Thai Family

[thesunset75]

Of course alot of thais dont like farang.

A lot of Farangs don't like Farangs also.

I Know, they do smell somewhat

Sunset put these stupid farangs who think they know more about thailand than all the other farangs.

Please explain to them what "farang kee nok" means as YOU are thai.

What, who is Sunset ?

Ok, I will try my best to explane in English

Yes we use farang Kee Nok for cheap , stingy farangs....actually "Farang Kee Nok" its mean guawa (fruit) that grow from bird which it have eaten guawa and poo/shit somewhere else which its mean for fruit Guawa (farang) smaller, and less taste than the original flavour ones.

Hope you all able to understand what i mean

[BygonKeaw]

Of course alot of thais dont like farang.

A lot of Farangs don't like Farangs also.

I Know, they do smell somewhat

Sunset put these stupid farangs who think they know more about thailand than all the other farangs.

Please explain to them what "farang kee nok" means as YOU are thai.

What, who is Sunset ?

Ok, I will try my best to explane in English

Yes we use farang Kee Nok for cheap , stingy farangs....actually "Farang Kee Nok" its mean guawa (fruit) that grow from bird which it have eaten guawa and poo/shit somewhere else which its mean for fruit Guawa (farang) smaller, and less taste than the original flavour ones.

Hope you all able to understand what i mean

Thanks sunset a real answer from a real thai.

To sum it up its an insult then

Please i hope there isnt a farang out there who is going to disagree with a her a thai native speaker.

[BygonKeaw]

Of course alot of thais dont like farang.

A lot of Farangs don't like Farangs also.

I Know, they do smell somewhat

Sunset put these stupid farangs who think they know more about thailand than all the other farangs.

Please explain to them what "farang kee nok" means as YOU are thai.

What, who is Sunset ?

Ok, I will try my best to explane in English

Yes we use farang Kee Nok for cheap , stingy farangs....actually "Farang Kee Nok" its mean guawa (fruit) that grow from bird which it have eaten guawa and poo/shit somewhere else which its mean for fruit Guawa (farang) smaller, and less taste than the original flavour ones.

Hope you all able to understand what i mean

error double post.

Edited January 18, 2009 by BygonKeaw

[Livinginexile]

A little background: I've been living in Thailand for a while, I work in Singapore, I'm married, my wife is Thai, educated and pretty cool. Everytime I've gone to her parents house, I have done my best to speak Thai, to be polite and respect them in every best way I can and know and accept this isnt an easy culture to understand however I treat others with the respect I wish to be treated, this is the way I have been brought up. It started a while back at the family home, words said to me indirectly, such as farang kii nok, and others which I don't know as they have a countryside accent and I cant understand. I used to smile and brush them off, maybe its said in jest? However nowadays I have given all excuses possible not to go the parents home, they make me feel uncomfortable and the wife is always nagging at me to go with her. Maybe its inside my mind and I shouldnt be bothered with silly name calling, or perhaps its racism or perhaps they just don't like me, either way I'd like to know what you guys think.....any experiences with this? Thanks in adv!

I got a similar problem with my in-laws too.

Whenever I go with my wife to visit them they NEVER say hello or goodbye.

I am treat like a king whilst I am there but this niggles me a lot.

The wife says it's just their nature...or they are shy...

I think it's just plain bad manners

[Jingthing]

"farang kee ngok" is what people hear and is the Thai for "stingy" and this is nothing to do with birdshit.

I guess you know more than Wiki. Time for you to correct them?

Stingy or unruly foreigners may called Farang kee nok. This is usually taken to mean "bird-shit farang", as kee means waste and nok means (wild) bird

[WOWAsia]

Of course alot of thais dont like farang.

A lot of Farangs don't like Farangs also.

I Know, they do smell somewhat

Sunset put these stupid farangs who think they know more about thailand than all the other farangs.

Please explain to them what "farang kee nok" means as YOU are thai.

