term for a monk who is a father or of a father's age [1].
Luang Pu (หลวงปู่) — luang pu. Luang is a colloquial respectful prefix for monks, and the dictionary gives หลวงปู่ as an example [1]. Pu means paternal grandfather, or a man respected at that level [1].
Ajarn (อาจารย์) — achan. A teacher, and a title placed before a name to honour someone's knowledge. It comes from Sanskrit, with Pali ācariya [1].
Kruba (ครูบา) — khruba. A northern-dialect word for an abbot, and a term for a revered senior monk, usually aged 50 or over [1]. Khruba Siwichai (1878–1939) of Lamphun is a well-known holder of the title [11].
Gaeji ajarn (เกจิอาจารย์) — kechi achan. Literally "some teachers" (Pali). The dictionary defines them as masters believed to know incantations and the consecration of amulets [1]. A 2022 journal article uses พระเกจิอาจารย์ for the revered monks who consecrate amulets [14].
Somdej (สมเด็จ) — somdet. A very high rank held by royalty, nobles and monks, as in somdet phra rachakhana [1]. Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang amulets are attributed to Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phromrangsi) of Wat Rakhang [3].
Chao Khun (เจ้าคุณ) — chao khun. Colloquially, a monk holding phra rachakhana rank, which runs from the ordinary grade up to somdet [1]. Phra khru (พระครู) is a monastic rank below it [1].
Chao awat (เจ้าอาวาส) — chao awat. A monk appointed to govern a temple, that is, the abbot. Another word with the same meaning is somphan (สมภาร) [1].
Lersi (ฤๅษี) — ruesi. A class of ascetic predating the Buddha who left home to seek calm through austerities [1].
Wat (วัด) — wat. A religious place, usually with an ordination hall, a vihara and monks' quarters [1].
Materials: what nuea means
Nuea (เนื้อ) — nuea; also nua. The substance that characterises a thing, as in เนื้อไม้ (wood) or เนื้อเงิน (silver) [1]. The dictionary itself uses it for amulets: a piece in mekkhaphat alloy is a พระเนื้อเมฆพัด [1].
Nuea phong (เนื้อผง) — nuea phong. Powder material; phong means fine powder [1]. Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang is made mostly of shell lime, bound with cooked rice, banana and tang-iu oil [3].
Phong wiset (ผงวิเศษ) — phong wiset. Sacred powders named in powder-amulet recipes. The Phra Somdej recipe names five: Pathamang, Itthije, Maharat, Phutthakhun and Trinisinghe [3]. Phutthakhun (พุทธคุณ) is the dictionary term for the Buddha's three virtues [1].
Nuea din (เนื้อดิน) — nuea din. Clay. Dvaravati tablets were mostly fired clay (ดินเผา), and Sukhothai tablets were fired clay or chin [5].
Chin (ชิน) — chin. A lead–tin alloy commonly used for amulets [1].
Samrit (สัมฤทธิ์) — samrit. An alloy made mostly of copper and tin, i.e. bronze [1].
Thong daeng (ทองแดง) — thong daeng. Copper, element 29 [1]. The BE 2440 Phra Phutthachinnasi coin came in copper and gilt copper [23].
Thong lueang (ทองเหลือง) — thong lueang. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc [1]. The cast statuettes of Luang Pho Ngoen of Wat Bang Khlan are mainly brass [27].
Nawaloha (นวโลหะ) — nawaloha. "Nine metals." The dictionary's list, credited to an old alchemical treatise, is iron, mercury, copper, silver, gold, chao (glossed as tungsten), zinc, chin and lead [1].
Mekaphat (เมฆพัด) — mekkhaphat. A metal made by smelting ores together and treating them with sulphur. It is glossy black with an indigo sheen [1].
Wan (ว่าน) — wan. A group of plants, some with tubers, some used in medicine [1]. Luang Pu Thuat's first batch, of BE 2497, was entirely herbal nua wan [10].
Muan san (มวลสาร) — muan san. In standard Thai, the matter that makes up a body [1]. Collectors use it for an amulet's mix of ingredients. Thairath praised one Phra Somdej as มวลสารครบสูตร, "complete ingredients" [18].
Chanuan (ชนวน) — chanuan. The dictionary gives only non-amulet senses (slate, fuse) [1]. In makers' notices it appears among ingredients blended into a casting. A 2026 issue listed chanuan from the Phra Kring of Wat Bowonniwet and Wat Suthat [25]. In a casting account, สายชนวน and แกนชนวน are the runners that carry molten metal to the figure [27].
Kalai (กะไหล่) — kalai. Plating metal with gold or silver dissolved in mercury, then driving off the mercury with heat; kalai thong is gold-gilt [1]. Coins described as "tong daeng kalai thong" are gilt copper [23].
