You've probably seen these faces somewhere in Thailand. Huge green giants with gold crowns. White monkeys with wide-open mouths. Some look pretty serious. Others have these big grins and slightly ridiculous expressions.
I've seen Ramakien characters in temples and on stages while travelling through Thailand, and something I find really interesting is how recognisable they become once you know what to look for.
Take Hanuman, for example. That white monkey face isn't somebody choosing a nice colour for a mask. It's part of how the character is traditionally shown. The green giant Thotsakan has his own look too, right down to the crown rising above his head.
And there are loads more. Different monkeys, giants, royal characters and mythical beings, all with their own features. So let's work through what you're actually looking at.
Thai Khon masks identify characters from the Ramakien, Thailand's version of the Rama epic. Their colours, facial shapes, teeth, mouths, crowns and other details follow traditional character designs. These features help people recognise the figure and, in many cases, understand something about their rank or character type.
So what actually is a Khon mask?
A Khon mask, often called a hua khon, is a traditional character headpiece associated with Thailand's classical Khon dance drama.
Khon performers act out episodes from the Ramakien. You've got Phra Ram, the monkey army led by characters including Hanuman, and the giant king Thotsakan with his forces. The stories are full of battles, adventures, disguises and some fairly unbelievable things.
The masks make characters recognisable, even when performers are moving across a large stage. A monkey isn't just "a monkey". It might be Hanuman, Nilaphat or another named warrior. The same goes for the giants.
And despite the phrase "masked dance", not every performer in modern Khon has their face covered. Monkey and giant characters are the groups most associated with full masks today. Royal heroes and female characters are usually shown with stylised make-up and elaborate headdresses.
If you're wondering how the dancing, narration, costume and music all come together, I've explained that in our guide to what Khon actually is .
First, work out whether you're looking at a monkey or a giant
This is where I'd start. Don't worry about names yet. Look at the overall face.
Monkey masks have animal-like features, with different muzzle shapes, mouths, fangs and expressions. Giant masks are often more imposing, with broad faces, prominent eyes, fangs and elaborate headwear.
Some characters have features that make the difference obvious straight away. Others are less easy to tell apart, especially if you only get a quick look.
Thailand Foundation notes that the Khon tradition includes a very large cast of mask designs, with more than a hundred giant types and dozens of monkey types described in the tradition. So two masks looking quite similar is hardly surprising.
For getting started, though, there are two faces well worth learning.
Hanuman: the white monkey with the open mouth
If you're going to remember one monkey mask, make it Hanuman.
He's the famous white monkey warrior who helps Phra Ram in the Ramakien. He's brave, clever, sometimes pretty cheeky and gets involved in loads of the story's biggest adventures.
His traditional Khon mask is especially easy to recognise because of its white face, open mouth and gold coronet. Those details are specifically documented by the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles.
How to spot Hanuman
- Face: White monkey face.
- Mouth: Usually shown open in his familiar traditional form.
- Headwear: A gold coronet.
- Character: Phra Ram's famous monkey warrior.
The white face is the easiest bit to remember. But I wouldn't identify every white monkey figure as Hanuman without checking the other details. Khon has a lot of characters, and colour alone isn't always enough.
His actual story is pretty entertaining too. You can read more about Hanuman's adventures in the Thai Ramakien .
Thotsakan: the green giant with the extraordinary crown
Then you've got Thotsakan. He's the ruler of Langka and Phra Ram's main enemy in the Ramakien.
His mask is one of the best examples of just how specific Khon character design can get.
The face is traditionally green, with the imposing features of a yak character. But the really unusual part is what happens above the face.
Thotsakan is the ten-faced king. Traditional representations can show the extra faces arranged in the elaborate structure rising from his head. You don't need ten separate human heads sticking out in different directions to show the idea. Thai artists developed a much more controlled way of representing them.
How to spot Thotsakan
- Face: Traditionally green.
- Features: Powerful giant face with prominent fangs.
- Crown: Elaborate structure representing his many faces.
- Character: King of Langka in the Ramakien.
