What is this word in Thai?

[Deserted]

I can't find it in the dictionaries and wanted to leave it out of the title in case someone racked with guilt comments without answering but what is 'sleazy' in Thai?

 

I wanted to say 'Pattaya is too sleazy' but couldn't get the meaning across. 

 

So how is that said in Thai?

[Oxx]

LEXiTRON gives สกปรก -/sòkˑkaˑpròk/.

 

On the web it's been translated as ไม่แข็ง - /mây khɛ̌ŋ/.

[bannork]

This looks like a tricky one Deserted.

Pattaya is too sleazy-   To me sleazy means lowlife- tricksters, prostitutes, drug dealers, rip-off merchants.

 

The dictionaries say สกปรก  for example จิตใจสกปรก- dirty mind

พูดจาสกปรก- foul mouthed

 เขาเป็นคนสกปรก เล่นสกปรก. a dirty player, a cheat

Then some dictionaries say  โสโครก meaning dirty, filthy or bad, ie  a bad character คนเลว so we can have คนโสโครก 

Then there is dishonest-  ไม่ซื่อสัตย์

I'm sure someone else can come along with something better but I would say something along the lines of-

พัทยามีคนสกปรกและไม่ซื่่อสัตย์เยอะเเยะ Pattaya has many sleazy people- Pattaya has a lot of low life 

[Deserted]

It can and is defined as above low-quality/character with sexual content or references included. Yes its true you could say จิตใจสกปรก, that's quite close from what I understand we use that to describe people and not places. 

[Deserted]

13 hours ago, Oxx said:

LEXiTRON gives สกปรก -/sòkˑkaˑpròk/.

 

On the web it's been translated as ไม่แข็ง - /mây khɛ̌ŋ/.

Neither of those are very accurate. 

[Oxx]

4 minutes ago, Deserted said:

Neither of those are very accurate. 

 

Well, at least I was able to look up the word in a dictionary - something that was apparently beyond your capabilities.  You come across as being an ungrateful little <deleted>.

[Deserted]

lol but you didn't and you haven't helped at all. Any fool can say 'On the web its translated as'...

[eric67]

If you don’t mind a bit formal word with a Buddhist background then you could go with อบายมุข 

 

It has a negative feeling to it, so it probably wouldn’t work if you actually consider sleazy to be a good thing 

[Deserted]

Thanks...yes some people do think sleazy is good...well not some, quite a lot actually.

[Deserted]

1 hour ago, eric67 said:

If you don’t mind a bit formal word with a Buddhist background then you could go with อบายมุข 

 

It has a negative feeling to it, so it probably wouldn’t work if you actually consider sleazy to be a good thing 

That's exactly the word I was looking for, thank you very much.

[bannork]

i always thought อบายมุข was a good word for vices.

Numbers 1,2, 3, 5, 6  in the example below definitely apply to Pattaya

 

http://thaihealthlife.com/อบายมุข6/

 

[tgeezer]

2 hours ago, bannork said:

i always thought อบายมุข was a good word for vices.

Numbers 1,2, 3, 5, 6  in the example below definitely apply to Pattaya

 

http://thaihealthlife.com/อบายมุข6/

 

 

Only the poster knows what feelings are evoked by sleazy and if อบายมุข does the job,. fair enough, but it is a noun and sleazy is an adjective. 

  

My OED of the sixties has sleazy as an adjective meaning flimsy, of cloth and there is a definition of flimsy in Longdo ไม่น่าชั่วถือ ไม่นับถือ which some people might say of Pattaya.  

สกปรก is to be soiled or stained by something น่าเกลียด or ไม่ชอบ etc. So I wouldn’t write off สกปรก . 

 พัทยาเป็นที่สกปรกเกินไป Pattaya is too dirty. 

Can you say พัทยาเป็นอบายมุข Pattaya is sin, indolence, etc. 

[jenny2017]

This website is pretty good:

 

       https://www.english-thai.net/index.php?q=sleazy

[digbeth]

หื่น is colloquial but can be used as adjective for both place and person

 

เขาเป็นคนหื่น

 

พัทยาเป็นเมื่องหื่น(ๆ)

[digbeth]

another good word to describe 'improper' place is อโคจร

 

โคจร is orbit, with อ as *anti- * infront

 

used in the monkhood to describe places that monks shouldn't visit, bars, womens, entertainment etc.

 

พัทยาเป็นเมืองอโคจร

[Sweet memory 80s]

2 hours ago, digbeth said:

another good word to describe 'improper' place is อโคจร

 

โคจร is orbit, with อ as *anti- * infront

 

used in the monkhood to describe places that monks shouldn't visit, bars, womens, entertainment etc.

