Katoey (Kathoey): What the Word Means and Life in Thailand Today
Updated: Oct 4
Last checked: 30 September 2026
Short answer: Kathoey (Thai: กะเทย, also spelled katoey) is the Thai word most people use for transgender women. It's often translated as "ladyboy" in English. The word is older and broader than "transgender," and not every Thai trans woman likes it. Many prefer phuying kham phet (transgender woman) or sao praphet song ("a second kind of woman").
Below is what the word means, where it came from, what Thai law says in 2026, and what life looks like today, with a source for every fact.
What does kathoey mean?
In everyday Thai, kathoey now refers mainly to trans women, meaning people assigned male at birth who live as women. The International Labour Organization's 2014 study notes that the word once had broader, medical meanings, and that some trans women embrace it while others reject it.
You'll see it written several ways in English: kathoey, katoey, katoy and k'teuy. They are all the same Thai word. "Kathoey" is the spelling most people search for.
Related Thai terms you'll hear:
Researcher Sam Winter found that many trans women he surveyed simply called themselves phuying, which means "women."
Is "kathoey" offensive? What about "ladyboy"?
It depends on who's speaking and how. Human Rights Watch says kathoey is "sometimes translated as 'transgender woman'". Some people use it with pride, while others hear it as a put-down, especially in the teasing form kathoey-saloey.
"Ladyboy" is the English word most visitors know. Some trans women use it about themselves, and others don't like it. There's no survey that settles this. The safe, respectful approach is to use the word the person uses for herself. If you're unsure, say "trans woman."
A short history
Historian Peter Jackson traces how kathoey once meant any person who didn't fit the expected gender role, a kind of "third sex" (phet thi-sam). Today it's used almost only for people assigned male at birth. He dates the rise of today's gender and sexual identities in Thailand to the 1960s.
Buddhism shapes a lot of Thai attitudes. A traditional belief says being kathoey is the result of karma from a past life. Some monks push back on that. Phra Shine Waradhammo argues that mistreating LGBT people goes against the Buddha's teachings.
The cabaret stage made kathoey famous abroad. Tiffany's Show in Pattaya began in 1974, and it still runs today.
What does Thai law say in 2026?
ID and title: no legal change yet. Thai ID cards still carry the birth-sex title (Nai, Nangsao, Nang). As of March 2026, there's still no legal way for a trans person to change it. Several gender recognition bills are pending (Outright International). The House voted down one such bill in February 2024, 257 to 154 (The Nation).
Anti-discrimination: yes. The Gender Equality Act of 2015 bans discrimination against people whose appearance differs from their birth sex, with exceptions for religion and national security (Human Rights Watch).
Marriage: yes, since 23 January 2025. Thailand's marriage equality law opened marriage to any two people (Library of Congress). Because gender recognition doesn't exist yet, a trans woman still marries under her birth-sex legal identity.
Military draft: Trans women whose papers still say male must attend the April draft to collect an exemption. Since 2011, the exemption paper no longer calls them mentally ill (PSSAT, Mothership, April 2026).
How many kathoey are there in Thailand?
Nobody knows for sure. There's no official count (Sexual Medicine, 2022). A 2015 Ministry of Public Health working estimate put the number of trans women at about 313,747 (IHRI fact sheet). Treat that as a rough figure, not a census.
Life today: visible, but not equal
Thailand's trans women are highly visible in entertainment, beauty and pageants:
Miss Tiffany's Universe 2026 was won by Theerachaya "Book" Pimkitidech on 1 March 2026 in Pattaya (Thairath).
Miss International Queen 2026, the world's best-known trans pageant, was held in Pattaya on 19 September 2026. Lo Colby of the USA won, and Thailand's Theerachaya was first runner-up (Dan Tri).
Nong Toom (Parinya Charoenphol), the Muay Thai champion, had her story told in the film Beautiful Boxer (Wikipedia).
In 2019, four trans MPs were elected to parliament (SCMP).
Visibility isn't the whole story. The ILO found that trans people face the biggest barriers to employment, and many get steered toward cabaret, beauty and entertainment work (ILO). In a job-application study, cisgender applicants got 24.1% more positive replies than trans applicants (UNDP "Denied Work"). A 2019 UNDP survey found attitudes toward LGBT people were mostly favourable, but trans women reported the most discrimination (UNDP).
Bangkok Pride keeps growing. The 2026 parade ran on 31 May along Silom, and organisers expected more than 200,000 people (Time Out Bangkok).
Quick answers
Is kathoey the same as transgender? Close, but not exactly. It's usually translated as "transgender woman," though historically it covered more people (HRW).
Are kathoey accepted in Thailand? Mostly tolerated, but not fully included. Attitudes are largely positive, and discrimination at work and in law still exists (UNDP).
Can a kathoey get married in Thailand? Yes. Since 23 January 2025, any two people can marry (Library of Congress).
Katoey or kathoey: which spelling is right? Both. They're two ways of writing กะเทย in English letters.
Keep reading
Real stories from Thai katoey women: Meet Shinny and 10 things to know about katoey culture
Thailand vs the Philippines: Thai kathoey vs Filipina transpinay
Travel and dating guides: Ladyboys in Thailand
Interviews and cabaret on video: Ladyboys Gone Wild
The full series: Watch on Hood Box Office
New every week: Katoey Profiles, one real katoey story in brief. Start with No. 1: Natalie from Chiang Mai.
Watch more interviews: Filipina Oprah on YouTube.
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