What I find especially interesting is how this works visually. Once you've seen a proper Thotsakan mask, that tall headpiece becomes something you can recognise elsewhere in Thailand.
Just be careful with the green. Thotsakan isn't the only green giant in the Ramakien. The Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles also documents the green mask of Mangkonkan, another giant character. So a green face on its own doesn't prove who it is.
There's a lot more going on with him than just his appearance. Our Thotsakan character guide explores the king behind the mask.
What do the different Khon mask colours mean?
This is where it's tempting to make a really easy colour chart.
White means this. Green means that. Red means something else.
But that would be misleading.
In Khon, colours help identify particular characters and character traditions. You can't reliably take every colour and give it one simple personality meaning.
A much better way to learn is to start with confirmed character examples.
Hanuman is famously shown with a white monkey face. It's one of the quickest ways to begin recognising him, especially when combined with his mouth and coronet.
Thotsakan has a green giant face. So does Mangkonkan, another giant. Look at the crown and other features before deciding which character you're seeing.
Nilaphat is a black monkey warrior and provides a useful contrast with Hanuman. The two even appear together in traditional Khon performance.
Khon masks also use other colours across the much larger cast of monkeys, giants and mythical beings. You need the character's full design to identify them confidently.
There's another thing worth knowing
A character's face colour and the colours of their costume aren't always doing exactly the same job. Phra Ram, for example, has his own green visual identity in Thai performance tradition, but that doesn't make him a green-faced giant.
He belongs to the royal hero group, and modern Khon generally presents that kind of character through make-up and headdress rather than a full giant mask.
Now look closer: the mouth, eyes, teeth and crown
Once you know the main colours, look at the face itself. There's loads of detail there.
Two characters might share a similar colour but have very different mouths, facial shapes or headwear. Those features can be the difference between a good guess and actually recognising someone.
Open or closed, showing teeth or fangs, the mouth changes the whole expression and helps distinguish character designs.
Different eye shapes and strongly drawn eyebrows help build the face and its recognisable expression.
Height, silhouette and decoration can tell you a lot about identity and status. Thotsakan's many-faced crown is a famous example.
Side pieces, ear shapes and raised decorative work are part of the complete design. They can help separate similar-looking masks.
This is the bit I think is most useful if you're travelling. Rather than trying to memorise a giant chart of characters, pick one mask and properly look at it. The more faces you recognise, the easier the next one becomes.
How are traditional Khon masks actually made?
This is where I started appreciating them even more. The finished masks look so precise that you could easily forget somebody has to build every part.
And they're not simply carved out of one piece of wood.
Traditional Khon mask-making uses a built-up shell, usually involving layers of paper over a model, followed by separate details and a lot of careful surface work.
SACIT has published a technical explanation of the process. There are variations in materials and working methods, but the main stages give you a good idea of how much work is involved.
Layers of paper are applied over a prepared model using paste. The layers are pressed down carefully to create the main head shape.
Once the paper shell has dried, it is separated from the model, trimmed and joined back together to create the head.
Ears, brows, side pieces and other details are attached. Traditional methods can use shaped leather and raised decorative material.
Raised patterns are added with traditional lacquer-based materials. Some of this work needs a long drying period before the mask can move to the next stage.
Gold leaf, coloured paint and decorative details finish the character's appearance. The final result needs to follow the recognised design of that character.
Some of these stages take ages. Thailand Foundation notes that making a single traditional mask can take months, depending on its complexity.
Which makes sense when you think about it. You're building a recognisable character, working with traditional materials, keeping all the details in proportion and finishing something that needs to look right from every angle.
Why the masks are treated with so much respect
There's also something about Khon masks that isn't obvious from looking at a photograph.
Within the performance tradition, they can have a ceremonial and sacred role. Thailand Foundation describes masks being treated with reverence, including during rituals connected with teachers and the transmission of Khon knowledge.
That includes traditions such as wai khru, paying respect to teachers, and khrob khru, an initiation ceremony in which special headpieces are placed on students.
