Friends who have just come into contact with Thai Buddhism do not know much about the title of Thai monks and are a little confused. Now let Xiaobian give you a reference to understand.

There are monks who practice at different levels in Thailand, or folk practitioners or masters are collectively referred to as masters. And the level of practice, the region is different, the title and appellation are also different.

Because of local differences, Thai monks are divided into the south and the north. The middle is the main category. Therefore, the names of monks in the three regions are also different. The monks are called "Cuba" in the northern part of Thailand, "Long Po" in the central part, and "Pochan" in the southern part.

The name of the monk in Thailand

Luang Phor: Luang Phor is the honorific title for holy monks in central Thailand. The pronunciation of "Dragon" has the meaning of public and national, and the pronunciation of "Po" means father and elder. When addressing senior monks or monks who preside over temples, it means "father", that is, "Master". Generally, monks between the ages of 30 and 60 can be called Long Po, followed by the name of the master.

LP (Luang Phu): Generally speaking, monks with more seniority and seniority are called, meaning grandfather. Please note that monks from 60 to 100 years old will be renamed LP from LP.

Luang Da generally refers to older monks, mostly relatives, meaning grandfather.

Luang Phi (Luang Phi): A younger monk, "appraisal" has the meaning of brother, and probably also means "senior brother".


Cuba (Khruba): Cuba is the honorific name for monks in northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai), generally wearing dark brown cassocks.


Potarm: Potarm is the honorific title for the eminent monks in southern Thailand.

Azan (Archan) is also translated as "Yazan", which is generally a term used by disciples to address their masters, so students also call teachers Azan, which means teacher. Ajahn can refer to monks, especially Thai forest monks. If we see monks but don't know what to call them, if we are worried about being rude and want to be safe, we can call monks Azan. "Azan" means "teacher", and every monk is a religious teacher. That's the most appropriate name to call it. In addition, Ajahn can also refer to lay monks and outsiders who practice at home. There are also Azan in white and Azan in black. Some lay practitioners in white clothes are also called white-robed Ajahns by Thai people. In addition to understanding Buddhist principles, they also practice some spells, such as thorns and head-dropping. Azan, who is dressed in black, usually lives in Cambodia and Myanmar. Please note that there are many Ajahns who are only practicing at home and have nothing to do with the Thai monk system per se.

The title of a monk in Thailand

Somdej: The highest title in Thai Buddhism, meaning holy monk, is the highest level among the 7-level monks in Thailand. It is used to address the monk king and elder, and must pass the honor of being conferred by the king of Thailand. For example, the founder of Somdej, Master Ajando. (Azando is just because of the transliteration of the name.)

Zhaokun: In the Thai monastic system, a monk in charge of a provincial capital. Including financial allocation, resource allocation, and the management of the monastery. Chao Kun is a level that must be personally appointed and awarded by the Thai royal family, for those masters who have a high level of practice and have contributed to social Buddhism.

Zhou Guan: The monks who are second only to the status of the monk king are selected according to the monk supervision office, mainly based on their contribution to the country and the degree of love of the people. They must be conferred by the king of Thailand.

Sangha: The highest official in the Thai Sangha system. The highest official of the "Monkey King Temple", the highest authority in charge of all monks' ID cards, passports, resource allocation, and temple management in Thailand. There is only one monk in the entire Thai Buddhist community who will be named the monk king, and the monk king is the highest authority in Thailand.