Opinion Russian Teacher to Thais: Drop ‘Farang’ if 'Ni Hao' Offends

[geisha]

3 hours ago, Cameroni said:

Quite a lot. You're in Thailand, so you should greet people in Thai, not some Chinese, Korean or Japanese. Your work colleagues probably think you're a bit of a dick behind your back.

 

Imagine if you greeted your British work colleagues with "Guten Tag", that would get you fired in some City offices.

 

it's not about "heritage issues", it's about respecting the country you live in.

The guy who addressed the park ranger by saying Ni Hao was a tourist on holiday. He was ignorent of the proper terms to say hello, lots of people do this, it’s innocently said. The park ranger was a fool for being so thin skinned. 
Im not keen on the word falang  myself, but it depends how and from whom it’s spoken. It’s very rude if spoken in company. Would we call the gentleman with us the «  foreigner »? No, personally I would say, gentleman, or lady if I didn’t know their name. 

 

[FolkGuitar]

It's all a matter of context.  Just as so many other words we say daily.

 

It reminds me of the scene from a movie:

It was now the Virginian’s turn to bet, or leave the game, and he did not speak at once.

Therefore, Trampas spoke. “Your bet, you son-of-a–Bit@h.”

The Virginian’s pistol came out, and his hand lay on the table, holding it unaimed. And with a voice as gentle as ever, the voice that sounded almost like a caress, but drawling a very little more than usual, so that there was almost a space between each word, he issued his orders to the man Trampas: “When you call me that, SMILE.”
 

It's all a matter of context.

[J Branche]

I don't find it offensive, they use it interchangeable with me I hear my name most the time and Farang the other times.

 

I have studied behavioral psychology and this is a learned/conditioned trait.  They are products of their environment and just mimicking others.  In their society it is considered acceptable

 

 

[Cameroni]

36 minutes ago, Beerzy65 said:

In what way is Farang derogatory?

Definition

"In modern Thailand, the Royal Institute Dictionary 1999, the official dictionary of Thai words, defines the word as "a person of white race".^[9] The term is also blended into everyday terms meaning "of/from the white race"."

however if a Thai called me a Kwai I  would be offended.

 

It's based on the Persian word for "Franks". They're calling us French!!! This is not offensive to you???!!!

[Cameroni]

10 minutes ago, diveasia666 said:

Was an Italian who made the NiHao, btw...

 

 

It was a Russian couple:

 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2025/04/20/why-some-thais-get-triggered-when-westerners-say-ni-hao-to-them/

[LeRoux]

2 minutes ago, geisha said:

Imagine if you greeted your British work colleagues with "Guten Tag", that would get you fired in some City offices.

If you greeted him with "Guten Tag" in your first few days on the job, it should be "Laughed Off".  If after six months you used "Guten Tag", and it wasn't an inside joke, a reprimand of some sort might be in order.

(Besides, Ni Hao was not said by an Employee, but a Tourist.  That is quite a difference.)

[cowellandrew]

56 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

There is no doubt that Thai people often expect more respect than they tend to give others. A couple of examples...

 

1. The use of farang, negro, Kaek etc. when only "Khon Thai" will do for them.

2. The uproar when a Thai flag with a Man City logo/slogan was waved at the City ground under Thaksin's ownership, meanwhile flipflops, underwear and various other tat is sold with other countries flags on them all over Thailand.

 

I don't think it's intentional, I just think that like leftists they are oblivious to their double standards. 

 

 

When Taksin was leaning out of the Manchester city hall I was sure he was going to be the next mayor of Manchester !

😂😂😂😂😂

[LeRoux]

3 minutes ago, J Branche said:

I don't find it offensive, they use it interchangeable with me I hear my name most the time and Farang the other times.

 

I have studied behavioral psychology and this is a learned/conditioned trait.  They are products of their environment and just mimicking others.  In their society it is considered acceptable

 

 

From my experience, I think your statement is correct in the vast majority of cases.  (sort of a cultural laziness is what it seems like to me. ~ ~)

[phetphet]

I recall reading a story a few years ago. I think it might have been here on AN when it was called TF.

 

It was a from a guy queuing in a bank in Australia, behind some Thais. They were using the word "farang". He told them not to use it about the locals as they, the Thais were the "farangs" there.

[RaveBlond]

2 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

No.  They will call other Thais by their names.