What, who is Sunset ?

Ok, I will try my best to explane in English

Yes we use farang Kee Nok for cheap , stingy farangs....actually "Farang Kee Nok" its mean guawa (fruit) that grow from bird which it have eaten guawa and poo/shit somewhere else which its mean for fruit Guawa (farang) smaller, and less taste than the original flavour ones.

Hope you all able to understand what i mean

In Pattaya there are so many farang Kee Nok! Really!!! . they should go home where they come from and never come back! They insulting Thailand!

[DivinGuy]

Of course alot of thais dont like farang.

A lot of Farangs don't like Farangs also.

I Know, they do smell somewhat

Sunset put these stupid farangs who think they know more about thailand than all the other farangs.

Please explain to them what "farang kee nok" means as YOU are thai.

What, who is Sunset ?

Ok, I will try my best to explane in English

Yes we use farang Kee Nok for cheap , stingy farangs....actually "Farang Kee Nok" its mean guawa (fruit) that grow from bird which it have eaten guawa and poo/shit somewhere else which its mean for fruit Guawa (farang) smaller, and less taste than the original flavour ones.

Hope you all able to understand what i mean

Thanks sunset a real answer from a real thai.

To sum it up its an insult then

Please i hope there isnt a farang out there who is going to disagree with a her a thai native speaker.

"Farang" also means guava in Thai. She said there is a kind of guava that no one likes to eat and it's called "farang kee nok".

Since I'm the only person I know of who actually referred to asking their better half, and although Sunset quoted your later post about this which didn't refer to asking a Thai partner, perhaps you'd like to tell me in what major way these definitions conflict with each other. The only differences I see is that I didn't specify why no one wants to eat it, and that Sunset specified that the guava seeds came from bird shit so were no good, which anyone who knows about propogation of fruits would find laughable. (Sunset, that's not directed at you - my gf knows i understand two definitons of kee or khi, so she knew I knew bird poo already.)

I do not know if the farang kee nok is bad because it's a slightly different fruit or because of some microclimate difference. I only know there's farang people want to eat, and ones they don't want to eat. My gf's family works with fruit of various kinds, so I figured her etymology wasn't too bad, and I was right. Neither of us filled in the parts that had been covered already.

As far as the insult part, I'll confess, I was trying to be charitable to the OP's wife's family. My best friend in Thailand aside from my gf is her sister's bf, a Thai man, and no matter how drunk we were, and how much bs we were talking, if he said that without me understanding the context, I'd be pretty pissed off. He would be much more likely to call me khi niaow in a Thai karaoke where some little girl thought I should give her twice as much as he would, and he knows I would consider that a compliment because I know he'd also be saying," he's not a fool, I've known him a couple of years".

Sorry BygonKeaw if I misunderstood your motivation. Since I read most of the thread and as far as I saw, was the only person who quoted a Thai partner, and was right, I found the post before the one Sunset quoted a bit offensive.

I still haven't figured out the lady in the Mercedes with her husband, though...

[Jingthing]

Get a grip folks. If a Thai is referring to YOU farang kee whatever and you are a HUMAN BEING, not a fruit, they are calling you SHIT, not a guava. Grow up.

Edited January 18, 2009 by Jingthing

[OxfordWill]

you know, "real thais" also disagree on this.

Shock and horror!

The point is different people and from different parts will use this phrase differently. Some will never use it their whole life!

- fake thai.

Edited January 18, 2009 by OxfordWill

[BygonKeaw]

this is funny.

like jingthingy said, GET A GRIP.

[thesunset75]

Get a grip folks. If a Thai is referring to YOU farang kee whatever and you are a HUMAN BEING, not a fruit, they are calling you SHIT, not a guava. Grow up.

Whatever you like to be called, but in Thai we also call Guawa -> Farang

[Jingthing]

Get a grip folks. If a Thai is referring to YOU farang kee whatever and you are a HUMAN BEING, not a fruit, they are calling you SHIT, not a guava. Grow up.