So when we see a Khon mask being sold, displayed in a museum or turned into a decorative design, we're seeing one part of a much bigger tradition. Its place in performance and teaching goes well beyond the object itself.
Those faces appear in Thai murals as well
This is one of my favourite connections.
If you've spent time looking at Ramakien paintings in Thailand, you'll notice the same kind of visual language. The crowns, giant faces, monkey features and characteristic colours aren't limited to the stage.
They're part of how these characters are shown across Thai art.
The Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles also explains that make-up artists working with royal and female Khon roles study traditional Thai mural painting to recreate those distinctive faces on performers.
I really like that relationship. You're seeing characters painted in temples and then seeing them interpreted through real performers. Once you recognise a face, the connection between the two becomes much easier to follow.
If you're interested in the paintings themselves, you can explore the characters and stories in Thailand's Ramakien murals .
A simple way to recognise a Khon mask when you see one
You really don't need to learn every character before any of this becomes interesting.
I'd start with three things.
Does it look like a monkey, a giant or another mythical character? That narrows things down immediately.
White might make you think of Hanuman. Green might bring Thotsakan to mind. Treat colour as a clue, not proof.
This is where the more specific details often become useful. Look at the silhouette, the fangs, the mouth and the headwear.
A museum label, mural scene or performance programme can confirm which named character you're actually looking at.
And if you can recognise Hanuman and Thotsakan already, you're doing pretty well. They're two of the most useful characters to know when you're starting to explore the Ramakien.
There's a lot more to Thailand than the masks
Explore Thailand Thailand More of the food, stories, symbols, traditions and everyday things that make Thailand interesting.There's a reason these faces make such good subjects for art
The colours, expressions and shapes of Khon masks are pretty amazing before you even know who's who.
But I think the designs become far more interesting once you understand the characters. Hanuman isn't a random white monkey. Thotsakan isn't just a green face with a crown. There's a whole story behind them.
That's the connection behind our Thai Khon and Hanuman prints.
Explore Thai Khon & Hanuman printsThai Khon Performer Collage Poster
A contemporary design connected to Thailand's Khon performance tradition and the distinctive character imagery we've been exploring.
View the print →Khon mask FAQs
What are Thai Khon masks used for?
Khon masks are traditional character headpieces used in Thai classical performance. They help identify monkey, giant and other characters from the Ramakien. Some masks also have ceremonial importance within the tradition.
What does a white Khon mask mean?
Hanuman is the best-known example of a white-faced Khon monkey character. But colour alone shouldn't be used to identify an unknown mask. The facial features and headwear also need to match.
Why is Thotsakan's mask green?
Green is part of Thotsakan's established visual identity in Thai Khon and Ramakien art. It helps identify the character, but green isn't exclusive to him or a universal sign that a character is evil.
Do Khon mask colours all have a meaning?
Colour is an important part of traditional character design. However, there isn't one simple colour chart that accurately explains every mask. Colour needs to be read together with the face, crown and character type.
What are traditional Khon masks made from?
Traditional masks can use layered paper, paste, leather, lacquer-based decoration, gold leaf and paint. The exact materials and processes vary between makers and mask types.
How long does it take to make a Khon mask?
A detailed traditional mask can take months to complete. Building the shell, attaching ornaments, drying lacquer and finishing the surface are separate stages that all take time.
Are Khon masks sacred?
Khon masks can have a sacred and ceremonial role within the performance tradition. They are treated with respect and feature in rituals connected with teachers and artistic training. Decorative reproductions don't necessarily have the same context.
Do all Thai Khon performers wear masks?
No. In modern Khon, monkey and giant performers generally wear full masks. Male heroic and female roles usually use make-up and elaborate headdresses.
Sources & further reading
These are the cultural organisations and specialist resources I used to check the mask details, character identities and traditional craft methods.
- Thailand Foundation — Khon: The Crown Jewel of Thai Performance Arts
- Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles — Dressing Gods and Demons
- SACIT — Traditional Khon Mask Craft
- UNESCO — Khon, Masked Dance Drama in Thailand
- Thailand Foundation — Ramakien: Thailand's National Epic