kathoey or katoey ( Thai: %u0E01%u0E30%u0E40%u0E17%u0E22, IPA: [ka%u0294t%u02B0%u0264%u02D0j]) is sometimes referred to as ladyboys, or as sao (or phuying) praphet song ("a second kind of woman"), or phet thee sam (third sex), and generally refers to a male-to-female transgender girl or an effeminant gay male in Thailand.