A taxi driver word. I came across it last week twice. The second time the taxi driver was concerned whether I had some. When I forduced some 20 baht notes, he was quite happy. So, what is Ban Jai? บันใจ ??? - always assuming my spelling is vaguely recognisable; that's what I heard.

- Roger -

ตังค์ใช้ (dtang chái) - probably just checking that you have enough small change to pay for your ride!

มีตังค์ใช้ไหม - have you any money (that you can use)? ie. small denominations rather than a 1000 Baht note.

ตังค์ใช้ (dtang chái) - probably just checking that you have enough small change to pay for your ride!

มีตังค์ใช้ไหม - have you any money (that you can use)? ie. small denominations rather than a 1000 Baht note.

Worth noting that ตังค์, tang, is short for satang, the coin that is a fraction of a baat.

My guess is แบงค์ย่อย "small bills".

แบงค์ = bank, from banknote, meaning paper money

Taxi drivers tend not to have change for anything over 100 baht, or at least don't like to be forced to.

Edited November 17, 200817 yr by Rikker

My guess is แบงค์ย่อย "small bills".

แบงค์ = bank, from banknote, meaning paper money

Taxi drivers tend not to have change for anything over 100 baht, or at least don't like to be forced to.

In that case it might have been a phrase with the verb แบง used when requesting a bank teller to break a larger denomination note into smaller denominations.

Worth noting that ตังค์, tang, is short for satang, the coin that is a fraction of a baat.

In common usage, it means "money."

My guess is แบงค์ย่อย "small bills".

แบงค์ = bank, from banknote, meaning paper money

Taxi drivers tend not to have change for anything over 100 baht, or at least don't like to be forced to.

In that case it might have been a phrase with the verb แบง used when requesting a bank teller to break a larger denomination note into smaller denominations.

I'm not sure what you mean here. I was suggesting that this might have been the phrase the taxi driver was saying. แบงค์ "paper money" is actually pronounced [แบ๊ง].

The verb แบ่ง (with ไม้เอก) isn't used for breaking bills, as least that I've heard. The phrase I hear for that is แตก. As in เดี๋ยว ต้องแวะเซเว่นแตกแบงค์พันก่อน "Hold on a sec, I have to break this thousand at 7-Eleven".

แบงค์ย่อย seems like a likely phrase for a taxi driver to be using, but maybe that's not what the phrase the OP heard. Can't say for sure.

The verb แบ่ง (with ไม้เอก) isn't used for breaking bills, as least that I've heard.

I've used แบ่ง (sorry copy and pasting didn't catch the tone mark) for years at money exchanges, especially at the airport on arrival, when they handed over a bunch of 500 baat notes and I needed smaller notes for taxis and food. I used the phrase "ko beng pen bai la roi" and was never misunderstood although it would not be the first time that Thais have indulged me and given me the benefit of the doubt.

A taxi driver word. I came across it last week twice. The second time the taxi driver was concerned whether I had some. When I forduced some 20 baht notes, he was quite happy. So, what is Ban Jai? บันใจ ??? - always assuming my spelling is vaguely recognisable; that's what I heard.

- Roger -

But when did the taxi driver say it? Before you showed the money, after? As you were getting out? Details can help.

The verb แบ่ง (with ไม้เอก) isn't used for breaking bills, as least that I've heard.

I've used แบ่ง (sorry copy and pasting didn't catch the tone mark) for years at money exchanges, especially at the airport on arrival, when they handed over a bunch of 500 baat notes and I needed smaller notes for taxis and food. I used the phrase "ko beng pen bai la roi" and was never misunderstood although it would not be the first time that Thais have indulged me and given me the benefit of the doubt.

Gotcha. I haven't ever run into that usage, but that doesn't prove anything, obviously. Me, I'd probably just say ขอแบงค์ย่อย(ได้ไหม) in that scenario, which is to say "can I get small bills"?

A taxi driver word. I came across it last week twice. The second time the taxi driver was concerned whether I had some. When I forduced some 20 baht notes, he was quite happy. So, what is Ban Jai? บันใจ ??? - always assuming my spelling is vaguely recognisable; that's what I heard.

- Roger -

But when did the taxi driver say it? Before you showed the money, after? As you were getting out? Details can help.

Sorry about the lack of detail. We were en route when he asked. I pulled a few 20s from my pocket and he was happy to see them

Reading the replies so far, I expect he was asking if I had any small bills. My ears are not that good, but the initial consonant was บ or ป - not ต.

Thank you all

- Roger -