Telling The Time In Thailand

[Delight]

TELLING THE TIME IS THAI

A friend arranged to meet at a particular rendezvous with his girlfriend at a particular time to go on a trip.

She stated ''2 hour morning''

At 2 am He is there at the rendezvous

At 2 am she is not.

6 hours later she arrives.

The atmosphere between them was a little tense.

When he returned he confessed that although he had read about 'understanding time ' in Thailand –he could not make any sense from what he was reading.

So I hand sketched a clock –similar to the JPEG download on this post.

So for those who struggle with THAI TIME ,maybe this post will help

Note:

1)The West divides the 24 hour day into 2x12 hour blocks

Thailand (colloquial) divides the same 24 hour day into 4x 6 blocks

2) The word 12 is never used in this Thai system

3) The words for minutes and seconds etc . when referred to always follow the hour –never before. They are spoken (or written ) straight after the phrase to denote a particular hour.

4)The system uses the word half ครึ่ง krʉ̂ng for 'half past'

5) There are many other words that require to be learned in relation to time .

They are easy to source.

A) 1am to 5 am.doc

B) 6am to 11 am.doc

C) Midday to 6 pm.doc

D) 7pm to Midnight .doc

[mikenyork]

There is anothersystem for telling time at night, although it is not commonly used. It is comprised of three four hour periods asfollows:

ปฐมยาม: from six pm until ten pm

มัชฌิมยาม: from ten pm until two am

ปัจฉิมยาม: from two am until six am

Confusingly(this is, after all, Thailand) I have also heard nine pm referred to as หนึ่งยาม and midnight referred to as สองยาม. But I have never seen theselatter two written in a book.

[Benchamas]

It is a very very local old style. Mostly Southern people use it.

My boss's Thai partner'd like to have a meeting. So he told us to meet at 3 O'clock ( 3 mong). We presumed it's 3 pm.

9:15 he called and asked where we were. So I told him we will be there at quarter to 3 (baai saam)

He shouted at we with anger "I SAID 3 in the morning Southern time!!!"

I said "You work with my boss (foreigner) you should have known how to inform the time"

And the meeting remained at 3:00 PM, not my fault !!!

Let's see:

1 mong (chao) = 7 am

2 mong (chao) = 8 am

3 mong (chao) = 9 am

...

and

1 thum = 7 pm

2 thum = 8 pm

3 thum = 9 pm

...

Thiang khuen = midnight

I think Thailand is only one country in the world that state the time like this.

[Delight]

There is anothersystem for telling time at night, although it is not commonly used. It is comprised of three four hour periods asfollows:

ปฐมยาม: from six pm until ten pm

มัชฌิมยาม: from ten pm until two am

ปัจฉิมยาม: from two am until six am

Confusingly(this is, after all, Thailand) I have also heard nine pm referred to as หนึ่งยาม and midnight referred to as สองยาม. But I have never seen theselatter two written in a book.

As I read them ,they are almost shift patterns ie 4 hours on -4 hours off The rota for a watchman.

Thanks for your contribution.

[Delight]

It is a very very local old style. Mostly Southern people use it.

My boss's Thai partner'd like to have a meeting. So he told us to meet at 3 O'clock ( 3 mong). We presumed it's 3 pm.

9:15 he called and asked where we were. So I told him we will be there at quarter to 3 (baai saam)

He shouted at we with anger "I SAID 3 in the morning Southern time!!!"

I said "You work with my boss (foreigner) you should have known how to inform the time"

And the meeting remained at 3:00 PM, not my fault !!!

Let's see:

1 mong (chao) = 7 am

2 mong (chao) = 8 am

3 mong (chao) = 9 am

...

and

1 thum = 7 pm

2 thum = 8 pm

3 thum = 9 pm

...

Thiang khuen = midnight

I think Thailand is only one country in the world that state the time like this.

The key to understanding the system is the word STRIKE

If you intend to communicate a number using either a Drum or a Bell then you need to have a system with low numbers.

Striking 11 times will result in confusion.

The system was employed ,it was explained to me by a native Thai,to communicate the time to workers in a Paddy field.

They must work funny hours . All the Striking is done when most people are not at work.

There will be ,I am sure , a definitive answer.

Does anybody have it?

Edited September 22, 2010 by Delight

[bifftastic]

I have a question related to this word ปัจฉิมยาม but not time related.

When I look up this word, I get the components ปัจฉิม and ยาม

Then the pronunciation guide shows ปัด-ฉิม-มะ ยาม

My question is, how do you know when the ม isn't just the end of one word but a มะ (extra syllable)? As ปัจฉิม is a word and so is ยาม

(I'm guessing at 'you just have to know' but hoping for something else!)

Thanks,

Biff

Edited September 22, 2010 by bifftastic

[Delight]

I have a question related to this word ปัจฉิมยาม but not time related.

When I look up this word, I get the components ปัจฉิม and ยาม

Then the pronunciation guide shows ปัด-ฉิม-มะ ยาม

My question is, how do you know when the ม isn't just the end of one word but a มะ (extra syllable)? As ปัจฉิม is a word and so is ยาม

(I'm guessing at 'you just have to know' but hoping for something else!)

