Thais Don't Have A Word For...

[mca]

Sorry if this topic has been covered before.

I was watching a nature documentary featuring badgers and asked my wife what their name was in Thai. She replied they didn't have one. Sure enough the English-Thai dictionary I looked at gave a description of the animal but no Thai name, unless someone here could kindly correct me.

Any other examples of an English word that doesn't have a direct Thai translation?

[Richard W]

Foresight. Se-ed gives two long explanations for it.

[seank]

Do they have a word for 'No'?

Everytime I ask I get the translation for 'not have','not want' ect rather than a simple 'No'.

[ajarnmark]

Do they have a word for 'No'?

Everytime I ask I get the translation for 'not have','not want' ect rather than a simple 'No'.

Yes there is:

No = Mai

Do not have = Mai Mee

Do not want = Mai Ow

Thai is same as any other language where there are no words for many things. English is, of course, no exception as well.

[sorensen]

They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does that

Hungry - full

Thirsty - ????

[meadish_sweetball]

Do they have a word for 'No'?

Everytime I ask I get the translation for 'not have','not want' ect rather than a simple 'No'.

It's fairly common to reply with just a ไม่ mâi, but that type of usage is probably a later influence. What you have been given by your Thai friends is the correct way of negating your answer, which consists of a negation plus the verb/adjective used in the question (simplified word classes, the equivalent of English adjectives for most purposes behave the same as verbs in Thai, pick up a Thai grammar book to learn more about the specifics).

To negate your answer idiomatically there's a number of ways of replying that roughly equate to 'no' in English:

เอาไหม ao mái* - do you want [it/some]

ไม่เอา mâi ao - no

ดีไหม dii mái - [is it] good?

ไม่ดี mâi dii - no (=no good)

ขายเป็นขวดรึเปล่า khaay[R] pen khùad rúe plào - do you sell it in bottles

ไม่ได้ขายเป็นขวด ขายเป็นแก้ว mâi dâi khaay[R] pen khùad khaay[R] pen kâew - no we don't sell it in bottles, we sell it in glasses

ใช่ต้นหอมไหม châi tôn hawm[R] mái - is this a leek

A 1. ไม่ใช่ต้นหอม (เป็น)ตะไคร้ mâi châi tôn hawm[R] pen takhráy - it's not a leek, it's lemongrass

A 2. ไมเได้เป็นต้นหอม เป็นตะไคร้ mâi dâi pen tôn hawm[R] pen takhráy - it's not a leek, it's lemongrass

*the Thai text indicates rising tone but in speech the tone is generally high, so sometimes in dialogue it's written มั้ย instead to indicate this

[midasthailand]

They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does that

Hungry - full

Thirsty - ????

Hiw Naam - Mai Hiw Naam

[kurnell]

Foreign guest

[meadish_sweetball]

Foreign guest

แขกต่างชาติ khàek tàang châad or แขกต่างประเทศ khàek tàang prathêed

[eek]

Do they have a word for fairy?

I know that นางฟ้า / nang fa is angel (right?)

Is there anything that separates angel and fairy?

Fairy for me = something like Tinkerbell

Angel for me = something more like a holy spiritual being/guardian.

[Samuian]

Do they have a word for fairy?

I know that นางฟ้า / nang fa is angel (right?)

Is there anything that separates angel and fairy?

Fairy for me = something like Tinkerbell

Angel for me = something more like a holy spiritual being/guardian.

ทูต สวรรค์ Thu:t sa: wanฺ = Angel, heavenly messenger...

เทพ Th:ep = Fairy

เทพธิดา the:pู pha/ thi/ da: = Angel, Godess..

เทพย เจ้า the:p pha ja djau = Angel, Godess, heavenly being..

แมน Mae:n = God, Deity, Angel

as many spirits as many angels got to be all in balance...

[Gaccha]

And then there are words that both English and Thai don't have (I think):

e.g. 八つあたりに [yatsuatari ni]: to indiscriminately/ recklessly get angry with everyone around you (just because you are in a bad mood)

逆ギレ[gyakugire]: to get unjustifiably angry with someone who is justifiably angry with you

It's a shame English and Thai don't have these words as they, like all words, have a constitutive effect on the people who use them. Any Japanese having an argument is stopped in their traps should they be told they are doing either of the above, but since there is no concept in English or Thai, then Thailand and the England have many a person who unjustifiably get angry when someone is annoyed with them, or who shout at everyone in sight.

One more word:

臥薪嘗胆 [gasshinshoutan] to put yourself through great suffering for the sake of vengeance

Edited September 24, 2009 by Gaccha

[meadish_sweetball]

Those are indeed some great words Gaccha.

I certainly feel 八つあたりに at times.

[anothertorres]

They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does that

Hungry - full

Thirsty - ????

Thirsty: korhâeng

Edited September 24, 2009 by anothertorres

[boonbohmee]

There's no word for 'stress.'

A like a few Thai words that don't translate to English.

Numjai and Kengjai.

[anothertorres]

There's no word for 'stress.'

