Definition Of A Farang?

[Donz]

Im half UK half Asian so would I be considered a Farang? or a what?

My gf says im not a farang because of my eyes.

Is a farang a Westerner thats fully white or what?? Or am i just a mongaloid?

I thought it was foreigner but the Thai accent made it sound like Fardung but i guess not.

[Neeranam]

A lot depends on the way you act, but generally yes, 'you farang'.

My daughter gets called farang all the time - she is half Scottish, half Asian.

[Donz]

A lot depends on the way you act, but generally yes, 'you farang'.

My daughter gets called farang all the time - she is half Scottish, half Asian.

Arr im half scottish.

So what do you mean by the way you act?

[Neeranam]

If you were brought up in Scotland then you'll think like a farang.

I have known Thais who were educated abroad and their friends called them farang.

I mean it's not just your looks.

Half Scottish Asian - join the elite - Bird(McIntyre), Willie/Katleeya McIntosh.

[bbigman21]

oh my wife is all thai and she gets called a farang all the time. It's the english and being very white from the winter.

[BambinA]

Im half UK half Asian so would I be considered a Farang? or a what?

My gf says im not a farang because of my eyes.

Is a farang a Westerner thats fully white or what?? Or am i just a mongaloid?

I thought it was foreigner but the Thai accent made it sound like Fardung but i guess not.

depends on whats your looked .. if your face looks too farang so u are a farang

if you look really mixed , so they will call u "luk kreung"

for "farang" word come from 'faranji '(arabic) in thai we call 'farang' for white people/caucasian

for my opinion , you are eurasian

[Thaising]

The word farang mean foreigner, because most thais can't pronounce and speak the word correctly.

[Donz]

So im a eurasian, Farang, luk kreung ??

And they way i look?? Asians call me white and whites call me asian, Thai call me all sorts of nationalities.

Eurasian sounds good though, how do you say that in Thai?? my gf is sleeping now so i cant ask her

[BambinA]

The word farang mean foreigner, because most thais can't pronounce and speak the word correctly.

thats your own theory ..

The Thai word "Farang", its variations in other languages, and its Arabic origin

Submitted by Khalid on Sun, 2004/11/28 - 22:16. Linguistics

While reading a recent issue of the Canadian Geographic, I came across a news item mentioning two Canadians in Thailand, who run a magazine targeted for Westerners, called Farang. The similarity of this term to the Arabic ones piqued my interested, so I did some research on it.

I found that this term Farang means "White European" in Thai. The Wikipeda Farang article says that the origin of this term is uncertain.

The term Arabs used for Eastern Europe in the seventh century was Rum الروم being the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium). For Western Europe, the term Firinjia came to be used somewhat after that, and specially during the Crusades, since a large percentage of the Crusaders were Franks. Hence the term Firinjah stuck to all Western Europeans.

As Arab traders travelled to East Asia, the term was borrowed into the languages of that region. Initially describing the Portuguese, it was used for all "whites" later.

from http://baheyeldin.com/linguistics/thai-wor...bic-origin.html

[britmaveric]

The word farang mean foreigner, because most thais can't pronounce and speak the word correctly.

[English Noodles]

The truth is that we dont realy know where the word originated from but we can have an educated guess.

A wide-spread belief in Thailand is that the word "farang" (Caucasian)

is derived from the French word "francais". This derivation is implausible

on phonetic and historical grounds. It is in fact a popular misconception.

It is true, however, that these words have the same ultimate source.

The word is attested in various forms in languages in Europe, Africa,

the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. It is clear that the

word orginated as "Frank" in Europe and spread eastwards along Muslim

trade routes.

Thai most likely borrowed the word from influential Muslim Persian or

Indian traders in the 17th century or even earlier. The Persian word was

"farangg". The term probably was used to refer to early Portuguese

traders and subsequently to all Europeans (ie., non-Muslims).

It is possible that the Thai word "farangset" ("French") is a blend

of the word "farang" and the French word "francais", ie., "farangset" is

actually derived from "farang", not vice versa. Certainly, the word

"farang" existed prior to, and independently of, "farangset".

