Is "farang" Impolite?

[unforgiven]

ya farang has devolved to an insult.Twenty five years ago when I first came here it was far less an insult and more a statement that you where forgien.Now it means "hey asshol_e the ATM is over there"

[haltes]

couldnt agree more

someone is so western and dnt want to try to understand or accept any other cultures

How would you like it if people generalized about you?

OK so why don't we refer to you as a hooker then as in the perceptions of most of the world, Thailand is only famous for prostitution?

Would you feel that as a good way to refer to you? Would that be a positive affirmation you could live with?

I don't like the word farang and it looks like I am not the only one so why can't you just accept that we don't like it and perhaps refrain from using it. There are other words that can be used that we feel do not have such a negative meaning.

[kiakaha]

So what is the phonetic pronunciation of farang? Or it is said just the say it sounds?

FARANG - noun, adjective, colloquial, loanword, French ??(FRAN{ce}??] non-Asian foreigner, usually white.

Properly the Thai pronounce their R somewhat like the Scots, with a light single trill.

I asked an educated Thai friend of mine why they transliterated it as R but pronounced it like an L. He answered with one word: Laziness. Apparently for a native Thai speaker it is easier to make an L sound than an R sound.

FA R(L)ANG = ฝรั่ง ฝ=F(a) รั่=R(a) ง=NG When you slur the R into an L, you get Falang.

Just say FALANG like 99% of the Thais and you'll be fine.

If you want to play around with "ร ror reua" and "ล lor ling" sounds..there is actually a word หลั่ง (lung) that means "to ejaculate"

Now, just playing around, I could put a ฟ้า (faa) before the หลั่ง(lung) to get ฟ้าหลั่ง (faalung) , which as a homonym could jokingly mean "heaven is ejaculating"...and i think that is quite a complement Lemons and Lemonade folks !

Edited August 29, 2008 by kiakaha

[Austeyr]

I think people look too deep into the meaning of Farang and see it as a word that looks down on people when actually it doesnt at all.

If you are in your own country and there are a group of people of mixed rate and someone says "Hey, who is Ken again?"... Oh "Ken is the asian guy in the blue shirt"... Are you looking down on the asian for calling him for what he is? Farang means caucasian. Using using ชาวต่างชาติ ชาวต่างประเทศ Chao Dtang Chad or Chao Dtang Pratet meaning someone from another country, is a blanket term describing anyone from Indians to Americans. Farang simply states we are caucasian.

[faranglandoz]

So what is the phonetic pronunciation of farang? Or it is said just the say it sounds?

Its good to see these stupid debates on Political correctness dont only exist in western cultures

At the end of the day its the infliction put on it.

I call poms poms... I mean the English poms.. But its in a nice way.. Like.. "Those poms cant play cricket!"

You can tell when people are being nasty or just takin the piss, people need to lighten up a bit:D

Well said my Ozzie mate. I think when I get back to Australia, I will point out all the Asians I see to my young neice. Just so the Asians know they have been spotted.

Faranglandoz

[thithi]

couldnt agree more

someone is so western and dnt want to try to understand or accept any other cultures

How would you like it if people generalized about you?

OK so why don't we refer to you as a hooker then as in the perceptions of most of the world, Thailand is only famous for prostitution?

Would you feel that as a good way to refer to you? Would that be a positive affirmation you could live with?

I don't like the word farang and it looks like I am not the only one so why can't you just accept that we don't like it and perhaps refrain from using it. There are other words that can be used that we feel do not have such a negative meaning.

yeh call me hooker. thailand is famous for prostitution

and what did u say bfor? your WIFE is also thai aite ?

uh .. why dnt u call her a hooker too ?

AT least thai people dnt call u Loser or a--hole... of course we DO respect u as u are also a human living in this crap world.

i know u dnt like... and i just told u that FARANG doesnt mean anything. and it is NOT racist

most of foreigners here in thailand can deal with it...

or go tell yr mummy

and Did u know .. HOOKER is def worse much more than Farang...

[bkkjames]

Good morning Thithi, wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?

[thithi]

Morning bkkjames

i dnt think so ... maybe i forgot to wrap myself with the blanket...

[bkkjames]

Morning bkkjames

i dnt think so ... maybe i forgot to wrap myself with the blanket...

awww

[haltes]

yeh call me hooker. thailand is famous for prostitution

and what did u say bfor? your WIFE is also thai aite ?

uh .. why dnt u call her a hooker too ?

