Unique Thai Words

[Thomas_Merton]

English is a rich and innovative language. But you can't help feeling we're missing out.

While English speakers have to describe the action of laughing so much that one side of your abdomen hurts (hardly an economical phrase), the Japanese have the much more efficient expression: katahara itai.

Of course, the English language has borrowed words for centuries. Khaki and croissant are cases in point.

So perhaps it's time to be thinking about adding others to the lexicon. Malay, for instance, has gigi rongak - the space between the teeth. The Japanese have bakku-shan - a girl who appears pretty from behind but not from the front. Then there's a nakkele - a man who licks whatever the food has been served on (from Tulu, India).

These fabulous examples have been collected by author Adam Jacot de Boinod into The Meaning Of Tingo - a collection of words and phrases from around the world.

"What I'm really trying to do is celebrate the joy of foreign words (in a totally unjudgmental way) and say that while English is a great language, one shouldn't be surprised there are many others having, as they do, words with no English equivalent," he says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4248494.stm

Could members contribute to this thread with Thai words, they find useful, which have no direct translation in English?

With luck, the thread could develop into an interesting addition to the usual word lists, an give an extra insight into the LOS.

[The_Moog]

'Manzai'....which is a feeling of annoyance you feel towards someone when they have been a show off.

Eg

"We all secretly manzai'ed The Gentleman Scamp when he brought his 'Carnivology' Oscar to the pissup. After which Tornado hit him with it. Then we all felt better."

[Neeranam]

"greng jai" has not really got a good English equivalent

[loong]

The English word "headache" has no direct translation to Thai. Verb, but no Noun.

There are of course many Thai Idioms that do not translate the same.

"Pound Chillie and dissolve in the River (or is it water?). I think it means to waste your time or to be wasteful.

What is "Som Num Na"? I know the Thai phrase means "Serves you Right" , but direct translation?

[Totster]

What is "Som Num Na"? I know the Thai phrase means "Serves you Right" , but direct translation?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought the translation was "the water is bitter eh" or similar... meaning as you say.. serves you right... or you bought it on yourself..

Maybe along the lines of the english idiom "that's a bitter pill to swallow"

totster

[loong]

I thought the translation was "the water is bitter eh

Wouldn't that be Num Som Na?

I thought the Na was as in "Face"

[Abandon]

The Japanese have bakku-shan - a girl who appears pretty from behind but not from the front.

Then there's a nakkele - a man who licks whatever the food has been served on (from Tulu, India).

Which is called double dipping in English...

Noi Jai is one, though we do have the little used equivalent 'piqued'

There are lots of Dhamma words in Thai that we have no equivalent for (though most of these come from Pali) such as tam boon (punya in Pali) - this is unfortunately translated as 'merit' ( http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=29463&hl=merit )

But anyway, I shalln't bore you with too many of these words.....

[loong]

This link translates "serves you right"

But help me understand it please

http://www.thai-language.com/id/209266

[Totster]

This link translates "serves you right"

But help me understand it please

http://www.thai-language.com/id/209266

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah.. good link... definately makes more sense.. and doesn't all at the same time..

Thats the trouble with trying to understand something just from the phonetics i suppose.. back to the reading practice then

totster

[Dara]

This link translates "serves you right"

But help me understand it please

http://www.thai-language.com/id/209266

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The site is what makes the Internet such a difficult resource to rely on. It is usually recommended that we find out who the author(s) of the contents might be, and for this site the following describe the credential of the author:

_____________________________________________________________________

About the Author

Photo of Glenn Slayden on the island of เกาะช้าง (Ko Chang), July 21, 1999 Glenn Slayden studied Thai conversation at an evening school for two years beginning in early 1991 and traveled to Thailand for the first time in 1996, spending 3 months there. Since then, he has returned ten times and traveled throughout the country, a source of great amusement for the many Thais he has attempted to speak with. Beginning in 1997, he began self-study of Thai reading and writing, and created an early version of this web site as a personal learning aid, and to share his experience learning Thai with others. Please feel free to send feedback!

