Private Parts

[Stan42]

OK, for those of us who speak Thai, we know that there are formal and informal words.

For example dog: Mah (informal), Sunak (formal)

Urination: Shee (informal), Pasawah (formal), Ying Gratai (slang)

Hypothetical scenario:

I go to a hospital (so a formal setting). I want to tell them that my penis/vagina hurts.

All I've gotten from my Thai relatives and Thai people in general is Juu (penis) and Jimm (vagina).

What is the correct, formal/medical term for penis and vagina?

[Seligne2]

I think for penis อวัยวะเพศชาย or องคชาติ are proper. As is อวัยวะเพศหญิง for vagina. Let's see what others with experience say.

[Mole]

In very formal setting you can just tell your doctor อวัยวะเพศ is sufficient to refer to your own genitals. No need to add ชาย or หญิง because it will be understood by context if it's male or female genitals.

For women, ช่องคลอด [literal meaning "birth canal"] can also be used to refer to internal parts.

But actually, your folks are right and it's OK to tell your doctor that it hurts on your จู๋ "juu" or "jimm".

For urination, ชี่ chee is informal polite, while เยี่ยว yiaw is similar to English pis.

[Horatio Poke]

Juu and Jimm are OK and understood by anyone and everyone.

The following are polite and formal but may or may not be understood by poorly educated folks or Thais whose first language is not Thai.

Penis: Ong-ka-chard/Awng-ka-chard

Women's internal bits: Chawng-klawt

Urinate: passa-wa/pass-er-wa (last "a" pronounced as in rat/cat/bat)

Defecate/stools/sh*t: Oot-ja-ra/Oot-jer-ra (last "a" pronounced as in rat/cat/bat)

The above may have lost a little in my poor transliteration but a reasonable imitation of them to a health care professional will be both appreciated and respected.... and hopefully corrected and refined as appropriate.

"Ying gratai" (shoot rabbits) is humorous and lighthearted and refers informally to peeing at the roadside/ up against a tree/ in a field/ outdoors and is usually used to warn others from inadvertently stumbling on the guy with his manhood out and on view. If you use this expression to a healthcare professional he/she will very likely be amused, but even so I would avoid doing so. It wouldn't make you look good.

[Mole]

Those words will be understood by any Thai with even primary school education.

[SoiBiker]

You have a penis/vagina?

[KhunBENQ]

I think for penis อวัยวะเพศชาย or องคชาติ are proper. As is อวัยวะเพศหญิง for vagina. Let's see what others with experience say.

Just backing up, basically all written.

About penis:

I would support that องคชาต (ongkhachat) is a correct formal word. So if you don't want to "look funny", use this.

thai-language.com:

องคชาต (ongkhachat) noun, phrase, formal, loanword, Pali [formal term for] a penis; male genital

http://www.thai-language.com/id/206762

In such cases the WiKi is a good helper too.

Search for (human) penis in your language and hope to find the article in Thai.

And there is one, also องคชาต (ongkhachat):

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95

[KhunBENQ]

Same game for vagina:

ช่องคลอด (chong khlot) the birth channel

http://www.thai-language.com/id/200038

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%8A%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%94

Seems consent.

Urinate, ถ่ายปัสสาวะ (thai patsawa)

http://www.thai-language.com/id/196941

Better leave the "thai" away.

Another harsh example HOW important correct pronounciation is

"thai" for to discharge; to excrete; to void.

จิ๋ม (chim) for vagina is everything else than formal.

And be careful when you ask a waitress for a dipping sauce: น้ำจิ้ม (nam chim)

[monkeypete]

In very formal setting you can just tell your doctor อวัยวะเพศ is sufficient to refer to your own genitals. No need to add ชาย or หญิง because it will be understood by context if it's male or female genitals.

For women, ช่องคลอด [literal meaning "birth canal"] can also be used to refer to internal parts.

But actually, your folks are right and it's OK to tell your doctor that it hurts on your จู๋ "juu" or "jimm".

For urination, ชี่ chee is informal polite, while เยี่ยว yiaw is similar to English pis.

What Mole said above is correct. Anyway, I think if you talk with doctor or someone that is not your friend, it is better to use 'อวัยวะเพศ'. It is not rude to use จู๋ "juu" (male) or "จิ๋ม" "jimm" (female) but it sounds a bit funny.

[raggedclaws]

For us males, from personal experience, this is perfectly acceptable too - คุณหมอผมมีปัญหาช่วงล้าง (Khun Mor - Phom mee panhaa chuang lang) literally - "I've got a problem downstairs".

I agree with the above posts when talking with medical staff, describing the vagina as ช่องคลอด (chong khlot); best and most polite.