Why Do Some Foreigners in Thailand Still Call Other Foreigners “Farang” and is it Cringe?

[Ralf001]

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

R is used in many Thai words

 

Khrup

Chang (charng)

Sahm (sarm)

Farang (fararng)

 

 

I thought Farang was Farnag ?

[digger70]

On 2/28/2025 at 1:20 PM, Harrisfan said:

Most farang expats are idiots who can barely speak Thai. 

So ,it takes one toKnow one . You are included in the  : Most Farangs  Expats are Idiots :   😇

[NoDisplayName]

On 2/28/2025 at 1:00 PM, 123Stodg said:

So why does this habit persist?

 

Dunno.  I never do it.

 

When wife and I see other foreigners at the mall or market, we use the term "Laowai."

[erectem]

Never known "farang" to be derogatory unless preceded by "kii nok"  and even then (by the wife) not really  but certainly "ai eea"!

Rarely go to bars because of foriegners/expats/tourists ...I mean farangs!

[PomPolo]

It is not derogatory at all you farang

[carlyai]

1 hour ago, Harrisfan said:

R is used in many Thai words

 

Khrup

Chang (charng)

Sahm (sarm)

Farang (fararng)

 

 

You missed the point.

[Harrisfan]

Just now, carlyai said:

You missed the point.

Saw no point

[Harrisfan]

1 hour ago, digger70 said:

So ,it takes one toKnow one . You are included in the  : Most Farangs  Expats are Idiots :   😇

Thanks. Some guy on the internet said something 

[Bredbury Blue]

On 2/28/2025 at 2:00 PM, 123Stodg said:

One of the most awkward language habits I often see in Thailand is when foreigners refer to other foreigners as “Farang” while speaking with each other in English. Sure, it’s a term that some Thais still use to describe Westerners, but when used by an expat or tourist, it comes off as awkward and often just pretentious.

 

Are these people trying to sound more integrated into Thai culture? Is it an attempt to flaunt their (often very limited) Taxi-Thai language skills? In most cases, it seems to be short-term visitors or those with only a surface-level understanding of the Thai language who use “Farang” instead of simply saying “foreigner” or “Westerner.” They may think it makes them sound more in tune with local culture, but to many long-term expats, it just sounds unnatural and even cringy.

 

Most foreigners who have lived in Thailand for a long time don’t use the word “Farang” when speaking with other foreigners. They understand that in an English conversation, words like “expat,” “tourist,” "Westerner", or “foreigner” make more sense. The only real reason for a foreigner to even use “Farang” is when speaking Thai with a Thai person, especially if that Thai person doesn’t speak much English, but even then there are better words in Thai which don't carry any kind of negative stigma. 

 

So why does this habit persist? Maybe some foreigners enjoy peppering their English with the small handful of Thai words they know, hoping it adds a bit of local flair to their speech. But to others, it just sounds forced, unnatural, noob, and in poor taste. 

My experience is, in your early years here in Thailand you find the term farlang offensive, but after you've been here a while, and particularly if you have Thai spouse, Thai friends and Thai family, you no longer find it offensive and it feels natural to use the word farlang yourself.

[Sierra Tango]

8 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

 

 

 

So guys, now we are far out of line. If you don´t like a specific word, that´s your right. However, it´s time for some explaining. What makes it a derogatory term or form? You can not just take a word that is used in another language and give it the meaning you see it as or feel it might have. In Thai language "farang" is a word that describes all white-skinned foreigners (mainly westerners). Nothing more. School children are still sitting on the bus driving by our home, and when I am out they try and say hello in English, but some shout farang instead. They are just smiling and want to be seen, so I just smile back and wave at them. If foreigner use this word, it doesn´t matter at all, and the meaning, as they use it as a term from Thai language, does not change.

So, plainly, farang means foreigner in Thailand. I think some people have a hard time here. Never able to relax. You should lighten up guys, embrace the culture and stop making things so hard.

Well said Gottfrid.

My Thai Wife and I have been together for just over 30 years now. I consider myself reasonably versed in the nuances of the Thai language thanks to her determination to not let me be made to "lose face" in front of other Thais by showing an ignorance of the Thai languiage or customs. So, long story short, Farang / Falang is not derogatory and in fact is often used in a much more light hearted context.

 

Is there a minimum age stipulated to be able to sign up to this forum? If not, there really should be, because going by a great many of the comments on here (1,609 this week in one poster's case), that appear to have been posted by 5 year olds.

[sandyf]

On 2/28/2025 at 2:00 PM, jerrymahoney said:

As I see it 'farang' is just a corruption of the Thai word for French because, if you met a white person in SE Asia 100+ years ago, he was, on most occasions, French.

Quite,  for some reason the uninformed seem to think it means foreigner, but there is more foreigners in Thailand than there is farangs.

[Sierra Tango]

1 minute ago, sandyf said:

Quite,  for some reason the uninformed seem to think it means foreigner, but there is more foreigners in Thailand than there is farangs.

It does mean Foreigner (primarly white) and the French are refered to as Farng ses. As in Chinese being Chin and English Angrit, Cambodian Khemarn, Japan yippon and so on. This may differ between the Thai language dialects but you get my drift right?

[Kinok Farang]

Much ado about nothing.

Scrapping the bottom of the barrel here lads.

Some on here remind me of the behaviour of trannies in the west when you use the wrong pronoun.

[sandyf]

26 minutes ago, Sierra Tango said:

It does mean Foreigner (primarly white) and the French are refered to as Farng ses. As in Chinese being Chin and English Angrit, Cambodian Khemarn, Japan yippon and so on. This may differ between the Thai language dialects but you get my drift right?

