Phi ผี

[Polsci]

I just answered some questions about Phi in the Buddhism forum and thought that this might be helpful for those who want to expand their Thai vocabulary and deepen their understanding of Thai animism as practiced alongside Thai Buddhism.

Potentially beneficial Phi ผี (long "ee" vowel with rising tone)

ภูตผีปีศาจเจ้าที่เจ้าทาง

Phi Paa ผีป่า -- jungle spirits

Phi Khau ผีเขา -- mountain spirits

Phi Nang Mai ผีนางไม้ -- female tree spirits

Phi Pluak ผีเผึอก -- termite spirits

Phi Muang ผีเมีอง -- town spirits

Pra Phum Chaeo Thi พระภูมิเจ้าที่ the spirit of the land or spirits of houses

Phi Khru ผีครู spirits of one's teacher

Bad Phi or Phi Tai Hong ผีตายโหง created through unfortunate, violent, or sudden death

Source: Traditional Thai Medicine:Buddhism, Animism, Ayurveda (C. Pierce Salguero, Hohm Press, 2007, Chapter 6 - Thai Folk Healing, pages 69-90)

[Mole]

There's also

ผีปอบ - a kind of zombie

ผีดิบ - undead or zombie

ผีกระสือ - a woman who by day looks like normal human but at night will separate her head+intestines from body and levitate around in order to find and eat flesh.

ผีกระหัง - a male ghost who can fly

ผีเรือน - a house spirit

Actually, wikipedia has a comprehensive list, but it's in Thai.

If there's any interest in this, I can make a short excerpt in English of all the entries in wikipedia

also ผีทะเล but it's not a ghost but a word to describe certain type of people..

edit: actually, turns out there is a ผีทะเล which is a ghost. Wiki says it's the Thai equivalent of St. Elmo's fire

Edited January 1, 2012 by Mole

[AyG]

Let's not forget the Jackfruit ghost, Phii khanun (ผีกขนุน) ;-)

[Polsci]

Thanks for expanding it and the link, Mole.

Thanks for the good laugh, AyG.

[ludditeman]

There's also

ผีปอบ - a kind of zombie

This is a person possessed by a spirit.

Not dead, so not a zombie.

Not to forget

Pee doot/ Pee dip - vampire

Pee Sat - demon (different spelling of Pee for some reason)

Edited January 3, 2012 by ludditeman

[Mole]

It's not spelled different because ปีศาจ is not a ผี

[edwardandtubs]

Not to forget

Pee doot/ Pee dip - vampire

Can one say "pee dip" to describe a vampire? The most common translation I'm coming up with are

pheeR dipL duutL leuuatF

pheeR duutL leuuatF

What's the most common?

Edited January 4, 2012 by edwardandtubs

[R7BKK]

Not to forget

Pee doot/ Pee dip - vampire

Can one say "pee dip" to describe a vampire? The most common translation I'm coming up with are

pheeR dipL duutL leuuatF

pheeR duutL leuuatF

What's the most common?

DISCLAIMER: I'm not Thai.

But I think the most common way to refer to a vampire is "Pee Doot Leuat" (ผีดูดเลือด).

People also say "Vampire", but with a Thai pronunciation so more like "wam - pie" (แวมไพร์).

I think Pee Dip (ผีดิบ) can be used for either a vampire or a zombie - and doesn't carry exactly the same meaning as the English/European word since "vampire" is an imported concept. (Or rather, the boundaries of the definition don't line up exactly with the boundaries of the English definition.) A "Pee Dip" is an undead being who has a physical body as opposed to other ghosts that are just spirits. You can say "Pee Dip Doot Leuat" to be more specific.

I've never heard "Pee Doot" on its own. Not sure if that's something people actually say.

[ZeroDesire]

How about Phi Pret (ผีเปรต); a very tall ghost with pin head size mouth and huge hands. :-)

[Mole]

ผีดิบ is a general term used for the undead. So any type of undead being a vampire, zombie etc can be used as ผีดิบ.

But to be more specific, vampire for example can be called ผีดิบดูดเลือด or actually just say "vampire" because it would be readily understood nowadays. It is not a native Thai "ghost" anyway.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Mole

[ludditeman]

Not to forget

Pee doot/ Pee dip - vampire

Can one say "pee dip" to describe a vampire? The most common translation I'm coming up with are

pheeR dipL duutL leuuatF

pheeR duutL leuuatF

What's the most common?