[BambinA]

So im a eurasian, Farang, luk kreung ??

And they way i look?? Asians call me white and whites call me asian, Thai call me all sorts of nationalities.

Eurasian sounds good though, how do you say that in Thai?? my gf is sleeping now so i cant ask her

emm i have never seen your foto .. so i dont know how to you

but i have an example

2 guys both are mixed

this one Italain-Japanese .. he look like farang (sometime look like luk krung) for me

this one Korean-American .. but look too asian for me

this foto all are mixed , but the right one look farang,

[steveromagnino]

The word farang mean foreigner, because most thais can't pronounce and speak the word correctly.

er, no 'fraid not.

A Thai person does not ever call a Chinese person, an Indian person or a Japanese person a farang. They would be Jeen, Caek, yiboon respectively.

farang = white foreigner

If someone looks like a white person, then there is every chance they might be referred to as a farang, although I would think the less white they looked, the less likely they would encounter this.

For look kreung, the general references are mixed; sometimes some people call them farang; but if they are fluent in Thai and are one of the less white looking look krueng (usually with a Thai father, western mother for some reason) then they often get called 'mai chai farang, kon nun look krueng'

to explain not a full farang, just 1/2. It just so happens that most look kreung are raised in a western manner, so that often their mannerisms, poorly spoken Thai and body shape (influenced sometimes by western diet) ends up making them less Thai like, and more like a farang.

I know I frequently get called farang, and I don't bother to do anything about it (it is too much to try to change that). Over time, usually the same people figure out I am actually part Thai, and then stop calling me that.

Quite funny, because I get the exact opposite where I grew up; although usually a fair bit less complimentary than just being called 'farang' which doens't carry any major sinister meaning. Well, other than being a bit of a fruit

[Donz]

Im the fatty on the left. ill delete pic on a few days

Im 1/2 korean which probaly makes me look more asian i think.

Picture removed on request

/Admin

Edited March 30, 2006 by george

[Dmitriy]

A lot depends on the way you act, but generally yes, 'you farang'.

My daughter gets called farang all the time - she is half Scottish, half Asian.

I like the first statement though.."depends on the way you act".. That's exact impression I had after my first brief visit to Thayland.

Edited March 29, 2006 by Dmitriy

[Amihan]

I think I would be labeled Farang

[Dej]

Im half UK half Asian so would I be considered a Farang? or a what?

My gf says im not a farang because of my eyes.

Is a farang a Westerner thats fully white or what?? Or am i just a mongaloid?

I thought it was foreigner but the Thai accent made it sound like Fardung but i guess not.

Farang in Thai means guava.

When you tear off the green cover of guava, you can see the pale color inside which is the same color as the westerner's skin.

Chinese and Japanese also has white skin but they are different.

[Donz]

I think I would be labeled Farang

and why is that??

is that you in the avatar??

[Amihan]

I think I would be labeled Farang

and why is that??

is that you in the avatar??

because Im not Thai

as for the latter, no thats an actress from another asian country

Edited April 2, 2006 by Amihan

[ourmanflint]

It is possible that the Thai word "farangset" ("French") is a blend

of the word "farang" and the French word "francais", ie., "farangset" is

actually derived from "farang", not vice versa. Certainly, the word

"farang" existed prior to, and independently of, "farangset".

I think the word farang may have existed to the term farangset, but there is no sound reason why it would have been used previous to the attempted occupation of Thai terrriory by the french. And to a Thai in the 1800's we would have all looked french, and therefore all be farang set..

don't you think??

[ourmanflint]

well bugger me!!!

found this on a cookery page!!!??

The Thai term farang [?????] “foreign, Western, European” derives from the name of a Germanic people, the Franks! Due to their powerful position in Medieval Europe (see also lovage for the herbal edict of Charlemagne), the ethnonym was transferred to Arabic (noun ifranji [??????], adjective faranj [?????] “European”), whence it spead eastwards. Examples include Sanskrit phiranga [?????] and Kannada paramgi [?????] “Europe”, and Kurdish farangi [???????], Dhivehi faranjee [????????], Thai farang and Khmer barang “foreigner”.

