How To Say "character"

[sleepyjohn]

Hi

I can't find this in my dictionary or online

How to say character in the sense of

"I'd like to own a house with some character"

"The interior has a lot of character"

thanx

[DavidHouston]

Would you consider using the word เสน่ห์ in the context of a house with "character", as in "บ้านมีเสน่ห์"?

I appreciate that some might say that this phrase would be better rendered "a charming house", rather than "a house with character". With respect to homes, character and charm might not be that different. "Character" might imply maturity, whereas "charm" might imply cuteness. However, for your purposes this might be a difference without a distinction.

I did find the use of the phrase "บ้านมีเสน่ห์" on the web. See "http://www.suansuay.co.th/g12.html" and the introductory phrase, "บ้านมีเสน่ห์ด้วยสวนสวย", "A home with both charm and beauty". The advertiser is a landscaping company.

[sleepyjohn]

Thankyou David.

Hmmmm. I think I'll ask a Thai I know tomorrow. I'll let you know what they say.

Interesting how many hits there were on this thread but only you attempted an answer.

[mangkorn]

I agree with David that "charming" is a good translation. The notion of "character" in Thai seems to be reserved for animate beings, rather than inanimate things (I think).

[meadish_sweetball]

Thankyou David.

Hmmmm. I think I'll ask a Thai I know tomorrow. I'll let you know what they say.

Interesting how many hits there were on this thread but only you attempted an answer.

If I understand the definition of 'character' used in this way in English correctly (maybe I don't?), it could mean anything from a mansion with alabaster columns in the shape of hippos and coffee grinders, a traditional wooden Lanna rice barn refurbished and modified to live in, to a little cottage with flowery wallpaper and pink frilly curtains, depending on the taste of the person speaking.

Words that are very broad or very specific can be a challenge to translate.

David's suggestion sounds idiomatic though.

I certainly couldn't top it except by using something bland and stilted like 'mii eekalak chapho' tua' (approx. 'having unique characteristics').

[sleepyjohn]

Thankyou for your suggestions. Perhaps charming is the neatest, whilst SM's is most accurate but yes clumsy (I think you understood it in English well).

A Thai friend just suggested

..........fumbling blindly through the keyboard.........

ลักษณะเฉพาะตัว

ps: looked it up in thai-language.com and it combines two bits (plus ตัว of course):

ลักษณะ lakH saL naL noun, formal, loanword, Pali, Sanskrit characteristic; form; attribute; quality; pattern; style

เฉพาะ chaL phawH attributive verb [is] specific; particular; limited; provisional

adverb [โดยเฉพาะ] especially; specifically; in particular; particularly

that seems as if it may be pretty apposite doesn't it?....it hints at individuality too.....

Perhaps adding David's เสน่ห์ would convey everything .

John

Edited July 2, 2008 by sleepyjohn

[DavidHouston]

How about the use of the term ลักษณะพิเศษ which Domnern Sathienpong translates as "special characteristic, distinctive feature, uniqueness." Note that these are nouns and to get what you might wish to say, you might articulate:

"บ้านหลังนี้มีลักษณะพิเศษ มีเสน่ห์ของมันเอง"

"This house has its own special character; it has a charm all its own."

I welcome corrections and critiques.

[sleepyjohn]

How about the use of the term ลักษณะพิเศษ which Domnern Sathienpong translates as "special characteristic, distinctive feature, uniqueness." Note that these are nouns and to get what you might wish to say, you might articulate:

"บ้านหลังนี้มีลักษณะพิเศษ มีเสน่ห์ของมันเอง"

"This house has its own special character; it has a charm all its own."

I welcome corrections and critiques.

I'm not the one to criticize anyone in Thai!

I think what you suggested is just fine.....has the advantage of being easy to remember......and is quite พิเศษ enough.....thankyou.

John

[aanon]

Hey all,

I realise that this thread is pretty much resolved to the OP's satisfaction - and actually I don't have a better answer to suggest - but I found myself thinking about the idea of a 'house with character' today. I was trying to work out what it actually means in English.

It seems to me that 'character' and 'uniqueness' are quite different things. It is ok (and intelligible) to say this, for example:

This house is a one-off design from an award-winning architect and is built using some of the rarest materials on earth, but it has no character.

I think that when we talk about a person of character or a person who has character (as opposed to someone who is a character), we mean that they have integrity. in other words, whether or not they are outwardly different to their peers, they tend to have their own set of principles which is fairly coherent - and act in accordance with those principles even in circumstances where it might benefit them to do otherwise. one of those principles could be to always 'be oneself', in which case a person who has character might also be the unique type, but not necessarily.

obviously a house doesn't have beliefs or the ability to act in accordance with them, but i do think there is a vague parallel. when we're not using the idea of a 'house with character' as a real estate agent's euphemism for a run-down or tastelessly designed building, i think we mean that the house has a certain 'depth'; scratch below the surface and there is plenty to find. what's more, all the little things that you do find make sense together - and in this sense we might say the house has its own integrity. houses with character are often (though not always) older houses that have been gradually shaped by the personality of the previous owner or owners. someone living in such a house might even feel like the house has a personality of its own. if, all things considered, they like it, they may say that it has charm. again, just as in the case of the person with character, the house may have some unique features, but unique features alone do not give a house character.

i accept that this is my own understanding of the term 'house with character'. i wonder whether other people agree or disagree. i also wonder whether we could boil our ideas down into something manageable and try to look for a loose Thai equivalent, which might need to be vaguer than either 'charm' or 'uniqueness'.

all the best.

[kriswillems]

I agree with you, Aanon. A house gets a character because the person that lived in it or designed it gave it a "personality" that matches with his own, unique personality.

So why not say: บ้านมีบุคลิก

I found this sentence and the internet:

เพียงแค่สำรวจตัวคุณก่อนว่ามีบุคลิกอย่างไร และต้องการให้บ้านมีบุคลิกอย่างไร

http://add9911.spaces.live.com/default.asp...ner=Live.Spaces

(in a text about choosing the colour for painting a room)

Edited July 9, 2008 by kriswillems