AT least thai people dnt call u Loser or a--hole... of course we DO respect u as u are also a human living in this crap world.

i know u dnt like... and i just told u that FARANG doesnt mean anything. and it is NOT racist

most of foreigners here in thailand can deal with it...

or go tell yr mummy

and Did u know .. HOOKER is def worse much more than Farang...

The difference is that I don't generalize, I don't ever use the word "farang" just as I would never call a Thai a "hooker" because it's just as insulting IMHO.

It's interesting to see that you got just as upset as some of us do when YOU use the word farang just because I dared to generalize about Thais. Now you know how some of us feel. Please don't refer to us as farang and we will get along just fine.

Edited August 29, 2008 by haltes

[mmushr00m]

I'd rather be called a farang then a GOOK in a certain country I visited.

[thithi]

I'm not upset being called as a hooker, bcos i'm NOT. And i dnt care what people say or think about me.

as long as they are not willing to kill me or something.

I can deal with - "Thai girls are hookers" ...

i cant stop them to think like that

Farang is not as rude as hooker.

Farang is just an usual word. unlike hooker

Do i still have to teach u english ?

U call every thais u met as hookers?

I'd suggest u to call us as s*lut much better!

[bkkjames]

I'm not upset being called as a hooker, bcos i'm NOT. And i dnt care what people say or think about me.

as long as they are not willing to kill me or something.

I can deal with - "Thai girls are hookers" ...

i cant stop them to think like that

Farang is not as rude as hooker.

Farang is just an usual word. unlike hooker

Do i still have to teach u english ?

U call every thais u met as hookers?

I'd suggest u to call us as s*lut much better!

Now now Thithi, I wouldn't call you a sl*t, would I, SHOULD I???? hehe

[thesunset75]

Good morning

Yes its morning here in NL.

Keep up on 'farang"

How can some (almost nice) person here call Thai woman hooker ? and compare to the word we call (insult) them "farang"

Agree with Thithi that the word hooker is so much worse to call we that...and if you can compare Thai woman as a hooker then I would call you "f***ker" it would be similar word

If anyone who dont like the "farang" word then tell people your name / nationality and how you like to be calls.

[Jeddah Jo]

I'm not upset being called as a hooker, bcos i'm NOT. And i dnt care what people say or think about me.

as long as they are not willing to kill me or something.

I can deal with - "Thai girls are hookers" ...

i cant stop them to think like that

Farang is not as rude as hooker.

Farang is just an usual word. unlike hooker

Do i still have to teach u english ?

U call every thais u met as hookers?

I'd suggest u to call us as s*lut much better!

Khun ThiThi, life is too short to teach farang English too!

[haltes]

I'm not upset being called as a hooker, bcos i'm NOT. And i dnt care what people say or think about me.

as long as they are not willing to kill me or something.

I can deal with - "Thai girls are hookers" ...

i cant stop them to think like that

Farang is not as rude as hooker.

Farang is just an usual word. unlike hooker

Do i still have to teach u english ?

U call every thais u met as hookers?

I'd suggest u to call us as s*lut much better!

You are obviously not very good at thinking about things.

You said "farang" can be used positively but many of us object to it and think it is negative in meaning. That should be enough for you to understand how we feel and stop using it but you don't and continue to use it.

I used the word "hooker" to illustrate the way that we can generalize and how it is done in a very negative way and YOU took great offence to it. This shows what a hypocritical attitude you have.

Can you not understand that some of us don't like this word???? Is your brain so fixed and small that you cannot understand that some of us object to be called this word and that we find it offensive?

Can't you understand that people don't need to divide the human race into categories and that in the end we are all people not farangs, niggers, wops, gringos, chinks etc

Edited August 29, 2008 by haltes

[thesunset75]

Good morning

Yes its morning here in NL.

Keep up on 'farang"

How can some (almost nice) person here call Thai woman hooker ? and compare to the word we call (insult) them "farang"

Agree with Thithi that the word hooker is so much worse to call (us) that...and if you can compare Thai woman as a hooker then I would call you "f***ker" it would be similar word

If anyone who dont like the "farang" word then tell people your name / nationality and how you like to be calls.

[bkkjames]

I'm not upset being called as a hooker, bcos i'm NOT. And i dnt care what people say or think about me.

as long as they are not willing to kill me or something.

I can deal with - "Thai girls are hookers" ...

i cant stop them to think like that

Farang is not as rude as hooker.

Farang is just an usual word. unlike hooker

Do i still have to teach u english ?

U call every thais u met as hookers?