Thanks,

Biff

It is always difficult when an interesting question is posed -- but it is off topic

Based on previous experience I have to:

Ask you to start this as a new topic

[Benchamas]

Delight, you are right !

Hundreds years ago we din't have clock/watch. There was a man looked at the moon/sun for the time. Every hour he hit a drum or bell to tell ppl what time it was. This is why we have "tee" "mong" "thum"

tee - bell

thum - drum

mong - different kind of drum

1 am - 5 am (bell)

tee 1

tee 2

tee 3

...

6 am - 11 am (drum)

6 mong

7 mong

8 mong

1 pm - 4 pm = bai which I have no idea where the "bai' is from

5 pm = haa mong yen

6 pm = hok mong yen

7 pm - 11 pm (different kind of drum) They didn't want to hit the drum 19 time - 23 time, so they hit according to the number on the clock.

7 pm = 1 thum (number 7 is opposite umber 1 on the clock)

8 pm = 2 thum (number 8 is opposite umber 2 on the clock)

9 pm = 3 thum (number 9 is opposite umber 3 on the clock)

[SoftWater]

7 pm - 11 pm (different kind of drum) They didn't want to hit the drum 19 time - 23 time, so they hit according to the number on the clock.

7 pm = 1 thum (number 7 is opposite umber 1 on the clock)...

Thanks Khun Benchamat. I'd never heard that part of the explanation before.

Makes perfect sense now (kinda smart when you think about it!).

Edited September 22, 2010 by SoftWater

[Atmos]

thankyou for this - the standard response I get when I get too cheeky in correcting my partner's English pronunciation is 'what time is it?' - puts me back in my place!

Can't even tell the time properly!

[Delight]

1 pm - 4 pm = bai which I have no idea where the "bai' is from

Thanks for your insight into this subject -which typically confuses farang

The classifier for the Thai word DRUM ie กลอง glɔɔng is ใบ bai.

Does this explain anything in relation to บ่าย bàai ie afternoon

Edited September 22, 2010 by Delight

[bifftastic]

I have a question related to this word ปัจฉิมยาม but not time related.

When I look up this word, I get the components ปัจฉิม and ยาม

Then the pronunciation guide shows ปัด-ฉิม-มะ ยาม

My question is, how do you know when the ม isn't just the end of one word but a มะ (extra syllable)? As ปัจฉิม is a word and so is ยาม

(I'm guessing at 'you just have to know' but hoping for something else!)

Thanks,

Biff

It is always difficult when an interesting question is posed -- but it is off topic

Based on previous experience I have to:

Ask you to start this as a new topic

Marginally off-topic, if at all, seeing as it's directly asking about the words used in this topic and the reading/understanding of them? Oh and it wasn't me that 'red buttoned you!

[Delight]

I have a question related to this word ปัจฉิมยาม but not time related.

When I look up this word, I get the components ปัจฉิม and ยาม

Then the pronunciation guide shows ปัด-ฉิม-มะ ยาม

My question is, how do you know when the ม isn't just the end of one word but a มะ (extra syllable)? As ปัจฉิม is a word and so is ยาม

(I'm guessing at 'you just have to know' but hoping for something else!)

Thanks,

Biff

It is always difficult when an interesting question is posed -- but it is off topic

Based on previous experience I have to:

Ask you to start this as a new topic

Marginally off-topic, if at all, seeing as it's directly asking about the words used in this topic and the reading/understanding of them? Oh and it wasn't me that 'red buttoned you!

The topic is about the understanding of a system. Is is not about specific words that are being employed in that particular understanding process

Please send me a personal e mail

I will be more than happy to help

Edited September 22, 2010 by Delight

[bhoydy]

1 pm - 4 pm = bai which I have no idea where the "bai' is from

Thanks for your insight into this subject -which typically confuses farang

The classifier for the Thai word DRUM ie กลอง glɔɔng is ใบ bai.

Does this explain anything in relation to บ่าย bàai ie afternoon

Where i live they tend to use บ่าย for 1-3pm and โมงเย็น for 4-6pm. I'm not sure where it's from but it means afternoon unlike ใบ which is a different word.

[Benchamas]

1 pm - 4 pm = bai which I have no idea where the "bai' is from

Thanks for your insight into this subject -which typically confuses farang

The classifier for the Thai word DRUM ie กลอง glɔɔng is ใบ bai.

Does this explain anything in relation to บ่าย bàai ie afternoon

Where i live they tend to use บ่าย for 1-3pm and โมงเย็น for 4-6pm. I'm not sure where it's from but it means afternoon unlike ใบ which is a different word.

I have just noticed something - "บ่าย" there nothing to do with "ใบ" and nothing to do with sounds, but is it something about the Sun.

Theoretically, at 12 O'clock the sun is 90 degree upright to the earth, soon after the sun turns (บ่าย) to the other side. This is why we call afternoon "บ่าย"

บ่าย (v) = turn, step to once side

4 pm - I never say it properly myself. I even say "บ่ายสี่โมงเย็น" (Oops ! ขอโทษค่ะ )