Whatever you like to be called, but in Thai we also call Guawa -> Farang

Of course, when referring to the fruit. But we are talking about references to human beings. You think we are that stupid?

[473geo]

Get a grip folks. If a Thai is referring to YOU farang kee whatever and you are a HUMAN BEING, not a fruit, they are calling you SHIT, not a guava. Grow up.

Whatever you like to be called, but in Thai we also call Guawa -> Farang

Of course, when referring to the fruit. But we are talking about references to human beings. You think we are that stupid?

[tlock]

What, who is Sunset ?

Ok, I will try my best to explane in English

Yes we use farang Kee Nok for cheap , stingy farangs....actually "Farang Kee Nok" its mean guawa (fruit) that grow from bird which it have eaten guawa and poo/shit somewhere else which its mean for fruit Guawa (farang) smaller, and less taste than the original flavour ones.

Hope you all able to understand what i mean

It sounds like they're saying we're not the good juicy fruit (us kee noks), we're the fruit noon wants to eat. I don't think she's trying to say this isn't about people.

Edited January 18, 2009 by tlock

[thesunset75]

It sounds like they're saying we're not the good juicy fruit (us kee noks), we're the fruit noon wants to eat. I don't think she's trying to say this isn't about people.

------------------

I ate those farang kee nok when i was down south, doesnt mean nobody want to eat...just not as good as a big green quawa you see in the suppermarket !

-----------

It an insult yes, but depends on what you did-do...Some goeple insult you foriegners as a " Farang Kee Nok" or "Farang Kee Ngog" both mean stingy and cheap.

I never insult or call any of my (foriegner) friends like that, also I explined to Thai people who insult my friends with those words.

I would say...My family never insult my ex husband, bf, friends of mine even they have NO Education.!!!!

To any of you been insult that way then you should think what you have done, and why people said that to you. Or they did ot mean it or mean to joke about it.

Dont take it too serious please......dont ruin your happiness by those words

[mrdome]

All white skin foreigners are "khee nok" by default in Thailand, everybody knows that. You may have paid for others on numerous occasions, the moment you stop or can't for any reason you are a "farang kee nok".

You think you are getting a Thailand entry visa? Nope, you just got a "Farang khee nok" certificate. I say wear it with pride!

[mikeyp]

Wouldnt get too wound up about it, its just the way the thais have of difusing a situation or having fun at something you meybe do, or laughing with you not at you. My thai wife of 2 and a half years says some things to me, which sometimes get me a litle bit hot under the collar, but i have grown to recognise and understand it as more of a compliment rather than a slagging of.

Like if they (or someone in the family) calls you fat in front of thier friends, (even if your not fat) its more of a compliment for both of you, old Thai saying goes something like this " If your fat your rich, if your skinny your poor" means you can afford to look after them and, literally meaning you can put food on the table, doesnt matter how rich or poor you are. And it doesnt need to be monetary, it could be rich with humour and understanding. After being called fat several times i was starting to get a complex until i found out what they meant.

Jai ron (Lit) you have hot heart, really means you get angry to quickly and not think about what u say before you say it, stay Jai Yen, be cool, cool headed be calm, chill out if they say something that you thing is bad or insulting, its probably not, only if a complete stranger outwith your wifes, family/ friend cirlce says it to you then its not nice.

Ask any thai wife or girlfriend what thier friends think of you or what they say about you, is that most of them will say Kao Jai ron, because as falang we get hot under the collar too quickly and sometimes kick off without really understanding what the saying really means.

[Birdman]

Whenever I go with my wife to visit them they NEVER say hello or goodbye.

I am treat like a king whilst I am there but this niggles me a lot.

The wife says it's just their nature...or they are shy...

I think it's just plain bad manners

Contrary to the West, this behaviour is not impolite in Thailand. I have seen that in many places all over the country. It is no shyness. No one wants to ignore you. A very neutral behaviour without any negative meaning.