A like a few Thai words that don't translate to English.

Numjai and Kengjai.

Naam Jai is "water heart". translates well enough to "good hearted" or even better "water from the heart".

[Daewoo]

They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does that

Hungry - full

Thirsty - ????

Thirsty: korhâeng

I think that means dry throat. คอ=neck แฮ่ง=dry I was taught that hiw-naam หิวน้ำ was thirsty.

Cheers,

Daewoo

[choppychugger]

There doesn't seem to be a Thai word for chocolate.

Choppy

[Daewoo]

There's no word for 'stress.'

A like a few Thai words that don't translate to English.

Numjai and Kengjai.

I assume KengJai would be hardheart - Keng = แข็ง means hard, but it could be ice-heart Nam-Keng = Water-Hard = Ice.

Cheers,

Daewoo

[Daewoo]

There doesn't seem to be a Thai word for chocolate.

Choppy

Only an english loan word - but apparently now accepted as Thai language ช็อกโกแลต. Use of loan words is pretty common for things that came to Thailand as English items, the word for pen - ปากกา bparkgar comes from the English - 'Parker Pen' according to my teacher. Even if he is wrong, it makes it easy to remember.

Cheers,

Daewoo

Edited September 24, 2009 by Daewoo

[toptuan]

There's no word for 'stress.'

A like a few Thai words that don't translate to English.

Numjai and Kengjai.

Naam Jai is "water heart". translates well enough to "good hearted" or even better "water from the heart".

Naam jai is more complicated than that. It is generosity to the point that the good-hearted person gives and gives without expecting anything in return.

It's a close cousin to the Greek word agape. "Love without strings attached."

However, there is no equivalent one or two words in English which captures the meaning of either of these Thai or Greek words.

Edited September 24, 2009 by toptuan

[Rionoir]

This will be the 4th time I've posted this in the last 2 or 3 days... LoL...

There's really no words for "I miss you." Thais (and, I've been told, other asian languages as well) just say I am thinking about you, but I don't think they actually understand what "I miss you" means. I've had people say they miss me when they've never even met me yet... giggle

[kitiya1980]

ATTENTION PLEASE

I'm a thai and we dont have this word "horny" muahahahahha but only 1 that i can think of ..its slang tho "gnian" (some of thais dont understand) argh any idea? try to ask ur sweetheart about this k? ah or this but too long "chan mee kwam tong karn tang pet" <deleted>? pet haha yes! its mean SEX.

[OxfordWill]

mee alom is maybe a polite way of putting it. I didnt know ngian was slang though, thanks.

Edited September 24, 2009 by OxfordWill

[Rionoir]

That word is not just slang, it'll get you slapped across the face... =P

[mca]

There doesn't seem to be a Thai word for chocolate.

Choppy

Only an english loan word - but apparently now accepted as Thai language ช็อกโกแลต. Use of loan words is pretty common for things that came to Thailand as English items, the word for pen - ปากกา bparkgar comes from the English - 'Parker Pen' according to my teacher. Even if he is wrong, it makes it easy to remember.

Cheers,

Daewoo

Another thing I've noticed over the past few years is a quite large influx of English words into Thai conversation where there's actually a completely valid Thai word that could be used. "Meeting" as in "business meeting" comes to mind.

[Richard W]

There doesn't seem to be a Thai word for chocolate.

Only an english loan word - but apparently now accepted as Thai language ช็อกโกแลต.

English makes do with a Nahuatl word for this item.

ปากกา bparkgar comes from the English - 'Parker Pen' according to my teacher. Even if he is wrong, it makes it easy to remember.

Mnemonic only I'm afraid - it's literal meaning is crow's mouth. There a synonym ปากไก่.

[choppychugger]

This will be the 4th time I've posted this in the last 2 or 3 days... LoL...

There's really no words for "I miss you." Thais (and, I've been told, other asian languages as well) just say I am thinking about you, but I don't think they actually understand what "I miss you" means. I've had people say they miss me when they've never even met me yet... giggle

Isn't it " Pom KEy-tung " ?

choppy

[LivinLOS]

They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does that

Hungry - full

Thirsty - ????

Slaked ?

[LivinLOS]

This will be the 4th time I've posted this in the last 2 or 3 days... LoL...

There's really no words for "I miss you." Thais (and, I've been told, other asian languages as well) just say I am thinking about you, but I don't think they actually understand what "I miss you" means. I've had people say they miss me when they've never even met me yet... giggle

I had always understood Ki tung to mean I miss you ??

My Thai is poor so am I miss categorising that ??

ATTENTION PLEASE

I'm a thai and we dont have this word "horny" muahahahahha but only 1 that i can think of ..its slang tho "gnian" (some of thais dont understand) argh any idea? try to ask ur sweetheart about this k? ah or this but too long "chan mee kwam tong karn tang pet" <deleted>? pet haha yes! its mean SEX.

Sea-ow.. Like horney / excited / turned on ??

I really shouldnt post in the Thai language forum with my level of ability !!