Felang/ferang

[MickGC]

I don't understand why felangs call other ferangs ,farang!

Thai's have always called me Falung - add that to the list.

[Emdog]

I always thought the khee nok designation was aimed at those who had been here only a brief time, but were prepared to tell all us old farts, and anyone else who would listen, all the answers they had regarding Thai culture, customs, and ways. Maybe even took language class in order to harass locals with their insightful wisdom. Also like to dress in traditional Thai clothes every day of the week... If cheap aspect is true, then I have learned something today. Have to write that in my diary, if I can find it....

[casindonet]

Not again.....

[how241]

.... and a new week begins on TV, with an old favourite no less.

..

..

+1.....same old story.

[tommybhill]

"HEY YOU FARANG"

I personally don't mind it and have been pointed at by various Thai people (mostly children) and had "FARANG" shouted at me.

I point back and shout "KON THAI"

[Hugh Geen]

"A 'farang khee nok' is the name of a wild not cultivated fruiting tree in the guava family. The fruit is edible but not one immediately appealing."

I was told by an guy from L.A. who had lived in Phuket for 7 years that it was the one fruit that you can eat all of - until it is finished / all gone.

[simondan]

Overhearing your Thai girlfriend referring to you as 'the farang' on the phone to her friends could be one of those situations where you might feel offended

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[In Search of Space]

"HEY YOU FARANG"

I personally don't mind it and have been pointed at by various Thai people (mostly children) and had "FARANG" shouted at me.

I point back and shout "KON THAI"

I did get followed round a village by a group of young boys who after I had said hello to them shouted back "screw you mother-@&£?", I guess they had been watching a lot of movies

[ultimate weapon]

Overhearing your Thai girlfriend referring to you as 'the farang' on the phone to her friends could be one of those situations where you might feel offended Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yup it sure hurts eh you're not an individual but just something you know a caricature a thing. Yet it happens to everyone. It works both ways some farang in here was boasting how him being referred to as farang was a good thing it meant that he was fair and then he added in handsome and rich so now it's a bad thing.

[falangadang]

Doesn't bother me in the slightest!

[thailiketoo]

"HEY YOU FARANG"

I personally don't mind it and have been pointed at by various Thai people (mostly children) and had "FARANG" shouted at me.

I point back and shout "KON THAI"

I did get followed round a village by a group of young boys who after I had said hello to them shouted back "screw you mother-@&£?", I guess they had been watching a lot of movies

So, was "screw you mother-@&£?" better or worse than being called Farang?

[Torrens54]

Not this one AGAIN!

[In Search of Space]

"HEY YOU FARANG"

I personally don't mind it and have been pointed at by various Thai people (mostly children) and had "FARANG" shouted at me.

I point back and shout "KON THAI"

I did get followed round a village by a group of young boys who after I had said hello to them shouted back "screw you mother-@&£?", I guess they had been watching a lot of movies

So, was "screw you mother-@&£?" better or worse than being called Farang?

It was certainly different, but it showed they were keen to learn English, might be running the country soon

[Water Buffalo]

"Khee Niaow" does not have negative connotations. It just means you are not wasteful with your money. The best translation i can think of is "thrifty"

"Khee Nok" literally means bird shit. Its meant to insult. Its probably the equivalent of being called "a cheap shit"

[tomyumchai]

my newly aquired lady friend (not aquired by me......she just came round 1 day and has stopped ever since) likes to call me 'poo tao, hua lorn,oan, ham yang'. it takes around 5 seconds to reel it all off and now i know the meaning of it all id be happier if she just stuck to 'farang'.

.......and now theres 2 flying rats in my spare room......im slightly bemused as to where this lot is going...

[In Search of Space]

my newly aquired lady friend (not aquired by me......she just came round 1 day and has stopped ever since) likes to call me 'poo tao, hua lorn,oan, ham yang'. it takes around 5 seconds to reel it all off and now i know the meaning of it all id be happier if she just stuck to 'farang'.

.......and now theres 2 flying rats in my spare room......im slightly bemused as to where this lot is going...

Sounds exciting, tell us where it all goes

[janpharma]

I felt affended to be called farang when I arrived here 7 years ago...Now I 'm proud when they call me "farang"!

