ma lai

[maː˧˧ laːj˧˧]

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

(noun) a type of evil spirit in Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian folklore, appearing as a young beautiful woman with internal organs hanging from her neck where her torso should be; also known as กระสือ (grà-sʉ̌ʉ) in Thai and អាប (ʼaap) in Khmer

Noun

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Common questions

What does “ma lai” mean?

(noun) a type of evil spirit in Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian folklore, appearing as a young beautiful woman with internal organs hanging from her neck where her torso should be; also known as กระสือ (grà-sʉ̌ʉ) in Thai and អាប (ʼaap) in Khmer

Is “ma lai” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.