Meaning of Mia ----

[jocko]

Since I'm the one who often has money in my wallet (and not my husband) he often tells the wait staff at our favorite restaurants to "give the bill to my Sugar Mama" That's caused a stir at a several of our favorite places as they've digested a new English phrase and attempted to digested it into a Thai equivalent, i.e. what do you call the female partner of a relationship where it appears that she's the one with the money and calling the shots?

Ye the boss.

Works for me.

[Familyonthemove]

I work in a technical field so share an office with professional, university educated, whistle blowing, middle class Thais - and they use 'Mia' as a friendly, informal word for wife but it's meant as a bit if a joke. Like 'The missus'. If introducing your wife at a formal event they will use Panraya, but when talking informally may use Mia.

The hierarchy as I understand it is:

Mia Luang - first, formal wife - often married for business family connections. Will run the businesses and look after the children and manage the Maa Baan (housekeeper) and Kap rot (driver). Gets taken to formal occasions such as marriages, funerals etc. Usually drives a Mercedes or BMW, has short highly styled hair and wears silk suits.

Mia Noi - second, informal wife put up in an apartment and taken on short business trips and to informal parties. Main skill sets are light, entertaining conversation, buying shoes and sex. Long hair, hot and drives a Mini Cooper.

Faen - girlfriend - can be Mia Luang in the early courtship stages or Mia Noi before the apartment and Mini Cooper.

Gik - short term relationship just for sex - usually not paid.

Mia Chow - short term 'girlfiend' paid by the day or month. Has ambitions to be the Mia Noi.

Gully - Prostitute. Probably what the Mia Luang calls the Mia Noi.

[smileydude]

Someone calling your wife "mia" is fine.

Someone calling her "mia noi" is derogatory.

Most thai's unfortunately look down on thai women who are seen out and/or married to Farang's because of the stereotypic "ladies of the night" thing that started since during the Vietnam war/G.I's and further propagated by Patpong and Pattaya.

They think the Farangs are here for the companionship sex but already have wives and families in their respective countries thus the thai women taking up residence are called "mia noi" or mistresses. The newer more trendy term is "kik" though that is often used to describe when you have multiple partners WHO ARE NOT your declared BF/GF and for people who're not married though not limited too.

[thailiketoo]

Someone calling your wife "mia" is fine.

Someone calling her "mia noi" is derogatory.

Most thai's unfortunately look down on thai women who are seen out and/or married to Farang's because of the stereotypic "ladies of the night" thing that started since during the Vietnam war/G.I's and further propagated by Patpong and Pattaya.

They think the Farangs are here for the companionship sex but already have wives and families in their respective countries thus the thai women taking up residence are called "mia noi" or mistresses. The newer more trendy term is "kik" though that is often used to describe when you have multiple partners WHO ARE NOT your declared BF/GF and for people who're not married though not limited too.

You can learn a lot of things if you read the thread before posting.

As for mia, it is generally considered low class and not normally used in mixed company or strangers.

mia wife (mia is also used for referring to a long-term girlfriend as well a wife. mia is a colloquial and mildly impolite term; although it's widely used by men when talking amongst themselves, some women may object to it being used to refer to them in their presence. faan(for girlfriend) and pan-rá-yaa (for wife) are safer terms, although pan-rá-yaa has the opposite problem of being slightly too formal sounding for colloquial language.)

Source: Thai2English

Thais don't look down on women married to Farang. In fact they ask, "Where can I find one."

The Vietnam thing is a few hundred of years too late. Thailand wrote laws governing rent wives for the French and Portuguese sailors in the 16 or 1700's something like that.

[wym]

@52 yes if you're main experience of Thai language (central dialect) is in Lanna country I can see usage may be a bit more formal/academic up there.

Keep it up with the kid, she'll have four languages without even trying!

[IMA_FARANG]

Mia Luang - $$$

Mia Noi - $$$$$$$

Mia Yai - - the "big" mama!

------------------

Back in the 1940's my Thai girlfriend's father had 3 wives.

My Thai girlfriend is now in her 60's.

The reason her father had 3 wives was to have sons, because at hat time women inheriting land had a difficult time.

The law has changed now, but that's how it was back then.

Sons normally inherited the land, so sons were preferred to daughters.

In my Thai girlfriend's family there were about 7 girls and only three boys among his 3 wives.

And one of those boys became a monk, so he was out of the reproduction sweepstakes.

It had little to do with sex back then, it was having sons that was important for a farmer who owned land.

My Thai girlfriend's mother died in 2013, she had three girls, no boys. She was the 2nd wife.

The father died in 2009, "big mama" (Mia Yai) lasted until 2011, and wife number 3 passed away in 2012.

[IMA_FARANG]

Mia Luang - $$$

Mia Noi - $$$$$$$

Mia Yai - - the "big" mama!