My family all say Pee dip for vampire and pee for zombie.

They have them in about 50% of lakorn Tv shows.

Edited January 5, 2012 by ludditeman

[mca]

My family all say Pee dip for vampire and pee for zombie.

They have them in about 50% of lakorn Tv shows.

A while back there was a lakorn on with about half a dozen zombies moaning about and my daughter said " Daddy why do those zombies look just like the people who walk about our village?"

I had to laugh at that one.

[luckyfarang]

I never watch the soaps, so I am not exactly current on this but my impression was that

ผีดิบ would translate as "zombie", I agree with Mole on that.

I agree with R7BKK that:

"I think the most common way to refer to a vampire is "Pee Doot Leuat" (ผีดูดเลือด).

People also say "Vampire", but with a Thai pronunciation so more like "wam - pie" (แวมไพร์)."

But the word for "vampire" that I always hear used in my personal experience is:

มนุษย์ ค้างคาว meaning "human bat". This probably derives from the original vampire "Dracula", and many Thais seem to know the word Dracula, probably from some Thai TV version.

[Sattpalat]

Phi kasue ?

[Polsci]

I never watch the soaps,

People also say "Vampire", but with a Thai pronunciation so more like "wam - pie" (แวมไพร์)."

But the word for "vampire" that I always hear used in my personal experience is:

มนุษย์ ค้างคาว meaning "human bat". This probably derives from the original vampire "Dracula", and many Thais seem to know the word Dracula, probably from some Thai TV version.

You don't miss anything when it comes to Thai soaps. Here in Florida I occasionally turn on Spanish telenovelas. For educational purposes.

Actually, your post on the human bat reminded me of "Vetala." This ghost's well known in Tales of Vetal (Ni-Taan-Ve-Tal นิทาลเวตาล) in Thai literature which is based on Hinduism. Vetala is Thai Vetal's Sanskrit name.

Thais are familiar with the riddles in the Tales, and that's how the gross-looking corpse turns itself into a popular entertainment in Thailand.

[Mole]

I think if you said มนุษย์ ค้างคาว to an average Thai, they'd think of Batman...

ผีแวมไพร์ should be more understandable

There's even a Thai wiki article on it.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Mole

[ChristianPFC]

Let's not forget the Jackfruit ghost, Phii khanun (ผีกขนุน) ;-)

I don't get the joke. Could someone explain?

[AyG]

Explained at http://apostcardfromthailand.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/i-aint-afraid-of-no-ghost/ (amongst other places).

[xavierr]

It's not spelled different because ปีศาจ is not a ผี

Despite not having originated in the Thai word phi ผี, a Pi Sat is indeed a phi. The word piśāca means 'evil spirit' in sanskrit. It is one of the spirits from the Hindu-Buddhist tradition in Thai folklore

Edited February 5, 2013 by xavierr

[Johpa]

Sorry I can't type in Thai, and use but two fingers to type in English, but another common phrase is phii taa bot, the blind spirit, or bogeyman as it is used to scare young children in the same sense that we use the term bogeyman.

[xavierr]

For all who are interested in this subject, I found that the most comprehensive list of Thai spirits, along with brief descriptions, is in a children's book, number 3 of the "Monkey Books" series. Number 22 of the same series has interesting information on Thai legends. The drawings are manga-style though.

Edited March 9, 2013 by xavierr

[AyG]

Sorry I can't type in Thai, and use but two fingers to type in English, but another common phrase is phii taa bot, the blind spirit, or bogeyman as it is used to scare young children in the same sense that we use the term bogeyman.

Close, but not quite right. The ghost is ผีตาโบ๋ (phii taa boh) - literally the ghost with hollow or sunken eyes. But yes, very much used to scare young children.

[bkksteviejai]

Let's not forget the Jackfruit ghost, Phii khanun (ผีกขนุน) ;-)

I don't get the joke. Could someone explain?

I think that Phi Khanun might be used in the same way as Phi makaam (sorry no thai keyboard at work) are polite ways of describing slightly aging past their best "ladies of the night".......who would wait around for punters under trees around sanam luang. I personally wouldn't wait around under a Khanun tree.