Calling anyone “nhoo” is not endearing, especially at work

[webfact]

 

By Nad Bunnag, Thai PBS World

 

We have heard people expressing their frustration of being called ‘girls’ at work, along with many other workplace micro-aggressions related to race, age and gender in recent years.

 

Meanwhile, in the Thai language, people are also frustrated with a similar, yet a complicated cultural problem, which is being called “nhoo” (หนู), literally “mouse”.

 

-What does it mean to be called “nhoo”?-

 

In Thai, “nhoo” (หนู) is often used as a pronoun referring to young children in an “endearing” sense. Adults would use “nhoo”, as in “you”, when talking to children and, in return, children would call themselves “nhoo”, as in “I”, when talking to adults.

 

The most common relationship where “nhoo” would be used is between children and their parents, children and elderly members of the family and students and teachers.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/calling-anyone-nhoo-is-not-endearing-especially-at-work/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-03-04

 

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[johnnybgood]

What a contrived article.  The word Noo may also mean rat.
In our village I personally know dozens of Khun Noos, Phee Noos and Nong Noos.

Of both sexes. They are all addressed as Noo.

Alas, no fisticuffs yet.

 

 

[proton]

Near us we have nongs, Google, Facebook and twins Pizza and Hamburger. I am not making this up, I wish I was. There used to be nong Iphone but he moved. Noo is the least of their worries. 

[lupin]

32 minutes ago, proton said:

Near us we have nongs, Google, Facebook and twins Pizza and Hamburger. I am not making this up, I wish I was. There used to be nong Iphone but he moved. Noo is the least of their worries. 

Totally agree... for me and where I am for example, completely surround by "twits" 

[KhaoNiaw]

47 minutes ago, johnnybgood said:

What a contrived article.  The word Noo may also mean rat.
In our village I personally know dozens of Khun Noos, Phee Noos and Nong Noos.

Of both sexes. They are all addressed as Noo.

Alas, no fisticuffs yet.

 

 

It's not contrived. It is used the way they describe. It's completely different from what you're saying where it's someone's actual nickname and you put khun, pee or nong in front of it. What they're talking about is where noo is used instead of the khun, pee or nong without the name.
It can sound condescending. But I think I still hear more women using it to refer to themselves than to others. Makes me smile when one of the 50+ year olds in our office refers to herself as noo. Maybe that's something that's changing with the younger generation - as language does. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, johnnybgood said:

What a contrived article.  The word Noo may also mean rat.
In our village I personally know dozens of Khun Noos, Phee Noos and Nong Noos.

Of both sexes. They are all addressed as Noo.

Alas, no fisticuffs yet.

 

 

My local win taxi rider is named Nhoo, 

[rwill]

My wife uses the term all of the time to call people, like at restaurants.  I always use 'nong'  but my wife uses 'nu'.  When I asked her about it she said because she is so old and they are like little kids.

[simon43]

Agree with rwill - it is very common for older adults to call young waitresses 'nu'.  I use it myself and I don't think that it is a condescending term - it basically indicates that I'm old!!

[sidneybear]

It's a term of endearment, which is perfectly acceptable in certain informal situations.

 

Thankfully, most Thais don't suffer from the woke mind virus, so wouldn't understand that whole microaggression oppressor/ oppressed Marxist ideological poison that's so common in the west.

[Gaccha]

I never say 'nu'. I always say 'nu, nu'. Much cuter. 

 

They'll be offended and feel you are harassing them if you are ugly. And if you look like you fell from heaven (and didn't hit any of the ugly branches on the way down) then you will feel like the best moment of their day. 

[josephbloggs]

8 hours ago, KhaoNiaw said:

It's not contrived. It is used the way they describe. It's completely different from what you're saying where it's someone's actual nickname and you put khun, pee or nong in front of it. What they're talking about is where noo is used instead of the khun, pee or nong without the name.
It can sound condescending. But I think I still hear more women using it to refer to themselves than to others. Makes me smile when one of the 50+ year olds in our office refers to herself as noo. Maybe that's something that's changing with the younger generation - as language does. 

You are correct. Thai females refer to themselves as Nhoo all the time, it is very common indeed.

[kickstart]

10 hours ago, KhaoNiaw said:

It can sound condescending. But I think I still hear more women using it to refer to themselves than to others. Makes me smile when one of the 50+ year olds in our office refers to herself as noo. Maybe that's something that's changing with the younger generation - as language does

My wife, well 50+ often says Noo when talking to some official Poo-Yai Bann/Gam-Nan, being two.

 She is just an ordinary person, and that is just because they are a bit higher up the ladder than her, even when they do not have, they Poo-Yai-Bann /Gam-Nan hat on, they are just farmers like us, I put down to the Thai class society. 

It might change in in places like city offices, but in rural areas I would say no way.

 

 

[BangkokReady]

OK, sure.  You can say that, as a girl, you don't want to be called something that suggests you are sweet and small (because some random feminist on tiktok told you that being a woman is bad and you have to want to be a man), just as long as you know the next time you try to use being a girl to get something, don't expect to actually get what you want.

