Thai Words With No English Equivalent

[Gaccha]

I love words that have no English equivalent. They seem to pop up fairly often, so perhaps with this thread we can collate them.

Here is my first word:

ยอง. to sit on your heels

And to get you all going:

I know there is a word to describe protruding lips that signify something, but I forget the word...

And I know there is a word to describe pulling in your stomache (and it means nothing else) but I've forgot that too...

Neither of the above are slang. They are totally regular vocab. Let's ignore slang.

Any other words...?

[Gaccha]

One more one more...

ขอด.(verb) s.t. left over at the bottom of s.t.

On www.thai-language.com it translates it as to dry up or run dry

But this is not same same, as the verb can be used for water at the bottom of a glass. Water as an object cannot run dry; water cannot, by definition, dehydrate to a different, dry form.

Okay, your turn...

[DavidHouston]

One more one more...

ขอด.(verb) s.t. left over at the bottom of s.t.

On www.thai-language.com it translates it as to dry up or run dry

But this is not same same, as the verb can be used for water at the bottom of a glass. Water as an object cannot run dry; water cannot, by definition, dehydrate to a different, dry form.

Okay, your turn...

From Lexitron:

ขอด 2 [V] scale; scrape off Syn. ขูด

Def. ทำให้สิ่งที่ติดอยู่ออกมาด้วยอาการอย่างขูด.

To remove something which is attached by using a scraping motion

Sample:แม่ครัวขอดเกล็ดปลาให้เสร็จก่อนจะหั่นเป็นชิ้นๆ

The cook scraped the scales off the fish before cutting it into pieces.

ขอด 2 [V] scrape the bottom

Syn. ขูด

Def. เหลืออยู่น้อยจนถึงกับต้องขูดเอา.

Only a very little remains (at the bottom of something) such that it must be scraped off.

Sample:คนในภาคอีสานแทบจะต้องขอดน้ำจากอ่างเก็บน้ำมาใช้

People who live in the Northeast sometimes need to scrape water from the bottom of the reservoir for their (daily) use.

Khun Gaccha,

Is "scrape" not appropriate in this context?

[eefoo]

I love words that have no English equivalent. They seem to pop up fairly often, so perhaps with this thread we can collate them.

Any other words...?

Interesting idea. I have one. ครับ

[Gaccha]

One more one more...

ขอด.(verb) s.t. left over at the bottom of s.t.

On www.thai-language.com it translates it as to dry up or run dry

But this is not same same, as the verb can be used for water at the bottom of a glass. Water as an object cannot run dry; water cannot, by definition, dehydrate to a different, dry form.

Okay, your turn...

From Lexitron:

ขอด 2 [V] scale; scrape off Syn. ขูด

Def. ทำให้สิ่งที่ติดอยู่ออกมาด้วยอาการอย่างขูด.

To remove something which is attached by using a scraping motion

Sample:แม่ครัวขอดเกล็ดปลาให้เสร็จก่อนจะหั่นเป็นชิ้นๆ

The cook scraped the scales off the fish before cutting it into pieces.

ขอด 2 [V] scrape the bottom

Syn. ขูด

Def. เหลืออยู่น้อยจนถึงกับต้องขูดเอา.

Only a very little remains (at the bottom of something) such that it must be scraped off.

Sample:คนในภาคอีสานแทบจะต้องขอดน้ำจากอ่างเก็บน้ำมาใช้

People who live in the Northeast sometimes need to scrape water from the bottom of the reservoir for their (daily) use.

Khun Gaccha,

Is "scrape" not appropriate in this context?

I think this is a different word. This is a transitive, right? While my word is resolutely intransitive. I think there are three homonyms:

1. to knot

2. [my word] e.g. นํ้าขอดโอ่ง

3. to scrape

...but I'm not certain...

[Gaccha]

Or what do you make of this:

เกาะแกะ (verb, intransitive?)

This is used (against me) when I buy a coffee for someone or give them headache medicine...

to be a smoothy ?

[Scrubber]

I love words that have no English equivalent. They seem to pop up fairly often, so perhaps with this thread we can collate them.

Here is my first word:

ยอง. to sit on your heels

And to get you all going:

I know there is a word to describe protruding lips that signify something, but I forget the word...

And I know there is a word to describe pulling in your stomache (and it means nothing else) but I've forgot that too...

Neither of the above are slang. They are totally regular vocab. Let's ignore slang.

Any other words...?

The pulling in your stomach one is...

kamaew poong - sorry for the bad transliteration and lack of Thai typing!

