mca Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard W Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Foresight. Se-ed gives two long explanations for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seank Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajarnmark Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorensen Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does that Hungry - full Thirsty - ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadish_sweetball Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midasthailand Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does thatHungry - full Thirsty - ???? Hiw Naam - Mai Hiw Naam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurnell Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Foreign guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadish_sweetball Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Foreign guest แขกต่างชาติ khàek tàang châad or แขกต่างประเทศ khàek tàang prathêed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eek Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuian Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaccha Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadish_sweetball Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Those are indeed some great words Gaccha. I certainly feel 八つあたりに at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anothertorres Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does thatHungry - full Thirsty - ???? Thirsty: korhâeng Edited September 24, 2009 by anothertorres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boonbohmee Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 There's no word for 'stress.' A like a few Thai words that don't translate to English. Numjai and Kengjai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anothertorres Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daewoo Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does thatHungry - 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choppychugger Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 There doesn't seem to be a Thai word for chocolate. Choppy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daewoo Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daewoo Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toptuan Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rionoir Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitiya1980 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OxfordWill Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) mee alom is maybe a polite way of putting it. I didnt know ngian was slang though, thanks. Edited September 24, 2009 by OxfordWill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rionoir Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 That word is not just slang, it'll get you slapped across the face... =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mca Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard W Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choppychugger Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 They don't have a word for not being thirsty.....but no language does thatHungry - full Thirsty - ???? Slaked ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 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 PLEASEI'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 !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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