Once I even worked in an office with other expats, who did the same. Coming and going without greeting each other. Not because they did not like each other. They worked there with Thais for years and adopted that Thai behaviour. What they did not realize was, that amongst Farangs it is still impolite, even if they are 25 years in Thailand. A new colleague from Europe was more than surprised to see them.

[wolfmanjack]

Edited because i forgot to say my missus is well educated and thai/chinese. The car i was driving was a brand new merc bought as a gift from her papa.

Of course she is; you will fit in well in these parts, as 95% of the TV membership are married to rich Thai- Chinese.

Not me. I am married to a poor Thai- Chinese.

[Metalgear]

A little background: I've been living in Thailand for a while, I work in Singapore, I'm married, my wife is Thai, educated and pretty cool. Everytime I've gone to her parents house, I have done my best to speak Thai, to be polite and respect them in every best way I can and know and accept this isnt an easy culture to understand however I treat others with the respect I wish to be treated, this is the way I have been brought up. It started a while back at the family home, words said to me indirectly, such as farang kii nok, and others which I don't know as they have a countryside accent and I cant understand. I used to smile and brush them off, maybe its said in jest? However nowadays I have given all excuses possible not to go the parents home, they make me feel uncomfortable and the wife is always nagging at me to go with her. Maybe its inside my mind and I shouldnt be bothered with silly name calling, or perhaps its racism or perhaps they just don't like me, either way I'd like to know what you guys think.....any experiences with this? Thanks in adv!

Hi. I have been living in Bangkok for almost 10 years and I am also married to a Thai. My wife's family is also from upcountry and they are very pleasant. But they are not like Thais in Bangkok. I'd like to share with you my experiences and how I have come so far in getting used to living in Bangkok, its city culture and sometimes, the "weird" behaviours which got so many of us foreigners confused and so hard for us to understand Thai society. First of all the word Kee Nok means stingy. However, this depends on how the person meant it, either jokingly or insultingly and I believe, your wife's family was just joking when they said that. Nonetheless, you have to try understanding the mentality of the society here. In a city such as Bangkok, not all people are brought up in a way that we should treat others like how we want others to treat us. I know what you mean. When I first came to this city, I was frustrated. Although Thai people smile alot, not all smiles are authentic and most of them like to look down at people because this is a society where money and looks are everything to them and where values such as being authentic is rarely upheld. I am not saying all Thai people are like that as I have met some intelligent ones outside of Bangkok but sadly there are not many intelligent Thai people. Because of the education here, Most Thai people are sadly not able to think for themselves and are easily mobilsed by fads because of the herd mentality. And once they have achieved getting these, the bad attitude of being silently ignorant or staring rudely at people comes with it. It is the Bangkok Thai style to follow the Hip Hiso type of lifestyle cars, handphone, fashion, jewelry, fair skin color, merz slk, mini cooper, Korean singer's hairstyle, and etc. But you see, even though they are so tuned to foreign things, it is never in their interest to learn how to speak English well enough. There is no such thing that..."just because the Hiso has it, it doesn't mean that its good" kind of thinking....They wouldn't know how to spend 100K for A type of quality but will know how to spend 200K for F quality just because a few famous Hiso got it, thsy just want to follow. But not all the Hiso are smart, some are just plain stupid born with a silver spoon in their mouth, probably because the money comes from generations of family wealth or some land reform ownership scams and they have lots of desire to show off because of wanting face. So after understanding the Bangkok society, I have not taken people here too seriously. I thank god that my wife is not like this, she used to be but I have taught her how to value the value of things and life itself and realise that "cheap" things are not neccessarily bad quality or buying cheap doesn't mean being stingy or poor....sometimes its just enjoying the choices we have and it can safe your life. Don't you think that it is no wonder why Thai people suffer alot when they are out of jobs or business go bad due to the current economic situation? The they start killing each other...thats life in Thailand.