------------------

Back in the 1940's my Thai girlfriend's father had 3 wives.

My Thai girlfriend is now in her 60's.

The reason her father had 3 wives was to have sons, because at hat time women inheriting land had a difficult time.

The law has changed now, but that's how it was back then.

Sons normally inherited the land, so sons were preferred to daughters.

In my Thai girlfriend's family there were about 7 girls and only three boys among his 3 wives.

And one of those boys became a monk, so he was out of the reproduction sweepstakes.

It had little to do with sex back then, it was having sons that was important for a farmer who owned land.

My Thai girlfriend's mother died in 2013, she had three girls, no boys. She was the 2nd wife.

The father died in 2009, "big mama" (Mia Yai) lasted until 2011, and wife number 3 passed away in 2012.

[Morakot]

It is true that stuck-up face-obsessed wannabee-hiso Thais will make a point of only using higher-register formal language

panlaya rather than mia

samii rather than pua

Rather strange. Mia is not particularly polite, but the word pua is an outright insult even in common talk.

faan(for girlfriend) and pan-rá-yaa (for wife) are safer terms, although pan-rá-yaa has the opposite problem of being slightly too formal sounding for colloquial language.)

Source: Thai2English

In informal talk, faan is also often used to refer to the wife or husband, regardless of the actual legal status of marriage.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Morakot

[wym]

It is true that stuck-up face-obsessed wannabee-hiso Thais will make a point of only using higher-register formal language

panlaya rather than mia

samii rather than pua

Rather strange. Mia is not particularly polite, but the word pua is an outright insult even in common talk.

Not in my experience, when talking to ordinary people I use it all the time and no one seems offended, maybe they're just being tolerant of my ignorance?

Perhaps a mod could link this over to the Thai language forum for further feedback from a wider range of high-level Thai language experts?

[Morakot]

Just open a new topic in the Thai language forum on this word, if you like another opinion.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Morakot

[wym]

Started a new thread over there

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/696953-class-membership-vs-lower-register-language-insults/?p=7296502

[kriswillems]

Th use of mia for wife depends on a few factors:

- how close you're to the person you talk to

- from which region you are

- from which social class you come

- how respectful you want to be

I personally don't appreciate it when a total stranger calls my wife mia (in live in Central Thailand).

In case of doubt use ภรรยา

[Tywais]

In case of doubt use ภรรยา

I've always used the term ภริยา (pá-rí-yaa) for decades though it may be considered by some as too formal but probably due to my early language exposure being Central (Bangkok) Thai. Oh, and it's easier to pronounce.

[Aforek]

In case of doubt use ภรรยา

I often hear Thai people say " ภรรยา " ( some dictionnary say " phan-ya ", but Thai people say " pan ra ya " ) ; mia seems to be more familiar

Edited January 16, 2014 by Aforek

[Richard W]

Your examples are synonyms, mia = mistress, panraya = wife. So not synonyms.

Nit Thongsophit's New Standard Thai-English Dictionary translates ภรรยาน้อย translated as 'mistress, minor wife'. That rather implies synonymy.

Caucasian is an international and anthropologically accepted turn of phrase for a white skinned Westerner,Farang isn't!

'Farang' in English has always struck me as 'European as conceived by Thais'. Whether it is a cultural or racial categorisation is unclear, whence the use of 'farang dam' for blacks of European culture.

Thais don't look down on women married to Farang. In fact they ask, "Where can I find one."

A lot of Thais assume that a Thai woman with a European is or was a prostitute. They can be quite nasty that way.

Some said that phua was always derogatory. I don't think it can be derogatory in the argument Rao pen phua mia kan 'We are husband and wife'.

[thailiketoo]

Your examples are synonyms, mia = mistress, panraya = wife. So not synonyms.

Nit Thongsophit's New Standard Thai-English Dictionary translates ภรรยาน้อย translated as 'mistress, minor wife'. That rather implies synonymy.

Caucasian is an international and anthropologically accepted turn of phrase for a white skinned Westerner,Farang isn't!

'Farang' in English has always struck me as 'European as conceived by Thais'. Whether it is a cultural or racial categorisation is unclear, whence the use of 'farang dam' for blacks of European culture.

Thais don't look down on women married to Farang. In fact they ask, "Where can I find one."

A lot of Thais assume that a Thai woman with a European is or was a prostitute. They can be quite nasty that way.

Some said that phua was always derogatory. I don't think it can be derogatory in the argument Rao pen phua mia kan 'We are husband and wife'.

You wrote, "A lot of Thais assume that a Thai woman with a European is or was a prostitute. They can be quite nasty that way." I have been with a number of Thai women. Some prostitutes and some not. Out of 50 (10 weren't hookers) I'd say the Thais were right 100% of the time (in my case only, of course).

Edited January 17, 2014 by thailiketoo