Maechi
Nun in Thai Buddhism
Maechi, Maeji or Mae Chee (Thai: แม่ชี; IPA: [mɛ̂ː.t͡ɕʰiː]) are female Buddhist renunciants in Thailand. They renounce ordinary lay life to pursue an ascetic life of Buddhist practice. They observe eight or ten precepts, wear white robes, and formally occupy a position similar to that of a sāmaṇerī.
Overview
Like the thilashin of neighbouring Myanmar and the dasa sil mata of Sri Lanka, maechi occupy a position somewhere between that of an eight-precept Upasikā and a Buddhist Monk.
Like bhikkhus, maechis shave their heads and undertake precepts not generally observed by lay followers. Maechis most commonly receive these precepts from a qualified senior monk in a formal ordination ceremony. Maechis wear white robes, distinguishing them from both monks and lay people.
They are not ordained under 311 precepts ('bhikkhuni'). The full ordination is debated or illegal for women in some countries including Thailand since the original lineage of the historical Bhikkhuni Sangha dating back to Gautama Buddha died out between the 11th and 14th Century in Sri Lanka. In 1928 a law was created by the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand in line with attempts to preserve the distribution period (Sāsana) of the traditional early Buddhist Teachings.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Maechi” as nun in Thai Buddhism. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as nun in Thai Buddhism. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q458011. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1928.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Maechi” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.