Thai Nicknames

[Guest distilling]

I met a lady the other day who introduced herself as "Pepsi". I'd been told about these strange nicknames, like "Dream" (after the bike), etc., but Im wondering if anyone has any light to shed or other funny examples?

Wish I knew how to change the embarrassing misspelling in the title of this post!

Edited July 24, 2006 by distilling

[ThaiPauly]

Our female carpenter was called "Poo" what a shitty name

I met a "Pong" once in a club.....she was not a pretty sight and a horrible name to go with it

[Mossfinn]

I have a good friend called Porn! In this instance the most distinct oxymoron I have ever come across!!

Good Luck

Moss

[meadish_sweetball]

Our female carpenter was called "Poo" what a shitty name

ปู่ - In Thai it means 'crab', not 'crap'.

[meadish_sweetball]

I have a good friend called Porn! In this instance the most distinct oxymoron I have ever come across!!

Good Luck

Moss

พร - means 'blessing'.

[rrose070]

Our checkout clerk at the Tesco Lotus is a girl named Sow.

[farangsay]

Our checkout clerk at the Tesco Lotus is a girl named Sow.

Think it might be spelt "Sao"

[geoffphuket]

I was talking with my wife about Thai nick names only a few days ago, and we came to the conclusion that almost every letter in the English alphabet is used as one. Her nick name's 'F'

[toptuan]

Ladies: Golf, Beer, Fang

Guys: Rat

A guy's real first name: Therdsak (pronounced: turd sack)

[Blinky Bill]

Ladies: Golf, Beer, Fang

Guys: Rat

A guy's real first name: Therdsak (pronounced: turd sack)

And the former Thai Prime Minister could be well accepted in Wales........Chewin' Leek Pie.

[sbk]

I think the OP means more along the lines of unusual english words used for nicknames rather than making fun of names that have a perfectly good meaning in Thai. Sao or Pong are both examples of good names in thai.

Although, I have to admit, I would never name my kid Pornsuk just for the grief they would get in the West.

That said, my nephew's nickname is Game. as in the English word Game.

[meadish_sweetball]

Guys: Rat

Actually girls are named 'Rat' as well... and it is pronounced as RP English 'rut' (short vowel).

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

As for English words used as names, some, like 'Beer' (Bia) and 'Golf' (Gáwp) are more common than others.

I have a friend whose name is 'Goal' though.

[sbk]

Nook, short for snooker (rather than sanook). Dad was a big snooker player when he was born

[Boo]

Hubbies mate called his newborn daughter Guitar. Cause he is a guitarist! poor kid

[meadish_sweetball]

I know a girl called Guitar too.

I guess it's better than Ibanez or Stratocaster though.

[LindsayBKK]

I knew a Thai guy in Australia who's name was "Dum" (Black)

I also know a Doy, Deer, Nop, Toy, Kob (frog), Duie, Sunny, Base, Pong. Have too many to mention.

[NaiGreg]

Not a true nickname, but I have a friend whose name was intended to be gamlai (bracelet) but in a rare twist of the "r"-to-"l" mixups ended up with a birth certificate listing her name as gamrai (profit)

The storey goes that her father had a few too many on his way to the amphur to register her birth.

She prefers to be called Noi.

[MYMA]

As a teacher, I have come across some very interesting ones, especially the boys names...Keyboard, Fourwheel, Unique and Uh-Oh. Poo is very popular although some spell it Pooh, I'm told because of Winnie the Pooh.

[BambinA]

some people in BKK make me confused sometimes

a dog is named = meaw >CAT

a cat is named =ling >MONKEY

a hamster is named =gra tai >RABBIT

a bull frog is nammed =mah > DOG

etc.

all make me dopey sometimes

as...(on phone) :Hi doc , i will bring ling (monkey) for checking up ..... ( it's abvious a cat when i see )

[percy2]

Most memorable Thai name I ever came across was the receptionist at the first hotel I stayed at in Thailand.

Her name was Bang On.

[Samui Coconut]

An or Ann Stout

Bpiak or Piak Tiny

Bpet or Pet Duck

Bum Dimpled

Dairng or Deng Red

Dam or Dum Black

Dteuan, Teuan or Tuan Warn

Dting or Ting Protrusion

Dtohng, Tohng or Tong Tall

Dtoi or Toy Tiny

Dton or Ton Trunk

Dtuk-dtah or Tukataa Doll

Fah or Faa Sky

Fon Rain

Gai Chicken

Gair-o Crystal

Gop Frog

Gung Prawn

Jo Eat/play (slang)

Lek Small

Mai New

Mair-o Cat

Mairm, Mem or Mam Madam

Miaw, Miao or Miow Sound of a cat

Moo Pig

Mot Ant

Neung One

Nit Tiny

Noi Little

Nok Bird

Nu, Nuu or Noo Mouse

Nut Junior

Oh or Ao Soothe

Oi or Oy Sugar cane

Som Orange

Uan Fat

Yai Big

Ying Female

there must be hundreds more.......

