What is the street name for kratom?

Have you heard people talk about “Thang”, “ketum” or some “herbal powder” and wondered if they meant kratom? Are you trying to figure out what people actually say on the street instead of the formal word kratom? This guide explains what the street name for kratom is, which slang names are used in different regions, and how kratom hides on labels, so read on if you want a clear, practical answer.

Why kratom has so many names

Because kratom sits between traditional use, wellness marketing and drug regulation, the language around it is fragmented:

• botanists and regulators use Mitragyna speciosa or kratom
• people in Southeast Asia use long-standing local names
• law-enforcement and educational fact sheets record “street titles”
• brands invent appealing product names and “strains”

The result is simple: when people ask “What is the street name for kratom?” they usually discover that there are several overlapping nicknames, not one universal word.

Street names for kratom

If you search for kratom street names in government or public-health materials, you usually see the same short list repeated. A widely quoted fact sheet from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration lists the street title for kratom as“Thang, Kakuam, Thom, Ketum and Biak.” Other drug-information resources aimed at professionals and the public repeat similar names, sometimes adding extra variants such as “Biak-biak”, “Gratom” or “Ithang”.

In plain language, the most important documented kratom street names are:

• Thang – very short, easy to say and often cited as a common slang word for kratom.
• Kakuam and Thom / Ithang – names linked to Thai usage that have been carried into English-language materials.
• Ketum – a Malay word for the same tree and its leaves that became one of the best-known alternative names globally.
• Biak / Biak-biak – a regional term noted in Southeast Asian and English sources.

It is also important to remember that “kratom” itself is still the dominant term worldwide. Most e-shops, information sites and scientific papers use the English name kratom, and then add the smaller street-name variants only when necessary.

Local and traditional names for kratom around the world

Many terms that appear today as street names actually began as traditional or regional names. In Southeast Asia, where Mitragyna grows naturally, people have used local words for decades or centuries before kratom became a global topic.

Common local names for kratom include:

• Ketum – used in Malaysia and nearby areas, probably the origin of the English word kratom.
• Kakuam – mentioned in relation to Thailand.
• Katawn – reported on certain Indonesian islands.
• Kedemba – another name used in some parts of Indonesia.

For people living in these regions, these words are simply everyday language, not secret slang. When kratom went global, authors and agencies picked up these terms and listed them alongside English street names. That is why many modern lists mix local names and newer English nicknames in the same category.

How kratom is labelled in shops and online

In real life, many people encounter kratom first as a product, not as a botany topic. They see it in a vape shop, a smoke store, a head shop or an online marketplace. There, the plant rarely appears under only one secret slang term.

Instead, you will usually see the core word kratom prominently on the label. You can also see a strain or variety name such as “Maeng Da”, “Bali”, “Green Malay”, “Red Vein” or “White Borneo”. To describe the product people use “powder”, “tablets”, “leaf” or “extract”

Some brands also create lifestyle-style names like “Calm Blend”, “Focus Formula”, “Ultra Enhanced” or “Energy Shot”. Even in these cases, the ingredient panel typically mentions kratom or Mitragyna speciosa somewhere, because customers specifically search for those phrases.

Other names and labels that can hide kratom

In some markets, kratom does not stand openly on the front of the label. Instead, it hides behind generic or euphemistic descriptions, especially where regulations around herbal products are strict. That is where a lot of confusion comes from.

You may see kratom products described as herbal powder, herbal supplement or botanical blend, where kratom is one ingredient among others

These descriptions are not true street names, but they can make it harder for non-experts to see that kratom is involved. A parent or health professional might not realise that an innocent-looking “botanical shot” or “ethnobotanical” capsule contains the same plant that media and regulators are debating.

Conclusion: so, what is the street name for kratom?

If you are looking for one simple word, the honest answer is that there is no single, universal street name for kratom. Instead, kratom appears under a small family of well-documented nicknames. Official fact sheets and professional resources most commonly list “Thang”, “Kakuam”, “Thom”, “Ketum” and “Biak” as kratom street titles, while additional variants like “Biak-biak”, “Gratom”, “Ithang”, “Katawn”, “Kedemba” and “Ketum” come from regional or historical usage. In modern shops and online stores, kratom remains the main name on labels, typically supported by strain names and marketing descriptions rather than a single secret street term.