[clausewitz]

t.s. - I am simply saying my interpretation of his story makes more sense than his own. Given that his reason for assuming he was insulted was simply hearing "falang kee nok". He has assumptions about this turn of phrase, which are simply incorrect, as I explained. I offer a different explanation which doesnt assume anything- relying instead on cultural norms such as that Thais dont like to be seen as loso (regardless of how much they may joke about being or wanting to be loso), the fact that the act of buying 20 baht nuts from his taxi is "loso", and the fact that the term falang kee nok is not normally an insult, and the fact that when a wife uses it to her husband, it iseven less likely to be. I am simply using rules of probability to come to this possible explanation. It is more likely to be right that his, given that his is based on incorrect beliefs about the phrase and nothing more.

but then again I am forgetting we are "all entitled to our opinion" and therefore none of us can be wrong, and we must all be right.

I wonder if me and henryalleman are the only thai speakers on this thread. probably.

Will

for what its worth I thought your explanation was spot on, but then I speak Thai too.

[Neeranam]

"farang kee ngok" is what people hear and is the Thai for "stingy" and this is nothing to do with birdshit.

I guess you know more than Wiki. Time for you to correct them?

Stingy or unruly foreigners may called Farang kee nok. This is usually taken to mean "bird-shit farang", as kee means waste and nok means (wild) bird

I think I do. Believe who you want.

I believe that "farang kee ngok" means "stingy foreigner" and "farang kee nok" means scruffy foriegner or one with little money - can't you see the difference?

The former could be said to someone with a lot of money and is said as a Thai insult to Chinese too often as "jaek kee ngok". A BIG difference here though is that Thai would never say it if the Chinese person was there but they say it when the 'whitey' is there as they expect he doesn't understand, which, IMHO makes it a worse insult. I've seen it in Khao San Road - the tourist being ridiculed and not recognising the smile and smiling back. The Thais there and in other tourist areas have a great time doing this.

Many expats and all tourists can't hear the difference and assume that they hear farang kee nok when often it isn't.

Edited January 19, 2009 by Neeranam

[wolfmanjack]

Like if they (or someone in the family) calls you fat in front of thier friends, (even if your not fat) its more of a compliment for both of you, old Thai saying goes something like this " If your fat your rich, if your skinny your poor" means you can afford to look after them and, literally meaning you can put food on the table, doesnt matter how rich or poor you are. And it doesnt need to be monetary, it could be rich with humour and understanding. After being called fat several times i was starting to get a complex until i found out what they meant.

this must be why thai people say i look like i gained weight when I actually lost 20 pounds. It used to piss me off when i ate right and worked out to lose weight then have thai people tell me i look fatter than before. i will remember it is a compliment for now on.

Edited January 19, 2009 by wolfmanjack

[eurothai]

I had similair the same with the family or 'friends' of my Thai wife.

I made myself very clear with my wife first. Ok I live in Thailand but, I also got

my own culture. We can take the best of both cultures and if someone has a

problem with it. It's their problem. You really don't have to accept everything.

It's sounds a bit rough, but you can say something back as well. Ok it might be

a little inpolied but you have the right to make yourself clear and they will know

what you feel when they talk the same to you. Your a grown up man.

[Metalgear]

Facts about Thai society: May this be a guide to Tourists and foreigners in Thailand.

1. Money is everything, even more valuable than knowledge and larger than life itself. The dangerous fact..Thais willing to do anything for money.

2. Hiso is always good, always right, always aspired even if they do the most stupid things.

3. Cheap things are always negative, always "low so".

4. Hi so should always look down at Low so.

5. Fat is ugly, thin is beautiful, fair skin is hiso, beautiful, dark skin is low so and ugly.

6. Nose job is a must for ladies and men too. Nowadays, face lengthening is also catching up.

7. Must haves: 3G I-phones, expensive watches such as Panerai, mercedes SKL, mini cooper and Korean singer hairstyles....because most local singers and movie stars have it.