_____________________________________________________________________

To me the info above explains fairly clearly why the explanation of Som Nam Na doesn't quite make sense. Unfortunately, the expression cannot be divided into iindividual syllable because "Nam Na" is one word that can perhaps be translated as "the likes of" and the whole expression means "serves you right".....

[meadish_sweetball]

Glenn's site is still a valuable resource, but just as Dara says, be very careful with information from the Internet. (In fact, when it comes to Thai language studies, you should critically view your dictionaries as well, because plenty of them are makeshift constructions made to profit from Thai students learning English who still cannot tell the difference between a good and a bad dictionary).

I looked up the expression at thai2english.com as well, just to see what mike had on the expression, and came up with a better explanation: สมน้ำหน้า

[Totster]

I looked up the expression at thai2english.com as well, just to see what mike had on the expression, and came up with a better explanation: สมน้ำหน้า

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh thats good.. so then it would be "suitable for someone like you" ?

totster

[meadish_sweetball]

Yep, that's it Totster.

[Edward B]

'Manzai'....which is a feeling of annoyance you feel towards someone when they have been a show off.

มันไส้ or (correctly) หมั่นไส้ I didn't know the other person had to 'show off' though. Is it necessary?

[meadish_sweetball]

'Manzai'....which is a feeling of annoyance you feel towards someone when they have been a show off.

มันไส้ or (correctly) หมั่นไส้ I didn't know the other person had to 'show off' though. Is it necessary?

It's also the reaction you might (jokingly) get from your friends if you got a little too cuddly with your better half in a restaurant or similar. I guess this could be branded as 'showing off how great and cute your relationship is'... but thought I'd include it anyway as a piece of the puzzle.

(...and before somebody informs me that public displays of affection are frowned upon in Thai society, please let me point out that Lonely Planet is widely available.)

It's interesting to note that thai2english lists it as meaning 'revolting, offensive' etc. Personally I have only heard it used in joking contexts, with a smile added. Is anybody else's experience different?

[BambinA]

"Pound Chillie and dissolve in the River (or is it water?). I think it means to waste your time or to be wasteful.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ตำน้ำพริกละลายแม่น้ำ = you paid/invest too much for something useless or not deserve to paid much like that and you get only less profit.

Bambi

[LindsayBKK]

What is "Som Num Na"? I know the Thai phrase means "Serves you Right" , but direct translation?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Means "you deserve it" but serves you right is close enough.

[loong]

"Pound Chillie and dissolve in the River (or is it water?). I think it means to waste your time or to be wasteful.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ตำน้ำพริกละลายแม่น้ำ = you paid/invest too much for something useless or not deserve to paid much like that and you get only less profit.

Bambi

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Bambi, you've come up trumps again

I do find it annoying when I can only half remember something. Maybe one day these phrases will stick in my mind instead of half of it floating out.

[loong]

สีซอให้ควายฟัง

'See-saw hai kwai fung'

'Play violin for buffalo to listen'

This is one of my favourites

Means

Waste one's breath

Fall on death ears.

ie "Give advice, but your advice is ignored"

[meadish_sweetball]

...or 'Cast (one's) pearls before swine'.

[Dara]

I looked up the expression at thai2english.com as well, just to see what mike had on the expression, and came up with a better explanation: สมน้ำหน้า

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh thats good.. so then it would be "suitable for someone like you" ?

totster

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Totster - actually, you should go with the translation given there (serve someone right ; get (what) one deserves) rather than merging the meaning of the 2 words together because to me, "suitable for someone like you" doesn't exactly means "serves you right!", or does it?

Along the line of "naa" words that don't quite have equivalents in English , my favorite are....

หน้าแตก - when one does or says something to embarass oneself

หน้าบาง - to be embarassed easily

[meadish_sweetball]

Good point Dara, the sum of the words indeed means 'serves you right' and not 'suitable for someone like you' as used in a neutral context - maybe I muddled it up there - I thought Totster was looking for how to interpret the individual parts of the expression.