[DavidHouston]

To follow up on Gaccha's original suggestion, are there elegant English ways to express the following posturing or positioning terms in Thai?

นั่งยอง ๆ – sitting in a squatting position in, for example, the old-style squat johns, and 2. for sitting when one receives the blessing from a monk after providing him with food in the morning.

นั่งขัดสมาธิ – to sit cross-legged in the lotus position

นั่งพับเพียบ – to sit on the floor with one's legs tucked back

นั่งคุกเข่า - partial sitting where one's knees are on the ground and your backside is on your heels.

[mangkorn]

I love words that have no English equivalent. They seem to pop up fairly often, so perhaps with this thread we can collate them.

Any other words...?

Interesting idea. I have one. ครับ

If you include particles, this list could get long pretty quickly...

That said, however, I might suggest the ครับ does have possible English equivalents, if one accepts it as a derivation of ขอรับ: "At your service," "I am your humble servant," "Milord," or something like that... (Relevant "emoticon"?)

Edit: Perhaps, "How may I help you?" Granted, one could argue that Thais are not really expressing that idea when they say ครับ, but then again, with certain comparative modern English sayings (e.g., "Have a nice day"), people who say that don't really care whether you have a nice day, or not. It's a polite pleasantry, sort of like ครับ. (In Latin American Spanish, people always say, as an automatic polite refrain (translated): "I am at your service, if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask..." - but, if you ask for even a small favor, the reply will often be hemming and hawing and all manner of excuses to not do what they just offered to do.)

Edited April 17, 2009 by mangkorn

[NaiGreg]

The word เห่อ (heur) does not seem to have an English equivalent. My understanding is that it describes a feeling when one becomes engrossed or obsessed with a new "toy" (or simply a little too proud)

[loong]

I think this is a different word. This is a transitive, right? While my word is resolutely intransitive. I think there are three homonyms:

1. to knot

2. [my word] e.g. นํ้าขอดโอ่ง

3. to scrape

...but I'm not certain...

น้ำขอดโอ่ง This would mean that there is only a scraping left ie there is a very small amount left,

but not enough to drink?

น้ำแห้งขอดโอ่ง When it's empty

Edited April 18, 2009 by loong

[loong]

I know there is a word to describe protruding lips that signify something, but I forget the word...

People in the North often point with their lips to indicate something or a direction instead of using a finger.

Is this what you mean?

บุ้ยใบ้ bûi bâi

http://www.thai2english.com/dictionary/11910.html

[loong]

The pulling in your stomach one is...

kamaew poong - sorry for the bad transliteration and lack of Thai typing!

กระแหม่วท้อง grà-màew tóng

You've used พุง poong, I'm not sure if poong and tóng are interchangeable.

[loong]

เกรงใจ greng jai

Is a Thai word that definitely has no equivalent in English. In fact many people cannot agree on the actual definition. Nothing in English seems to define it accurately.

It can mean considerate, respectful, esteem, a very complex word

[Gaccha]

เกรงใจ greng jai

Is a Thai word that definitely has no equivalent in English. In fact many people cannot agree on the actual definition. Nothing in English seems to define it accurately.

It can mean considerate, respectful, esteem, a very complex word

Wow. My dictionary gives a very different reading:

1. to not want to take advantage of s.b.s generosity or friendliness

2. to not want to embarrass s.b. (by criticising etc)

I only know the first reading. Interesting. A guess from its literal meaning would be:

to fear (for the worst) on your own actions on others...

[krading]

เกรงใจ To be reluctant to impose on somebody.

[krading]

Or what do you make of this:

เกาะแกะ (verb, intransitive?)

This is used (against me) when I buy a coffee for someone or give them headache medicine...

to be a smoothy ?

เกาะแกะ To cling onto sheep

Could be a 'dag' or a Kiwi

[Scrubber]

The pulling in your stomach one is...

kamaew poong - sorry for the bad transliteration and lack of Thai typing!

กระแหม่วท้อง grà-màew tóng

You've used พุง poong, I'm not sure if poong and tóng are interchangeable.

Thanks for giving the Thai script Loong :-) I've only ever heard it used with 'poong', I guess because 'poong' has negative implications and Thais seem to use it when referring to a chubby belly (anything other than an ironing board flat stomach!), and so it would need to be sucked in for them to look 'beautiful'.

[loong]

There was quite a discussion about เกรงใจ before at

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/and3648and35...51-t216374.html

I'm sure that there have been others but have been unable to find them