What not to say in Thai - a Japanese textbook offends

[overherebc]

Its quite simple really. The Thai are angry this being taught to Japs cuz the Thai don't want foreigners to understand when they are being cursed at. It makes their Thainess look bad if you know they are talking bad to you through their smile.

I wsh i had a link to look at this book. I think on many occasions i was called names and didnt know it cuz i didnt recognise the words.

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[recycled]

People always learn the bad words first! Best way to learn a foreign language haha

oh yes.. very funny.. Easiest way to get stabbed or shot also, Thai's don't take insults lightly.

totster

Bit like today's Brit, lack of sense of humour, can't handle the insults but love dishing it out.

[kamahele]

Big deal about nothing. You can go to Amazon.com and get the dirty language dictionaries for any damn language in the world practically. Thai friends of mine are very happy to learn dirty words in English.

[lungmi]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

People always learn the bad words first! Best way to learn a foreign language haha

Right!

The best bad word to learn a german language is " Scheisse" (shit is the castrated word).

40 years ago I was in a welcome commitee of the Goethe Institute for Asean students to learn German in a 3months

course. A Chinese from Indonesia felt down of his seat in the reception ceremony.

A loud answer was his reaction: Scheieieiesssseee.

I helped him to stand up and congratulated him on his good pronounciation of German.

You are Mandarin Chinese? Yes.

I wish you good luck.Only Mandarin Speaker can pronounce correctly : Scheisse!

You can learn German.

[sprq]

People always learn the bad words first! Best way to learn a foreign language haha

oh yes.. very funny.. Easiest way to get stabbed or shot also, Thai's don't take insults lightly.

totster

Yes, learning insults in a foreign language is the last thing anyone should ever do. After eons in Thailand, I still know almost none, deliberately, because if your Thai is not fluent you are likely to resort to these words when you are in difficulty in a way that you would not in your native language, with potentially disastrous consequences..

[JohnThailandJohn]

Big deal about nothing. You can go to Amazon.com and get the dirty language dictionaries for any damn language in the world practically. Thai friends of mine are very happy to learn dirty words in English.

f they watch Hollywood movies they are going to learn them regardless if they want to or not.

[trogers]

Not quite sure how you would translate "douchebag" or "you ahole " into Japanese, neither words exist as an insult..... You of course could literally translate ahole Or Kommon no anna as it would be, but it would not really be an insult. Would be interested in seeing the translations.

Calling somebody the stinky hole that feces get ejaculated from would not be an insult? I actually thought there was a few Japanese words that covered this orifice when it came to insults.

Having watched a few Japanese DVDs, they seem to adore this orifice.

[slipperylobster]

But it's ok to call us falang.

Better not teach the term "douche bag" to them. They might take it a step further.

[Guest]

This is simply brilliant....

Here are some other key phrases to master:

Please punch me in the face 15 times.
Please kick me in the head 10 times.
Please low kick me and break my knee, then kick me in the face 15 times.
Please stab me.
Please shoot me.
Please ask your friends if you can all beat me until I look like a bowl of cranberry sauce.
last but not least ... Please help me commit suicide from a hotel rooftop or nearby bridge.

I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree, but I am smart enough to steer well clear of insulting Thais in this way.
It rarely ends well.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Not quite sure how you would translate "douchebag" or "you ahole " into Japanese, neither words exist as an insult..... You of course could literally translate ahole Or Kommon no anna as it would be, but it would not really be an insult. Would be interested in seeing the translations.

Calling somebody the stinky hole that feces get ejaculated from would not be an insult? I actually thought there was a few Japanese words that covered this orifice when it came to insults.

Having watched a few Japanese DVDs, they seem to adore this orifice.

Based on my research of Japanese movies online, I thought maybe they didn't have one or any genitals either ...

[jacky54]

What about son of bitch shit?

Is that offensive to Thais?

No but 'are you paying the bill then'? certainly is

[waynethor]

"Why do they need to teach these words? There are alternative expressions to show one’s anger,"

They don't want to learn how to say the words. They want to know when and how badly they're being insulted.

And as for the alternative expressions to show one's anger, extending the middle finger is very common where I come from, but doing it here can literally get you killed.

[sae57]

Just looked in an online dictionary under "ai" & most of the insults are translated literally wrong--but with what someone thinks is an equivalent level of scorn. That seems to be what happened with OP.

The dict. also has it that "ai" applies to boys, rather than to boys and girls, as I wrote above. However, I hear it used for girls too...

--S

[SOTIRIOS]

...to know if you are being insulted........???

[Lupatria]

Is this book really one of the big problems this nation has?

[bangon04]

But it's ok to call us falang.

What is the Japanese translation for "Thai-ness"?

[andrewrooney]

I already know these words in Thai, but maybe I can pick up this book so I can learn to cuss in Japanese!

[BernieOnTour]

Funny that they care about this Japanese phrase book.

I assume, there are dozens of books explaining Thai slang and insults in English. I myself have 3 in my bookshelf, all bought in Thailand:

- one of the "Speak like a Thai" series

- one of the "Hide this ... Phrase book" series

- "Outrageous Thai" from T.F. Rhoden (IMHO the best)

[foxboy]

But it's ok to call us falang.

how is that offensive?

it's just a generic word for a foreigner

the first white people seen in Thailand were the French **** Thai language edited out **** (Farang Saet)

hence the word used to describe foreigners stuck

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Not quite sure how you would translate "douchebag" or "you ahole " into Japanese, neither words exist as an insult..... You of course could literally translate ahole Or Ketsu no anna or kommon as it would be, but it would not really be an insult. Would be interested in seeing the translations.