8. Women although they are in their 30s should try to look cute and young, .....to be AB Beaw always like some Japanese AV stars.

9. Luxury cars costing 4 million and above which carries instalments of 50,000 THB or more a month are first priority BUT not lodging which can be as cheap as BHT5000 a month, in a 35 sq meter room can do. In other words, My car is more important than my home.

10. Having "Gigs" (extra-marital affairs) is normal.

11. Most Thais like to feel jealous and envy about others.

12. I cannot speak English, so the hel_l with foreigners even if I can understand what they say. I just want their money.

13. Extra charge for foreigners, national parks fees for Thai-40 bath, foreigners 200 baht.

[nam-thip]

Key-nok or however you choose to put it means you are being insulted in a not so nice manner.

The word KEY when used singly in Thai means 'shit' and Key-nok basicly means you are trying to play the role of a 'hi-so' but don't have the means or you have the means but refuse to part with the means.

The 'means' being money of course.

Are you being insulted by being called Key-nok?

"Yes you are" try using the same words with a motobike taxi driver and you'll soon find out if you've insulted him or not.

The word 'Kineow' means you don't like spending your money.

ie: Tight fisted farang who keeps his hand firmly placed on his wallet.

When anyone addresses you as being Kineow reply with these words.

"Farang mi-kineow farang pryat".

Which translates as follows............... "I'm not tight, i simply take care of my money".

Are Thai's racist?

Very much so.

Live with them as i have for twelve years and accept them for what they are.

It's not to difficult.

[higgy88]

Just to throw in another interpretation of the phrase farang kii nok, aka bird droppings.

I asked my Thai wife what she thought it meant, and she immediately had a look on her face like she was ready to kick some butt, and asked me "Did someone say that to you?" It is definitely an insult, but like many insults, it can be used in a joking or playful manner by someone you are close to. My wife explained it as bird dropping all over your car, or all over your lawn chairs and furniture, or on your clothes that were just washed and hanging outside to dry. It basically means, at least to this Thai, that you are somewhere you should not be, don't fit in, and/or are not wanted.

[dave9988]

Hahahaha.

To be honest, sometimes I find myself saddened that I have had almost zero of these types of encounters with Thais. I guess I am too polite, young and handsome or something. I am sort of jealous. I almost want a Thai girl to run at me with a knife, or to be called bird shit, or whatever else the lot of you experience on a daily basis. It sounds exciting and not boring. Instead I am stuck getting long stares and smiles from university girls and being shown photos of people's daughters every time I leave the house...

[Shotime]

Hahahaha.

To be honest, sometimes I find myself saddened that I have had almost zero of these types of encounters with Thais. I guess I am too polite, young and handsome or something. I am sort of jealous. I almost want a Thai girl to run at me with a knife, or to be called bird shit, or whatever else the lot of you experience on a daily basis. It sounds exciting and not boring. Instead I am stuck getting long stares and smiles from university girls and being shown photos of people's daughters every time I leave the house...

Try being old, and ugly. With a little money, you can have all the drama you want. You should give it a try, it'll open up a whole new life for you. Presently, it does sound a little boring for you.

Metalgear. Good posts, but could you expand on this. "Don't you think that it is no wonder why Thai people suffer alot when they are out of jobs or business go bad due to the current economic situation? The they start killing each other...thats life in Thailand."

[Tonyzill]

My wife is from a poor background with a poor education who had to the leave the village and find her own way in life with no help from from her family. However she is no different to working classes of yester year in the UK where unlike today regardless of thier status, education & money they were they backbone of the nation with high standards, morals, manners etc unlike today. She has never changed and is polite, descent and respectful.

She would never use the terms that have been mentioned either to her fellow Thais or to me her Farang husband. She would most definetly find it insulting and unnecessary.

I have seen her telling off her own family and friends who have a lot of respect for her and say so even to me.

So to the original poster, I would have a quite word with your wife and explain how you feel.