[zzaa09]

20 hours ago, johnnybgood said:

What a contrived article.  The word Noo may also mean rat.
In our village I personally know dozens of Khun Noos, Phee Noos and Nong Noos.

Of both sexes. They are all addressed as Noo.

Alas, no fisticuffs yet.

 

 

The familiar address and rat have nothing to do with one another. Spelled and pronounced differently as well as completely different meanings. 

 

You might learn the complexities of the language before speaking of things you know nothing of.

[johnnybgood]

1 hour ago, zzaa09 said:

The familiar address and rat have nothing to do with one another. Spelled and pronounced differently as well as completely different meanings. 

 

You might learn the complexities of the language before speaking of things you know nothing of.

 "You might learn the complexities of the language before speaking of things you know nothing of."

Wow ....big wordies... yet another posting 'bot perhaps?

 

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

The familiar address and rat have nothing to do with one another. Spelled and pronounced differently as well as completely different meanings. 

 

You might learn the complexities of the language before speaking of things you know nothing of.

Can you explain a little please?  When I use Google translate on mouse and rat, they both translate to "หนู"

[1FinickyOne]

I have heard many Thai ladies refer to themselves as Nu... 

[BangkokReady]

30 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I have heard many Thai ladies refer to themselves as Nu... 

Of course.  In Thailand, most women are quite keen to be seen as a sweet little girl.  Whether that is good or bad isn't really an issue, as they are free to choose.

 

It's probably a noisy minority who have been influenced by Western ideas through social media to believe they should be constantly outraged and make claims of oppression.  It's basically some unhappy people following a trend.

[zoltannyc]

Posted 1 hour ago

  3 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

The familiar address and rat have nothing to do with one another. Spelled and pronounced differently as well as completely different meanings. 

 

You might learn the complexities of the language before speaking of things you know nothing of.

Can you explain a little please?  When I use Google translate on mouse and rat, they both translate to "หนู"

 

The poster is incorrect หนู - has several meanings and spelled and pronounced the same way, can mean 1.) a pronoun I, you, she and he. 2.) mouse 3.) rat.   Interestingly for computer mouse the Thai word is เมาส์, which is coming from English.

Explanation of other meanings here here: https://www.thai2english.com/dictionary/1414017.html

[zoltannyc]

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

Can you explain a little please?  When I use Google translate on mouse and rat, they both translate to "หนู"

The poster is incorrect หนู - has several meanings and spelled and pronounced the same way, can mean 1.) a pronoun I, you, she and he. 2.) mouse 3.) rat.   Interestingly for computer mouse the Thai word is เมาส์, which is coming from English.

Explanation of other meanings here here: https://www.thai2english.com/dictionary/1414017.html

[Tropposurfer]

We both use it as 'mouse' in our house between us as a term of endearment, love play, and flirting. And outside with kids as described by our learned A.N. colleagues.

[Artisi]

55 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Can you explain a little please?  When I use Google translate on mouse and rat, they both translate to "หนู"

Correct., just confirmed with the chief, same word for mouse or rat, to differenciate, use lek or yai  - small or big. 

[rabiedabruce]

But calling ho's 'ladies' is de rigueur.

[OneMoreFarang]

I started reading the article a few days ago. It seems some feminist wants attention.

Luckily in Thailand most people ignore those feminists. Good.

[tgeezer]

3 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

Can you explain a little please?  When I use Google translate on mouse and rat, they both translate to "หนู"

If you want to say rat use หนูใหญ่ 

 

[ozimoron]

5 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

The familiar address and rat have nothing to do with one another. Spelled and pronounced differently as well as completely different meanings. 

 

You might learn the complexities of the language before speaking of things you know nothing of.

Tell that to google translate. It translates "noo is going home" as this mouse is going home. I had an example of that at 3am this morning.

 

They are the same word and have the same spelling by the way. The word is often used as a nickname as well.

 

http://www.thai-language.com/id/131115

 

 

[ozimoron]

20 hours ago, simon43 said:

Agree with rwill - it is very common for older adults to call young waitresses 'nu'.  I use it myself and I don't think that it is a condescending term - it basically indicates that I'm old!!

หนูnuu,  fairly impolite 2nd person pronoun used to call over a waitress in a restaurant and a girl or woman working in a nightclub, café or escort business you.

 

You might consider using nong instead.

[simon43]

30 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

หนูnuu,  fairly impolite 2nd person pronoun used to call over a waitress in a restaurant and a girl or woman working in a nightclub, café or escort business you.

 

You might consider using nong instead.

I tend to use Nong for an adult or older teenager, but หนู for a younger girl of say 14 or 12 years old (yes, they do work in restaurants at that age, usually in the family restaurant).

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I tend to use Nong for an adult or older teenager, but หนู for a younger girl of say 14 or 12 years old (yes, they do work in restaurants at that age, usually in the family restaurant).

At that age, yes, appropriate. Noo is generally used in a sentence, less so to call someone.