Rak (รัก) — rak. Lacquer: the toxic sap of the Gluta usitata tree, used to coat objects [1]. Some Phra Pidta are powder mixed with lacquer, เนื้อผงคลุกรัก [4].
Kaiyasit (กายสิทธิ์) — kaiyasit. An adjective: "having various powers within itself" [1]. It labels a quality attributed in belief, not a physical material.
Forms and types of Thai amulets
Phra khrueang (พระเครื่อง) — phra khrueang. A small Buddha image, short for phra khrueang rang [1]. The dictionary adds that people regard it as protective [1]. The word appeared under King Rama IV, and its scope now includes images of monks and deities [2], [7]. Chinese: 佛牌 [12].
Khrueang rang (เครื่องราง) — khrueang rang. An object believed to ward off harm, such as a takrut, pha yan or lek lai [1]. A 2022 study calls these "animist amulets" and places them on one spectrum with Buddhist phra khrueang [13].
Phra phim (พระพิมพ์) — phra phim. An amulet made from a mould pattern [1]. Thai Wikipedia describes small Buddha images made by pressing clay into a mould [5].
Rian (เหรียญ) — rian. A flat metal piece, round or polygonal, with a relief image or letters, like a commemorative medal [1]. Rama V ordered the Phra Phutthachinnasi coin in BE 2440 [23].
Phra Kring (พระกริ่ง) — phra kring. A hollow metal amulet with a pellet inside that rings when shaken [1]. English Wikipedia describes a metal statuette of a meditating Buddha [7].
Phra Pidta (พระปิดตา) — phra pit ta. A small Buddha image whose hands cover the face. It is linked to the disciple Phra Khawampati. Early pieces were metal; lacquered-powder pieces came later [4]. Chinese: 必打 [12].
Roop lor (รูปหล่อ) — rup lo. A cast figure; lo means to pour molten metal into a mould [1]. The dictionary's own รูปหล่อ example is a different, colloquial sense, "handsome" [1]. Post Today's account of the rup lo of Luang Pho Ngoen dates the casting to about BE 2451–2459, from wax models [27].
Takrut (ตะกรุด) — takrut. Metal or palm leaf inscribed with incantations, then rolled into a long hollow tube [1]. It is hung at the neck or worn on a cord as a belt; the word's origin is unclear [17].
Pha yant (ผ้ายันต์) — pha yan. Cloth carrying a yant design; shirts of the same kind are เสื้อยันต์ [1]. It may be carried or kept at home [16].
Pha prachiat (ผ้าประเจียด) — pha prachiat. A cloth yant tied on the arm or worn at the neck [2], [16].
Luk om (ลูกอม) — luk om. A small ball of various materials, held in the mouth as a charm [1].
Palad khik (ปลัดขิก) — palat khik. A carved wooden phallus of varying size, offered at shrines of the goddess Chao Mae [1].
Prakham (ประคำ) — prakham. A string of round beads for counting recitations or worn as a charm [1]. Phitsamon (พิสมร) is a triangular or square charm on a cord [1].
Moulds and marks: phim, block, run and code
Phim (พิมพ์) — phim; also pim. "Form, shape, pattern" [1]. Collectors use it for mould families. Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang has six, including the Phra Prathan (large), Chedi, Than Saem, Ket Bua Tum and Prok Pho [3].
Mae phim (แม่พิมพ์) — mae phim. A master pattern, such as type matrix [1]. A struck coin needs two master dies, front and back [22].
Phim yai (พิมพ์ใหญ่) — phim yai. "Large mould." For Phra Somdej this is the Phra Prathan form, the most popular [3].
Phim niyom (พิมพ์นิยม) — phim niyom. "Popular mould." Siamrath calls the bodhi-leaf form of the BE 2440 Chinnasi coin a phim niyom, one found fairly often [23].
Krue (กรุ) — kru. A chamber built under a stupa to hold Buddha images and valuables [1]. Old tablets come from these deposits, as in Phra Rod kru Wat Mahawan [2], [5].
Run / run raek (รุ่น / รุ่นแรก) — run, run raek. Run is a batch made at intervals; run raek is the first [1]. Siamrath's headline on the BE 2440 Chinnasi coin calls it รุ่นแรก [23].
Lor and pam (หล่อ / ปั๊ม) — lo, pam. Cast in a mould versus struck with a die [1]. Before about BE 2470, coin dies were mostly engraved by hand, so the relief was shallow [22].
Block (บล็อก) — blok. In coin talk, a mould or die. Siamrath calls coins ordered from abroad block nok, with sharp, deep relief, and coins from Siam's own machines block nai, less sharp [22].
Hu chueam (หูเชื่อม) — hu chueam. A hanging loop soldered on, not cast in one piece; common on early coins [22].