Not true at all. Thais label each other more often than not when addressing each other.  They call each other brother, sister, aunt, uncle, mom, dad, (even they aren't their relatives) etc. rather than by their names.  So labelling is deeply engrained in Thai (and other Asian) culture(s) and not necessarily racist (but, of course, can be at times as well).

[Jonathan Swift]

This is my 2¢, admittedly this topic has many nuances and hard to pin down if you weren't actually there. I will address the use of the word farang, because some people have made some pretty stυpid references to it based on this story. My experience with Asians has caused my cultural awareness to evolve by way of similar blunders. My view on this story is only based on my own experience, and my view is therefore limited and probably of little value. I think the bottom line is being sensitive and aware of what might be offensive. Overreacting doesn't help. I've never been told by Asians that anything I said was offensive, I made my own determinations after the fact. I have in fact made some stupid blunders in the past. I did quite a bit of research on the word farang, as well as paid close attention to how it was actually around me for the last 12 years. I have found nothing anywhere that indicates it is a derogatory word in and of itself. 99% of it boils down to how it is used, what context, and what the intent is behind it. I never felt disrespected by it, and I accept that Thai people may use it any way they feel and want. As to ni hau, I've learned not to use greetings in other languages unless I know the proper nationality of the person first. I don't see any reason for someone to have an outwardly hostile reaction to the phrase ni hau under any circumstances. It's not inherently anything but a polite greeting. A dirty look would have been sufficient, or the person could simply have been corrected on the spot. 

[bkk6060]

Sounds like a bunch of immature people who cannot stand being called a name.  Who cares?

[BangkokReady]

3 minutes ago, RaveBlond said:

Not true at all. Thais label each other more often than not when addressing each other.  They call each other brother, sister, aunt, uncle, mom, dad, etc. rather than by their names.  So labelling is deeply engrained in Thai (and other Asian) culture(s) and not necessarily racist (but, of course, can be at times as well).

 

I'm not suggesting that Thais don't use proper nouns, but they use farang where a name or a proper noun would be perfectly suitable.

[JonnyF]

1 minute ago, phetphet said:

I recall reading a story a few years ago. I think it might have been here on AN when it was called TF.

 

It was a from a guy queuing in a bank in Australia, behind some Thais. They were using the word "farang". He told them not to use it about the locals as they, the Thais were the "farangs" there.

 

Unfortunately he was wrong.

 

Farang essentially means Caucasian. Someone of European descent. Not any old foreigner. They don't call Chinese, Indians or Koreans, Farang.

[factual monk]

All my thai gfs and their kids call me by my name and not address me as a farang...  I'm very happy as I am a caring sugar daddy... but sometimes when sugar gets less... I'm called as farang... 

😆 🤣 😂 😹 

[factual monk]

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[factual monk]

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[factual monk]

.

[pacovl46]

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

He is right.. Farang is not a decent word and if Thai people talk about foreigners it is always farang.. I was teaching in a school but nobody ever said my name only the farang...And I always said it must be khon Farang, as it in Khon Jipoon, Khon Thai, etc .. and smiled with it... but even after 10 years in the same school they told me farang....Also in my neighbourhood if they as my friend  it is where is the farang, just if don't know my name while i live here already 20 years.. It is annoying, because how would Thai people respond if we all foreigners call them Thai... Hey Thai can you help me? Hey Thai how are you?... The Thai asked me if I could this or that....... I think big problems would occur as the would not accept it

No, he is not right! The first caucasians Thais came in contact with were the French. The Thai word for France is prathet farangse, which is were the word farang  comes from and it literally just means white person. If that’s offending to you then you’re the problem. It’s that simple. 
 

Also, you can’t really complain about being called farang for full ten years when you could have just told them to use your name instead. Have you done that? 

[Dexxter]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

a variation like “farang khi nok” is considered offensive

 

I always thought it is a variation of "I love you" when my wife says it to me. 😆

[Gecko123]

8 minutes ago, Beerzy65 said:

In what way is Farang derogatory?

Definition

"In modern Thailand, the Royal Institute Dictionary 1999, the official dictionary of Thai words, defines the word as "a person of white race".^[9] The term is also blended into everyday terms meaning "of/from the white race"."

however if a Thai called me a Kwai I  would be offended.