 

พัทยาเป็นเมืองอโคจร

Seems the closest that can be, I agree with K. Digbeth.

 

Again remember that to express any feeling out in english and thai ways may be different, not directly translated each word. 

Literally อโคจร sounds neutral but for thai perception the word is associated with negative thing and yes it's adjective. 

I also can't think of any original thai words other than the Pali/Sanskrit loan words.

[tgeezer]

Does ‘too’ mean anything to people? I think that เกินไป is very similar in meaning, in fact I see ‘too’ when I see เกินไป. In spite of what Sweet memory 80s says I think if เกินไป can’t be applied to the Thai word you haven’t got the word. 

Too sleezy means more than sleezy, it means more sleezy than desirable, , eg.  dirty is acceptable but too dirty is not. 

[carlyai]

LEXiTRON gives สกปรก -/sòkˑkaˑpròk/.

The way I interpret this word in the Thai language is meaning 'dirty'.
Like in 'they are "sokkaprok"', or ' their house is "sokkaprok" or when referring to someone, just a shake of the head and comment "sokkaprok".

So it could refer to Pattaya, and would probably encompass the sleazy notion.

Great word but...[emoji3] and ...nothing wrong with a bit of sleezyness, which should be equated with 'sanook'.

Bangkok was 'fun city' when I lived there not 'sleazy city'.



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[carlyai]

LEXiTRON gives สกปรก -/sòkˑkaˑpròk/.

The way I interpret this word in the Thai language is meaning 'dirty'.
Like in 'they are "sokkaprok"', or ' their house is "sokkaprok" or when referring to someone, just a shake of the head and comment "sokkaprok".

So it could refer to Pattaya, and would probably encompass the sleazy notion.

Great word but...[emoji3] and ...nothing wrong with a bit of sleezyness, which should be equated with 'sanook'.

Bangkok was 'fun city' when I lived there not 'sleazy city'.



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I see that a 19th holer agrees.
One could never suggest that golf is sleazy, it's 'sanook'. Nice caddies as well. [emoji3]

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[digbeth]

another word that's a bit more emotional is จัญไร

 

literally it's the opposite of auspicious

 

but when used to describe people it takes on the meaning more of an '<deleted>' 

 

there'll probably never be a 1:1 translation that fits perfectly, the point of having a broad vocabulary is that you can select what's appropriate according to context

[tgeezer]

หื่น is colloquial but can be used as adjective for both place and person
 
เขาเป็นคนหื่น
 
พัทยาเป็นเมื่องหื่น(ๆ)

I can't see how หื่น can apply to something to which อยากได้ can be applied unless the meanings have changed quite radically. I have a similar problem with โคจร but since that word has the support of Sweet memory 86s who is presumably a native speaker my curiosity is aroused.
I cannot find อโคจร in the RID which is explained by อ being used to negate or show opposite meaning to a Sandscrit or pali word which โคจร is not.
So uses and meanings have changed. There is a word which describes the route taken by monks in their daily collection of offerings, โคจรคาม which I can see might create the meaning of places where monks may go.
I have to admit that my method of enquiry is more akin to researching Shakspeare, however if anyone does have any ideas I would be interested.


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[tgeezer]

20 hours ago, digbeth said:

another word that's a bit more emotional is จัญไร

 

literally it's the opposite of auspicious

 

but when used to describe people it takes on the meaning more of an '<deleted>' 

 

there'll probably never be a 1:1 translation that fits perfectly, the point of having a broad vocabulary is that you can select what's appropriate according to context

This is my point exactly, I had to look up จัญไร ว. เลวทราม, เป็นเสนียด, ไม่มงคล, จังไร ก็ว่า 

I don’t learn anything from that unless I am trying to translate something that I have read. That context will provide a thing to which จัญไร can be applied. 

 

So if จัญไร can mean sleazy of Pattaya, we should write that sentence, then Sweet memory 86s can tell us if we are correct or not.  I promise to shut up and not ask for more in that case.   

Simailarly,  if SM86s,(Excuse the liberty) could have provided a sentence about Pattaya containing อโคจร, we would all have learned something. 

One wonders what deserted did with อุบายมุข which apparently answered his question but didn’t help me because it seems to mean ‘the road to perdition’. The topic would have been closed had he writtten how Thais say; “Pattaya is too sleazy’ containing the word อุบายมุข.

                                    

Edited March 28, 2018 by tgeezer

[bannork]

Here's a headline tgeezer using อบายมุข as a noun

https://www.sanook.com/travel/1401567/   Pattaya, the city of vice. Pattya, sin city.