[The_Moog]

The Thai word KHORTOT, which to them means 'excuse me'

...but to us, translated, means 'May I fart?'

[Totster]

Good point Dara, the sum of the words indeed means 'serves you right' and not 'suitable for someone like you' as used in a neutral context -  maybe I muddled it up there - I thought Totster was looking for how to interpret the individual parts of the expression.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Dara and Meadish..

When I said "suitable for someone like you" I meant as in "(that outcome) was suitable for someone like you", which could be interpreted as "serves you right" in the right context.

I am aware that the actual phrase means "serves you right"... it was just nice to break it down to try and understand it.

thanks for these Dara..

หน้าแตก - when one does or says something to embarass oneself

หน้าบาง - to be embarassed easily

totster

[mrbojangles]

สีซอให้ควายฟัง

'See-saw hai kwai fung'

My Mrs is sat next to me and i just said that one aloud, she laughed her head off and said same when i talk to you

[loong]

The Thai word KHORTOT, which to them means 'excuse me'

...but to us, translated, means 'May I fart?'

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Khortot, that literally means "I wish to accept the blame" right or not?

สีซอให้ควายฟัง

'See-saw hai kwai fung'

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My Mrs is sat next to me and i just said that one aloud, she laughed her head off and said same when i talk to you

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Som Num Nah

Oh Oh, going in circles now

[RonanTheBarbarian]

OP said: "Malay, for instance, has gigi rongak - the space between the teeth."

The Irish language has a word for that as well - Cannot remember how it is spelled in Irish, but it is prononced something like "shaynus". To be precise, it means the gap between the two front teeth. If you have a big gap there when you are young it is meant to indicate that when you grow up you will travel!

[Abandon]

Khortot, that literally means "I wish to accept the blame" right or not?

Yes - it literally means 'please blame me' though it is used instead of our 'please excuse me' and so is often translated that way.

[Edward B]

The Thai word KHORTOT, which to them means 'excuse me'

...but to us, translated, means 'May I fart?'

ขอตด - That's funny.

Khortot, that literally means "I wish to accept the blame" right or not?

Yes - it literally means 'please blame me' though it is used instead of our 'please excuse me' and so is often translated that way.

I always thought it meant: "May I be punished (for what I just did)."

khŏr tôht - ขอโทษ. I guess it's the same anyway.

How about: "sòo khŏr" - สู่ขอ - to ask for a woman's hand in marriage.

I think there should be dozens of these out there, due to the different culture. Then there's all those foods that have no direct translation, such as "glûay-bùat-chee" - กล้วยบวชชี - Bananas entering the sisterhood, or more commonly: Bananas boiled in coconut milk.

[meadish_sweetball]

The meaning of โทษ can be

1. noun 'punishment', 'penalty'; 2. noun 'harm', 'danger'; 3. noun 'blame' 4. verb 'to blame' depending on the context.

The elegant synonym of โทษ is ทัณฑ์ /than/ mid tone, short vowel.

นักโทษ /nák thôod/ and คนโทษ /khon thôod/ are synonyms meaning 'prisoner', 'convict'. (This 'oo' is close to an 'oh' or 'oa' sound in normal English spelling).

โทษเบา /thôod bao/ light punishment, light penalty; minor offense

Elegant synonym: ลหุโทษláhùthôod

โทษหนัก heavy punishment, heavy penalty; major offense

Elegant synonym: มหันตโทษ /mahan+(tà)thôod/

Another more colloquial word for 'to blame' is ว่า /waa/ (which in other contexts is just a shortening of พูดว่า /phûud wâa/ 'say, speak' and คิดว่า /khíd wâa/ 'think', and serves as a clause introducer, or as the ':' sign in most European languages.).

Example: อย่าไปว่าเขาซิ่ /yàa pai wâa kháo/ Don't blame him/her/them!