Tok code (ตอกโค้ด) — tok khot. A code punched into a coin; tok means to hammer in [1]. A 2023 news report put coins of one Luang Pu Heng issue stamped with the code 168 at about THB 10,000 each [26]. Thairath lists serial-coded pieces among sought-after items [19].
Yant (ยันต์) — yan. A grid or line drawing of numerals, characters or images, drawn on, tattooed into or engraved on cloth, skin, wood or metal [1]. A 2012 study calls yant condensed Buddhist and other stories in shapes, characters, numbers and incantations [15].
Akkhara Khom (อักขระขอม) — akkhara khom. Akkhara means letters; Khom means the ancient Khmer [1]. Khom Thai script derives from ancient Khmer, and yant characters stand for shortened Pali prayers [16].
BE / Phutthasakkarat (พุทธศักราช, abbreviated พ.ศ.) — phutthasakkarat. Years counted from the Buddha's passing [1], [6]. Subtract 543 to get the Common Era year; Thailand adopted BE officially in 1912 [6].
Ceremonies: phutthaphisek and pluk sek
Phutthaphisek (พุทธาภิเษก) — phutthaphisek. A rite to consecrate Buddha images or sacred objects. Senior monks skilled in meditation sit in it and direct their minds onto the objects [1]. A 2022 journal article calls it a hub of activities that build public faith [14].
Khana prok (คณะปรก) — khana prok. The group of monks who sit in meditation during a consecration such as phutthaphisek [1].
Pluk sek (ปลุกเสก) — pluk sek. To incant over an object so that it becomes ขลัง, potent or sacred in the practitioner's belief [1]. Sek alone means to recite a mantra to make something sacred [1].
Khatha (คาถา) — khatha. A Pali verse; khatha akhom is an incantation regarded as sacred [1]. A khatha is recited to consecrate a yant [16].
Sai sin (สายสิญจน์) — sai sin. Raw white thread folded into 3 or 9 strands for religious rites, such as for monks to hold while chanting [1].
Market terms: chao phra, sian and contests
Chao phra (เช่าพระ) — chao phra. To buy a Buddha image or amulet for worship [1]. Chao usually means "to rent," so English writers often say "rent" [1], [21]. Bucha phra (บูชาพระ) is used the same way [1].
Sian phra (เซียนพระ) — sian phra. Sian, a Chinese loanword, figuratively means an expert [1]. Thairath puts it simply: a real sian phra must genuinely know amulets [20].
Thae and kae (แท้ / เก๊) — thae, ke. Genuine versus fake; ke, from Chinese, means imitated to mislead [1]. Forgeries are common, and rare pieces often need expert authentication [7].
Song phra (ส่องพระ) — song phra. Song means to peer at closely, as through a lens [1]. Daily News runs amulet features titled ส่องพระยอดนิยม [24].
Prakuat phra (ประกวดพระ) — prakuat phra. Prakuat means a judged competition [1]. Daily News carried an invitation from officers of the Thai amulet collectors' association to the 17th Si Racha amulet contest, 25–26 April 2026 [24].
Certificate (ใบรับรอง) — bai rap rong. A paper recording that a piece was checked. Daily News described pieces guaranteed by a ใบรับรอง from the Thai amulet collectors' association [24]. Thairath lists certificates and contest awards as value factors [19].
Liam phra (เลี่ยมพระ) — liam phra. To encase an amulet in metal so it does not break [1]. Protective casings are common [7].
Benjapakee (เบญจภาคี) — benchaphakhi. A set of five famous amulets, grouped around BE 2490 [2]. They are Phra Somdej, Nang Phaya, Kamphaeng Sum Kor, Phong Suphan and Phra Rod [3].
Tha Phrachan (ท่าพระจันทร์) — tha phra chan. A Bangkok pier beside Thammasat University, known as an amulet marketplace [8], [7].
In our observed listing prices, series titles combine these words: image or monk, temple, mould and BE year, as in "Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang Pim Yai (BE 2409–2415)" [28].
Where to see pieces like this — Our sister shop, Shogun X Amulets, has a page on Thai amulet terms: https://shogunxamulets.com/%f0%9d%98%be%f0%9d%99%a4%f0%9d%99%a2%f0%9d%99%a2%f0%9d%99%a4%f0%9d%99%a3-%f0%9d%99%a9%f0%9d%99%9a%f0%9d%99%a7%f0%9d%99%a2%f0%9d%99%a8-%f0%9d%99%9e%f0%9d%99%a3-%f0%9d%99%aa%f0%9d%99%a8%f0%9d%99%9a/. Disclosure: Shogun X Amulets and ThaiAmuletExchange.com are run by the same group.