Time to add another adjective I think. In this link below which gives the views of  several Thais who have visited Pattaya, these two words appear again and again  เสื่อมโทรม decadent, degenerate or dare I say it? sleazy

Here are 2 examples and here is the link.

แหล่งเสื่อมโทรม สกปรก ขยะเยอะ มาเฟียแยะ นักท่องเที่ยวชั้นล่าง เมืองปิงปอง ไม่น่าเที่ยวค่ะ

ส่วนตัวไม่ค่อยชอบเท่าไหร่ มองว่าดูเสื่อมโทรม อบายมุขเยอะ 

https://pantip.com/topic/31601135

 

 

[tgeezer]

Thanks bannork. From the ‘sanook’ you would have to say that อบายมุข was not to be taken literally.   It means the ways which lead to ruination and as you have probably found, there are two sets of activities No.1 has four ways:  being a womaniser, a drinker, a gambler and keeping bad company. No. 2, has six ways: drinking, going out after dark, going to ดูการเล่น, gambling, befriending bad people, and being lazy at work. 

Incorporating it into everyday language and making light of it พัทยาเมืองอบายมุข would seem to be a good use. 

Had the last way in No.2 not mentioned work we might call it sloth, which amused me because I heard on the Beeb today from “Boswell’s Lives”, that he felt that sloth was a virtue because if one was slothful it would be difficult to sin. 

 

As you say อบายมุข is a noun but it is easy to see how one might make a verb of it, Thai is flexible. 

The quotes you have are not flattering are they? 

according to the RID แหล่งเสื่อมโทรม refers to the area being rundown, or, the people being crowded together (แออัด).

  

If I were to translate; แหล่งเสื่อมโทรม สกปรก ขยะเยอะ มาเฟียแยะ นักท่องเที่ยวชั้นล่าง เมืองปิงปอง ไม่น่าเที่ยวค่ะ Run down place, dirty, lots of rubbish, lots of mafia, low class tourists, ‘ping pong town’, not worth visiting. 

Very subjective, not worth it= ไม่น่า ! 

Thanks for the references, I am too busy to do my own research. 

   

 

 

 

 

[surfdog]

it's possible that the problem with finding the right adjective is because there would be a different set of adjectives for people vs. cities.  In English of course sleazy can be used for both.

 

I have no idea what the word is, but I think it is pretty common in Thai to refer to 'sleazy' places as having "พวกมาเฟีย".    At least that is how I would approach the conversation.

 

I think the meaning is pretty clear that you think Pattaya is a sleazy place if it is full of  a 'bunch of gangs.'  The sleazyness comes from the gangs, who prey, con, rip off, pimp, etc.

[digbeth]

8 hours ago, surfdog said:

it's possible that the problem with finding the right adjective is because there would be a different set of adjectives for people vs. cities.  In English of course sleazy can be used for both.

 

I have no idea what the word is, but I think it is pretty common in Thai to refer to 'sleazy' places as having "พวกมาเฟีย".    At least that is how I would approach the conversation.

 

I think the meaning is pretty clear that you think Pattaya is a sleazy place if it is full of  a 'bunch of gangs.'  The sleazyness comes from the gangs, who prey, con, rip off, pimp, etc.

เถื่อน literally wild is used in this context

 

พัทยาเป็นเมืองเถื่อน

 

here's a scene from a Thai movie that's become a meme

 

[surfdog]

1 hour ago, digbeth said:

เถื่อน literally wild is used in this context

 

พัทยาเป็นเมืองเถื่อน

 

here's a scene from a Thai movie that's become a meme

 

sounds like a winner, best translation on google for 'tuan' is illicit.  An illicit city, or 'sin city', definitely carries the connotation of sleazy.  Although the subtitles go for 'it's a jungle' seems like the real meaning was like "it's <deleted> sin city around here"

[bannork]

เถี่อน is a great word, often used to refer to wild animals, illegal things i.e. pirate CDs, outlaws, mafia, people beyond the law.  Sin City .

Or more gently

 

[tgeezer]

On 27/03/2018 at 1:48 PM, tgeezer said:

. 

I cannot find อโคจร in the RID which is explained by อ being used to negate or show opposite meaning to a Sandscrit or pali word which โคจร is not.
.
This is what I wrote I earlier and it is wrong , อโคจร is a word. 

 

สถานที่โลกีย์ is another  way of describing Pattaya apparently, but since i can’t find it in Longdo dictionary it is probably formal. It means: To do with worldly things. 
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[AYJAYDEE]

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-thai/sleazy