[Guest]

At some point I did not like the word. Now I know, whenever Thais refer me as farang it simply means quality person.

Do not break my bubble, it's comfortable inside.

[Neeranam]

"Khee Niaow" does not have negative connotations. It just means you are not wasteful with your money. The best translation i can think of is "thrifty"

"Khee Nok" literally means bird shit. Its meant to insult. Its probably the equivalent of being called "a cheap shit"

I disagree. "Kee Neeow" means tight or stingy and has negative connotations. I hear often said jokingly to foreigners.

"Prayaat","matayaat", or "grabeeiat graseean" means thrify or economical and is considered positive.

"farang kee nok" comes from a type of fruit - nothing to do with being called a shit.

[HerbalEd]

I'm no more insulted by the word falang than I am of the word Caucasian. In fact, my Talking-Thai dictionary lists falang as a Thai word for Caucasian.

Edited December 17, 2013 by HerbalEd

[HerbalEd]

shall we go into spelling to make this thread even more "interesting"?

If it's so boring why did you take the trouble to click and read and then comment? Or could you just not help yourself?

[quiuvo]

Jeez Luis , what the f... It was French then farang and then Falang bz most Asians can't pronounce the r. Period.

Yes we newbies ask questions you old farts have asked before. If you don't like it close this old forum.

I ask questions because I have lived here only 2 yrs , yes I said it, and most of you jump at my ? . Bah.

[HerbalEd]

All Thais racially profile all the time. It is a facet of their culture.

So whilst 'farang' is not, in itself, a perjorative term, anything that a 'farang' does or says will be immediately linked to their race, 'farang', and not their personality. Indeed, many Thais get their facts about 'farangs' third or fourth-hand from somebody who may have perhaps worked with tourists as a taxi-driver or hotel receptionist or a middle-class Thai who may have spent a month at their Thai uncle's house in Oregon. These facts, once obtained, are then immediately applied to all others of the same race.

Same applies for 'Yippon', 'khaek', 'niggo', 'phama', 'eskimo', etc.

Re. "anything that a 'farang' does or says will be immediately linked to their race, 'farang'," This sounds just like what many TV posters do when talking about the Thai.

[HerbalEd]

Kee nok, is bird shit, so it generally means you are "mean" or " tight as shit" with your money, not poor. Atleast that was my understanding.

Kee niaow is tight. Kee nok is peasant. Do keep up.

It's not the word for peasant in my dictionary. Kee nok literally means bird sh!t. Do keep up.

[HerbalEd]

"Khee Niaow" does not have negative connotations. It just means you are not wasteful with your money. The best translation i can think of is "thrifty"

"Khee Nok" literally means bird shit. Its meant to insult. Its probably the equivalent of being called "a cheap shit"

I disagree. "Kee Neeow" means tight or stingy and has negative connotations. I hear often said jokingly to foreigners.

"Prayaat","matayaat", or "grabeeiat graseean" means thrify or economical and is considered positive.

"farang kee nok" comes from a type of fruit - nothing to do with being called a shit.

Actually the name of the fruit comes from farang (i.e., a Western fruit). Ditto for man-farang, the Thai word for potato.

[Bikkii]

Haven't heard from the OP much on this topic?

Maybe he/she is busy walking around town waiing all the other "felang"?

[Richard W]

It comes from a contraction of 'France people', so allow yourself to feel double offended.

It's not as derogatory as that. The best literal translation is as 'Frank', the name of the Germanic tribe that conquered Gaul from the Romans and Goths. See the Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farang . Remember that the first farangs in Thailand were the Portuguese.

[X pat]

The word farang as I have been told just means foreigner,were if you are called an infidel you should take that as a slap in the face,because it is a muslim word meaning inferier,or in plain terms not as good as. So as for me I don't feel hurt being called a farang.

[sirchai]

Dear Op,

A good question. Please Google it.-

Edited December 18, 2013 by sirchai

[geronimo]

Beam me up someone! This is getting so boring now. Have we really got nothing else to post other than this old tripe?

Weeeeeeelll, I could talk about tyre pressures if you like.......

Or V8 head gaskets!!