[DJ_Illusion]

well bugger me!!!

found this on a cookery page!!!??

The Thai term farang [?????] “foreign, Western, European” derives from the name of a Germanic people, the Franks! Due to their powerful position in Medieval Europe (see also lovage for the herbal edict of Charlemagne), the ethnonym was transferred to Arabic (noun ifranji [??????], adjective faranj [?????] “European”), whence it spead eastwards. Examples include Sanskrit phiranga [?????] and Kannada paramgi [?????] “Europe”, and Kurdish farangi [???????], Dhivehi faranjee [????????], Thai farang and Khmer barang “foreigner”.

i dont get it why u guess are complicating the issue some even going through the details and the origin of the word like <deleted> man, simpley farang=foreigner if ur mixed then u would look mixed thais would probably say i think his/her mother or dad is a farang and thats it. weither the word is taken from arabs or even indians.

[siamesekitty]

farang = white foreigner

If someone looks like a white person, then there is every chance they might be referred to as a farang, although I would think the less white they looked, the less likely they would encounter this.

That's basically how I would explain it. Those who look mixed will often be called "look krueng", with a greater likelihood of being called "farang" the more white they look, and being considered Thai the more Thai they look.

Also note that sometimes the word "farang" is used more as an adjective than a noun, to describe someone who has an essence of "farangness" about them, so when a Thai or "look krueng" is said to be "farang", it doesn't necessarily mean he/she is really thought to be a farang, but just look/act Westernized.

Sometimes Thais aren't even really sure what to call a certain foreigner ourselves; if Asian-looking, we're likely to guess the nationality - "nak tong tiew yipoon" (Japanese tourist), "nak tong tiew jeen" (Chinese tourist), etc.. If Caucasian - "farang", if Indian/Arabic-looking, "kaek". If not immediately obvious, we'll just make a guess based upon what the person looks more like. There isn't any set rule though, different people might choose different words for the same situation.

P.S. Hey steve, where the little green dude go?? I loved watching him dance every time I came across one of your posts!

Edited April 3, 2006 by siamesekitty

[The Dude]

You're a farang, dude, The Dude thinks

[girlx]

wow thank bambina for those lovely samples of farangs. especially the korean one!

[Donz]

wow thank bambina for those lovely samples of farangs. especially the korean one!

So halfies are farangs or what??

or it depends on how you look.

Maybe Dude knows what he is talking about.

But why is there diff answers?

Now i have no idea

[ourmanflint]

well bugger me!!!

found this on a cookery page!!!??

The Thai term farang [?????] “foreign, Western, European” derives from the name of a Germanic people, the Franks! Due to their powerful position in Medieval Europe (see also lovage for the herbal edict of Charlemagne), the ethnonym was transferred to Arabic (noun ifranji [??????], adjective faranj [?????] “European”), whence it spead eastwards. Examples include Sanskrit phiranga [?????] and Kannada paramgi [?????] “Europe”, and Kurdish farangi [???????], Dhivehi faranjee [????????], Thai farang and Khmer barang “foreigner”.

i dont get it why u guess are complicating the issue some even going through the details and the origin of the word like <deleted> man, simpley farang=foreigner if ur mixed then u would look mixed thais would probably say i think his/her mother or dad is a farang and thats it. weither the word is taken from arabs or even indians.

No offence... but there is a much deeper and very Thai meaning of farang, one that has shaped the country as it is now, and is the subject of many hi so conversations. Farang can be complimentary or it can be derogatory, and I think an understanding of how it came about and its current political implications, can surely do none of us any harm.

And you are quite wrong that farang means foreigner, not so... it refers to western foreigners, those that look caucasian, so probably not used if you're a UK asian or afro-caribbean, if after you open your mouth on the other hand and they hear a western accent I guess they could use the term "farang dam".

cheers