[...Ken]

I have avoided this condescending topic......but, bloody 'ell........can't rsist.

Back in '89 a Thai fellow named Dumb (aka 'Dahm') hired another Thai named Nutty (aka 'Nahtti') to kill me. I ended up intimidating Dahm and making a deal with Nhatti .

A stressful time with 'Dumb and Nutty'.....but we are all on speaking terms today.

....Ken

[too true]

not many make me shake my head any more, but a few that i can't forget are

Internet

Pizza

Bible

Order

Cheers

TT

[sabaijai]

Am moving this to the Thai Language forum branch.

[Artisan]

Our checkout clerk at the Tesco Lotus is a girl named Sow.

Think it might be spelt "Sao"

Phonetically, the Thai word sounds like both....so it really doesn't matter how it is spelled in Romanised script.

[Artisan]

I have a good friend called Porn! In this instance the most distinct oxymoron I have ever come across!!

Good Luck

Moss

พร - means 'blessing'.

True....and it could also be a shortened form of "Somporn" or "Pornthep"

[Artisan]

When I first came to Thailand, I was introduced to someone with the tongue-twister of a name Jatukamramthep Supsampantuwongse. To his friends, he was known as Moo! Fortunately, Moo and I became colleagues and then very good friends. As a foreigner and a friend, being able to use his nickname was a blessing. We talked and joked on many occasions about the dilemmas that other foreigners found themselves in when they were introduced to him at formal gatherings. Secretly, we would chuckle together whilst a foreign visitor attempted to say his name. I became increasingly intrigued with Thai nicknames and, with the help of Moo and many other Thai friends, began to understand the background that lead to the use of nicknames.

As early as the 17th century, the Thai people were giving their children amusing, yet charming, nicknames as abbreviations of their many-syllabled monikers. Then, the nicknames were, for the most part, natural objects: crystal, gemstones or gold. These days, nicknames are usually common Thai words or even consumer items in English: Ice, Beer, Bank or even Mazda. Yes, I know a child who was given the nickname “Nong Mazda” when his father bought a new Mazda just after his son was born!

Most Thais have a nickname (cheu len in Thai, meaning ‘play name’) and, usually, this nickname bears absolutely no resemblance to the formal name. This extensive custom of using nicknames is a reflection of their happy-go-lucky culture. Thais have a formal name that usually has a traditional meaning. However, at home or with close friends, this formal name usually isn’t used. The parents of a baby usually confer the nickname on the baby and the nickname is based on looks or some other characteristic of the baby (hence there are so many ‘Daengs’ because of a baby's reddish tint right after birth).

In the past, when infant mortality rates were quite high, the formal name was registered at the local District Office but, in order to deceive the spirits into believing that the child didn’t exist, a nickname was used. Animal nicknames were, and still are, popular because of Thai folklore. If the demons and ghosts could be fooled into thinking a newborn infant was an animal, then they wouldn’t eat the baby. Even today, parents take care not to say that their baby is "pretty", as this might lure a ghost (or perhaps bad luck). So, it’s customary not to boast about a newborn child, but to play it safe by announcing, "The baby is ugly!"

Thai nicknames can be divided into at least six groups: fruits, animals, numbers, colours, English words and physical characteristics. Of the many examples, there is Som (orange), Nok (bird), Gai (chicken), Gop (frog), Peung (bee), Meo (cat), and Moo (pig). If a Thai is the oldest of the children, then Neung (one) would be appropriate. There is Daeng (red), Lek (small), Noi (small), Dao (star), and Gung (shrimp). Absolutely nobody is given the nickname Ma (dog). There are shortened versions of real names, like Porn for Pornthep. There are nicknames with no consanants, like Oo, Oi, and A and some Thais have western sounding nicknames like Sue, Joe or Shirley. Many new generation Thais seem to prefer English nicknames.

Lots of nicknames have a history. For instance, Tee and Muay suggest that the person is of Chinese extraction. Oan tells us that, during childhood, the person was fat. The nickname is also a good starting point to establish small talk. By simply asking the person their nickname and the meaning, you’ll probably learn lots of personal history also. Works very well as an ‘ice-breaker’!

[Rikker]

I met a Thai Muslim fellow in Bangkok who'd nicknamed his young son "God". Hope the kid doesn't get a himself complex!

[BangnaBound]

My wife’s younger cousin’s nick name is Ken. I thought it was normal enough until I asked how he got it. She said it’s short for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Then there is the other little cousin, Manu – short for Manchester United.

[withnail]

I knew a girl whose parents, always planning on having two children, named her nong น้อง and her elder sister pii พี่. They ended up having a third child, who they named saam สาม. The funny part being that he now calls nong pii and nong calls saam nong.