Lakhon is an overall term referring to many forms of dance-drama in Thailand. It may derive from Java, where the plot of a performance is called lakon. The most archaic genre of lakhon is lakhon nora or nora from the Thai part of the Malay Peninsula, which will be discussed later. The most classical form is lakhon nai, developed at the courts of Ayutthaya and Bangkok and originally performed by royal maidens, while the popular form lakhon nok was originally performed by men.
In the nineteenth century international influences and theatrical realism led to even other forms of lakhon. The various genres differ in plot material and in some performance techniques. While nang yai and khon illustrate the events of the Ramakien and are quite epic in nature, only one of the lakhon genres bases its plots on the Ramakien. In the others, the plots are derived from the ancient Buddhist Jataka stories and folk-tales. Thus the lakhon plays often have a distinct fairy-tale character.