I thought it translated as calling a man "you animal".

(suan sat being "park of animals" aka zoo)

[krisb]

But it's ok to call us falang.

how is that offensive?

it's just a generic word for a foreigner

the first white people seen in Thailand were the French **** Thai language edited out **** (Farang Saet)

hence the word used to describe foreigners stuck

What about buk si dah?

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Just looked in an online dictionary under "ai" & most of the insults are translated literally wrong--but with what someone thinks is an equivalent level of scorn. That seems to be what happened with OP.

The dict. also has it that "ai" applies to boys, rather than to boys and girls, as I wrote above. However, I hear it used for girls too...

--S

"ai" is the impolite prefix for a male, "khun" being the polite equivalent.

"ee" is the impolite prefix for a female. (Unless you are Burmese, where "ee" is a polite prefix for a female)

"<deleted>" is the closest English replacement word for either.

I don't know where you are getting your translations from, but they are complete BS.

Oh, I see, just to let you know online dictionaries are often sanitized, if you regurgitate what they say, you are bound to look a twonk.

[animatic]

"Why do they need to teach these words?

Well my reason was to know when I thai was insulting me using them, thinking I wouldn't know.

And then you can take a much less friendly line when dealing with them,

without letting them know you know how nasty they are.

[iReason]

But it's ok to call us falang.

how is that offensive?

it's just a generic word for a foreigner

the first white people seen in Thailand were the French **** Thai language edited out **** (Farang Saet)

hence the word used to describe foreigners stuck

Well, the US had a word for Africans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Germans, Latinos and so on…

But they didn’t stick too long among civilized people.

It’s divisive, ignorant and at best, archaic.

It’s an issue that is not even recognized, let alone addressed here.

We are one people.

Inhabiting one planet.

[lvr181]

Not quite sure how you would translate "douchebag" or "you ahole " into Japanese, neither words exist as an insult..... You of course could literally translate ahole Or Kommon no anna as it would be, but it would not really be an insult. Would be interested in seeing the translations.

Calling somebody the stinky hole that feces get ejaculated from would not be an insult? I actually thought there was a few Japanese words that covered this orifice when it came to insults.

The Japanese do a lot more with that hole than many realise!!!

First hand knowledge?

[retell]

Want to insult a Thai? Tell them Lao has a better school system and smarter people.

More important better and cheaper beer

[lvr181]

Don't worry, don't read it, don't buy it - then no profit in it for publisher or author. Don't sweat the small stuff.

But then again, if any body knows of a latter day Adolf Hitler maybe we could have a book burning session?

[sae57]

Just looked in an online dictionary under "ai" & most of the insults are translated literally wrong--but with what someone thinks is an equivalent level of scorn. That seems to be what happened with OP.

The dict. also has it that "ai" applies to boys, rather than to boys and girls, as I wrote above. However, I hear it used for girls too...

--S

"ai" is the impolite prefix for a male, "khun" being the polite equivalent.

"ee" is the impolite prefix for a female. (Unless you are Burmese, where "ee" is a polite prefix for a female)

"<deleted>" is the closest English replacement word for either.

I don't know where you are getting your translations from, but they are complete BS.

Oh, I see, just to let you know online dictionaries are often sanitized, if you regurgitate what they say, you are bound to look a twonk.

Well, I happen to be fluent in Thai and partially in Lao. Also read and write--I'm a professional translater,

As I said, the dictionary is literally wrong.

You are right about "ai" and "i", but as I said, I've heard "ai" used as a title for girls (and in insults for women). It's actually a polite title for children--so when you call an adult "ai" you're calling him/her a child.

"sat" is from Sanskrit "satva", "being", but in Thai it means "animal". The 'v' (and understood trailing "a") is written, but cancelled.

Responding to another post or two:

The etymology of "farang" is unclear but interesting. Maybe from farangset, "french", but more likely an older word meaning "foreign", thus the guava, farang, is the "foreign" fruit--it is not native to Thailand. Just serendipidy that it sounds like "french" and that made it stick. The first westies were actually Portugese.

"Baksida" is Lao for guava, so it's a bit of a joke to call westies "baksida".

[sae57]

Another little note (sorry, I'm just a languagephile)

Thais sometimes ask with real concern if I'm offended at being called "farang", I ask "what else would you call me?" There isn't another word! But I prefer to be called by name, and they do so, once they know it.

I get much more upset being called "peter the english teacher", even by people who I know well and who know my name (not peter) and that I've never taught english (well, by one person, and it's been years).

[dao16]

I think it is important to learn these (assuming you are learning Thai beyond just a few phrases) since people do say them, and it might be useful to understand them in some situations. Same goes for any language. However, I wouldn't say them to someone seriously unless I was ready to rumble, as they say. That said, go to pretty much any country and insult them and see what happens. Think about the times you have heard the F-word said seriously and angrily, directly at someone. Very rarely does it mean that something positive is about to happen.

Just as a quick example, I can think of several times right here in Thailand when hearing some of these words, not even yelled, warned me that something was about to kick off and I was able to make myself scarce. In one of those situations in particular, what happened next was a street brawl with somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-30 people involved and tons of uninvolved people right in the middle of it when it started--I was already a safe distance down the street thanks to my little bad word cues.