No it doesn't.

Indeed the French are referred to as Farangses, which in modern times has been shortened to cover Europeans,  not foreigners.

[Sierra Tango]

3 minutes ago, sandyf said:

No it doesn't.

Indeed the French are referred to as Farangses, which in modern times has been shortened to cover Europeans,  not foreigners.

All White / Caucasians when first sigted are called farangs / foreigners.

[freedomnow]

2 hours ago, digger70 said:

 

The Thai word farang (ฝรั่ง) means "foreigner" or "non-Thai". It's often used to refer to someone from a Western country, especially a Caucasian person. 

It was a rhetorical device....aka a 'joke'.

No reply needed....

[Luuk Chaai]

On 2/28/2025 at 1:47 PM, jerrymahoney said:

Agreed. I prefer Honkie.

  Cracker! lol. 

 

who remembers this one ?

 

 

[Luuk Chaai]

13 hours ago, Cory1848 said:

That is very weird. I speak half-decent Thai, and I use the word farang all the time, whether speaking Thai or speaking English. My Thai friends, many of whom are educated professionals, all use the word as well; I’ve never had any indication that it’s in any way disrespectful. My neighbors call my house *baan farang*; some people in my girlfriend’s family call me *lung farang* (“Uncle White Guy”), entirely respectfully. The word apparently derives from the Persian, originally referring to the (European) Franks. (???)

the entire village calls our house Baan Falang .. 

  all the Shoppe / Lazada / Thailand Post  / food delivery people now it as Baan Falang    ( it sticks out like a sore thumb )

when we ride thru Hua Hin.   and we see an overweight pot bellied guy riding a bicycle shirtless,, ( non Asian )

 I point it out to the wife,,  and say look,  there's "Frankie"

When my wife's family wants us to meet them at certain restaurants or "drinking venues"  I refuse and tell them "Too many Falang !

It's a word ..   don't mean jack sh*t  . unless you're part snowflake

[mstevens]

On 2/28/2025 at 7:13 PM, spidermike007 said:

Yes. It is a derogatory term regardless of how normalized it's become here, and I always refer to people from other countries as foreigners, and refuse to use the word farang. 

 

And it's most polite version it means outsider or "not one of us". For an expat who's been living here for many years and contributing to Thailand in countless ways, that is an insult, and I don't like it, nor will I use the term. 

 

Thanks, farang.

[PJ71]

On 2/28/2025 at 1:34 PM, BritManToo said:

I've never had the urge to speak the local language when on holiday.

Not to mention, nobody I know speaks central Thai as their first language and most speak English.

My misses speaks Lanna/Lao/village as her first 3 languages (her mom only speaks village).

Last week out in a bar the first lady I sat with spoke Tai Yai, and the second was Lisu as their 1st language.

 

It's not as if the Central Thai language is much use outside of Thailand, unlike Spanish and French.

What is 'village'?

[Gottfrid]

20 hours ago, Sierra Tango said:

Well said Gottfrid.

My Thai Wife and I have been together for just over 30 years now. I consider myself reasonably versed in the nuances of the Thai language thanks to her determination to not let me be made to "lose face" in front of other Thais by showing an ignorance of the Thai languiage or customs. So, long story short, Farang / Falang is not derogatory and in fact is often used in a much more light hearted context.

 

Is there a minimum age stipulated to be able to sign up to this forum? If not, there really should be, because going by a great many of the comments on here (1,609 this week in one poster's case), that appear to have been posted by 5 year olds.

100% 

Yeah, and also you can wonder what kind of life a person with over 1 600 posts in 1 online forum have? Let´s just calclulate and make it a bit funny (or face the sad reality).

7 days, and lets say a very active person might be awake 17 hours per day. That´s a total of 119 hours. Every hour have 60 minutes. Let´s break it down. that´s 7 140 minutes.
 

7 140 / 1 600 = 4,46

 

That person signs 1 post/reply on this forum every 4 and a half minute of life when not sleeping.

That´s just not healthy. It says it all.

[jacey]

"Farang" is a Thai word that means "foreigner" or "Westerner". It's often used to refer to someone from a Western country. The term is not meant to be offensive, Thai cannot pronounce the word foreigner so they use farang, nothing cringe about it 

[Cory1848]

On 3/1/2025 at 7:44 AM, Luuk Chaai said:

the entire village calls our house Baan Falang .. 

  all the Shoppe / Lazada / Thailand Post  / food delivery people now it as Baan Falang    ( it sticks out like a sore thumb )

when we ride thru Hua Hin.   and we see an overweight pot bellied guy riding a bicycle shirtless,, ( non Asian )

 I point it out to the wife,,  and say look,  there's "Frankie"

When my wife's family wants us to meet them at certain restaurants or "drinking venues"  I refuse and tell them "Too many Falang !

It's a word ..   don't mean jack sh*t  . unless you're part snowflake

Right -- it’s a perfectly good word, although I suppose it can be intended as an insult if the speaker is otherwise angry or hateful. I work as an editor so am tuned into offensive language: the word “ladyboy” *sounds* like it’s offensive but actually isn’t, whereas other words are offensive in all contexts and make the speaker sound like a boorish jerk. Plus, languages evolve; everyday words can become slurs over time, or slurs (like “queer”) can be “reclaimed” by their targets and brought back into common use. In any event, I’ve never seen any problems with the word “farang.”

[atpeace]

Surprising that some posters I respect seem to take offense to the term. What should they call us?  When I'm describing a bunch of Asians, I use the word Asian to describe the group.  I guess I'm racist...