 

People cite this as a definitive source, but it should be noted that:

 

1. This dictionary was published 26 years ago.

2. The definition research may have been done up to 10 years or longer prior to the publication date.

3. Dictionaries are not infallible, and many Thai-English dictionaries offer only limited nuance and fall back on dated entries with little effort to update contemporary usage. The linguistic resources available to compile fully nuanced Thai bi-lingual dictionaries , even at the highest levels, have sometimes fallen short of what one might expect.

4. Anybody who speaks Thai well will tell you that the term is colloquially and routinely applied to Westerners in general and its usage is not limited exclusively to white people.

5. I am confident that these colloquial and nuanced usages will be incorporated into future Thai dictionaries, hopefully resolving this godforsaken debate once and for all.

[MalcolmB]

4 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

I'm not suggesting that Thais don't use proper nouns, but they use farang where a name or a proper noun would be perfectly suitable.

Stop being such a god damn snowflake. 
Honestly, some people just spend all their time looking to be offended by something.

[MalcolmB]

13 minutes ago, phetphet said:

I

It was a from a guy queuing in a bank in Australia, behind some Thais. They were using the word "farang". He told them not to use it about the locals as they, the Thais were the "farangs" there.

What a plonker. Farang means Caucasian.

[BangkokReady]

1 minute ago, MalcolmB said:

Stop being such a god damn snowflake. 
Honestly, some people just spend all their time looking to be offended by something.

 

What are you talking about? You've not made any sort of point.

 

You're so quick to try to troll, you forget to make sense.

[MalcolmB]

41 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

No. The word “Thai” is much more specific than the word “farang”. You could be right if I used something like my “asian” wife.

You were the poster this morning complaining you were locked up with the “Asians”

[Jonathan Swift]

3 hours ago, impulse said:

Russian Teacher to Thais: Drop ‘Farang’ if 'Ni Hao' Offends

 

Here's a thought.  Quit being a snowflake. 

 

What happened to the good old days when we jokingly referred to each other as Pollocks, Guineas, WOPs, Rednecks and a hundred other familiar greetings that would trigger a lefty tantrum today?  Back then, we could take a joke.

 

So the world is defined by you as the lefties vs you (and your kind). That is the real problem. Stυpid people who can't understand the world around them who are unable to define that great big baffling world  except through simplifying it into an impossibly one dimensional construct. You see and think in only one dimension while the rest of us live in 3 dimensions, including your enemies the lefties. There is simply no way for you and those like you to even function without your construct full of malice and bigotry. 

 

Except for the other real problem which is your willful and insensitive  ignorance of the meaning and realities of racism and bigotry, and of the suffering of those ethnic groups. . In the past we (including me) laughed at those jokes because we didn't understand how painful and derogatory it was to the people those terms referred to. Most of us eventually grew up to be responsible, respectful, and compassionate individuals and in so doing we learned why those things have no place in modern society. It makes me sad when I see someone like you stuck in a neanderthal world of 100 years ago. Sad for you because you will never know what it's like to be an evolved person who has chosen to grow rather than live forever in a cave of ignorance, and sad for the people around you near and far who have to take in your poison.

[PeachCH]

Much more offensive how the Thais are calling the black skinned foreigners (Khaeks)😁👍

[Kung69]

4 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

That's great, but Thais are still going to refer to you as farang, even if they know you.

Given that he has just said they use his name your comment seems particularly:

1. Pointless 2. Inaccurate 

[Donga]

My 98 year old F I Law lights up when I visit, or when he sees me on WhatsApp and says "farang, farang" like some long lost chum. As far as his Isaan geography goes, his youngest daughter of many, lives much of her time in "farang". 

My wife and I often use the term, to differentiate between a Thai or a Caucasian who did this or that. Or maybe the person was Chinese or Indian. Is simply a way of saying Caucasian as far as I'm concerned, and never felt the slightest bit offended.

And agree with another poster who explained Thais routinely use aunt, brother rather than their name, and often distantly related. Tia is Ma Fa as she is an older sister who adopted Fa.

Find it amusing that people could be easily offended, but is a sad sign of the times. Precious snowflakes abound.

[BangkokReady]

3 minutes ago, Kung69 said:

Given that he has just said they use his name your comment seems particularly:

1. Pointless 2. Inaccurate 

 

I disagree. I think they will still refer to him as farang in the third person.