I'd suggest u to call us as s*lut much better!

You are obviously not very good at thinking about things.

You said "farang" can be used positively but many of us object to it and think it is negative in meaning. That should be enough for you to understand how we feel and stop using it but you don't and continue to use it.

I used the word "hooker" to illustrate the way that we can generalize and how it is done in a very negative way and YOU took great offence to it. This shows what a hypocritical attitude you have.

Can you not understand that some of us don't like this word???? Is your brain so fixed and small that you cannot understand that some of us object to be called this word and that we find it offensive?

Relax mate it's Friday, wouldn't want you to get in a brawl tonight with a bunch of locals because one of them wanted to eat fruit, and you thought they were talking about you.

[RakJungTorlae]

OH yeah!! Round 2 !!!

[jimmyyy]

way to much PC Farang means white foreigner, i am farang its simple as that...

Jimmy da seppo.....

[orchis]

Farang is not an impolite word. It should be preceded by 'Khon'.

[RakJungTorlae]

I'm not upset being called as a hooker, bcos i'm NOT. And i dnt care what people say or think about me.

as long as they are not willing to kill me or something.

I can deal with - "Thai girls are hookers" ...

i cant stop them to think like that

Farang is not as rude as hooker.

Farang is just an usual word. unlike hooker

Do i still have to teach u english ?

U call every thais u met as hookers?

I'd suggest u to call us as s*lut much better!

You are obviously not very good at thinking about things.

You said "farang" can be used positively but many of us object to it and think it is negative in meaning. That should be enough for you to understand how we feel and stop using it but you don't and continue to use it.

I used the word "hooker" to illustrate the way that we can generalize and how it is done in a very negative way and YOU took great offence to it. This shows what a hypocritical attitude you have.

Can you not understand that some of us don't like this word???? Is your brain so fixed and small that you cannot understand that some of us object to be called this word and that we find it offensive?

Can't you understand that people don't need to divide the human race into categories and that in the end we are all people not farangs, niggers, wops, gringos, chinks etc

ok ok take it easy Descendent form a monkey!!

[Jingthing]

The use of the word FARANG is just BACKWARDS.

30 years in the US, most people called people of Asian descent ORIENTALS.

Many people still do, they are considered clueless.

Now the general word is ASIANS. And once you know more, you get more specific: Thai, Chinese-American, Filipino, etc.

Thailand is still at the ORIENTALS phase. How quaint.

[bkkjames]

The use of the word FARANG is just BACKWARDS.

30 years in the US, most people called people of Asian descent ORIENTALS.

Many people still do, they are considered clueless.

Now the general word is ASIANS. And once you know more, you get more specific: Thai, Chinese-American, Filipino, etc.

Thailand is still at the ORIENTALS phase. How quaint.

FARANG IS BACKWARDS?

Gnaraf? I prefer farang thanks, I can't pronounce the Gn part of GNaraf

[jimmyyy]

farang is fine, moving right along now.....

[Jeddah Jo]

Can't you understand that people don't need to divide the human race into categories and that in the end we are all people not farangs, niggers, wops, gringos, chinks etc

I think you forgot the category idiots.

[TexasRanger]

Thais are rude by calling us farang. We don't have a collective word for the Thai people. It doesn't happen much though, they don't like to call us Farang to our face, they prefer to do it behind our backs. Why do they do that if it isn't rude?

[bkkjames]

Can't you understand that people don't need to divide the human race into categories and that in the end we are all people not farangs, niggers, wops, gringos, chinks etc

I think you forgot the category idiots.

Speak for yourself mate, not about yourself ok. (sorry couldn't resist such an easy opening )

[Neeranam]

The use of the word FARANG is just BACKWARDS.

30 years in the US, most people called people of Asian descent ORIENTALS.

Many people still do, they are considered clueless.

Now the general word is ASIANS. And once you know more, you get more specific: Thai, Chinese-American, Filipino, etc.

Thailand is still at the ORIENTALS phase. How quaint.

Exactly, and it won't get out of this phase if white foriegners continue to call themselves farang.

The problem comes from most "foriegners" lack of ability in Thai so they are basically clueless to their being insulted and Thai people taking the mickey.

I spoke to an Indian woman today about being called "kaek" and she said that it was definately an insult but 20 years ago it was fine.

Mark my words in 10 years time many people here will have changed their tune.

[TexasRanger]

I don't see why not, goo and meung (forgive the phonetics), were acceptable years ago but now it is only used up country and by teens here and considered rude here in the city.