rott Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) A Thai smile is like a dog wagging its tail, it can mean:- (a) I am very happy to see you ( I want to steal your food © I am looking forward to killing you or similar, and many more besides. Edited November 29, 2015 by rott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orac Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Thai smile doesn't mean anything. It's just a mask not showing real feelings or emotions. You can hide best with a smile. It's a fassade only. And on the country side you won't see so many smiles because life is hard to stay. So don't feel pleased if a Thai girl smiles at you. It's just nothing but could mean everything. Being at one with my thainess, whenever I find myself out of my depth, confused about what is going on around me or just generally baffled I just stick a grin on my face and find things nearly always turn out fine so, as you say, there can often be nothing whatsoever behind the smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rott Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Don't know how the smiley and the copyright mark sneaked in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UPDEHSOI Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 A Thai smile is meaningless and getting rarer. I have seen more genuine, and sincere smiles in Cardiff dock area. In my humble opinion, I don't think ALL Thai ladies ( and Thai men's ) smiles are meaningless. I have several Thai lady friends who's smile is as pure as the driven snow. ( well, as pure as the driven snow was five thousand years ago ) But I think you are partly right. Many many of them ARE meaningless as far as the normal situation goes. And yes, to me they definitely DO seem to be much rarer than years ago. But over the past twenty four years I have seen Thai ladies smiles ( just the smile, NOTHING ELSE ) garner millions of baht in favour of the Thai lady. Soooo...not exactly "meaningless" per se. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UPDEHSOI Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 ... It is so typical of what I experienced from Thais whom have left to live in a new country; they suddenly become experts on advice. ... And then there's the TV resident experts as well. Yup, that's us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToS2014 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 If I smile I wonder if he will buy me lunch, dinner, purse, shoes, a home in my village, and eventually my "sister's" children college education. Wow how a smile works on some! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhw Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 How can we get your money Or, in many many cases...HOW MUCH of it can I/we get. Danged greedy, these Thais. Hope it doesn't spread elsewhere in the world!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UPDEHSOI Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Thai smile at near everything and often - the motorcyclist who pulls in front of my car and almost gets hit - when I stop short, he smiles… that smile means Wheeew!! - but I see the smiles as having multiple meanings and they seem to be a reaction to near anything - it can be a response to hopefully avoid a potential confrontation, to lighten up a potential problem or sometimes what seems just a lack of knowing how to respond, when in doubt - smile. I have seen Westerners here who interpret every smile as a flirtation - then find it false if not so… I think if you have the awareness that is the first step to interpreting the Thai smile, but it does need to be interpreted. It can even mean, 'ooops! I screwed up and knocked your coffee into your lap!! - no, I am not laughing at your misfortune I just don't know what else to do'… And the funniest thing for my wife in the West was when I would accidentally hit my head - the more it hurt, the funnier it was for her… As to finances - yes, I have seen that reaction of Thai ladies or ladies anywhere wanting to be "helpful" to friends after their good fortune. Wanting to marry up in finances is not a Thai thing alone though they might be a bit more upfront about it. Does a parent in the Western World want their daughter to marry the doctor who will work hard and be an excellent provider or would they prefer the sweet poet who will guarantee a life of intellectual stimulation and poverty? This is an interesting and expansive subject and not limited to Thai alone… IMHO, I think you got it summed up pretty well...as far as I'm concerned anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaiduncankk Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 If you asked me to define 'Thai Smile', it is an airline I sometimes use to go to Bangkok, when I wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bil2054 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 I get very pleasant return smiles from people on a regular basis, and there is no ulterior motive because they are folks I happen to encounter as I walk along... they are not going to get anything else from me than a facial expression of good will. Especially gratifying are the ones who look doubtful or pissed off at first, but break out in a "happy face" when I persist.My GF has remarked "You do not have to smile at everybody!" I suspect she means the other Thai ladies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 "What are they really thinking"? Should be good once our experts wake up and tell us what its all about! Personally I would have though we would get more sensible answers to the question; "How long is a piece of string"? they are weighing the discomfort of a 95 k slab of fat flopping over them to 3 debt cards with a 175,000 baht total replenished every month . oh the pain . If only they were not too shy to try out different positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 How can we get your money Or, in many many cases...HOW MUCH of it can I/we get. Danged greedy, these Thais. Hope it doesn't spread elsewhere in the world!!! In the rest of the world, the concept is called "marketing". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petermik Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 I was once told that if there is someone who I don,t like but cannot avoid to greet them with a big smile.................the bigger the smile the bigger the <deleted> off your giving them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Same as in most countries, some are warm and sincere while others are fake..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimmer Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 A post that is over the top has been removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaiLai Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) If it was not from a sponsor, I would have labeled this a troll post. so would I have done so.... but let me digress Babies are mistakenly described as "smiling" when in fact they are experiencing uncomfortable abdominal gas pains Surely to goodness Thais aren't smiling because of psychological and physical pains! Edited November 29, 2015 by WaiLai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Sincere smiles, romantic love, respect, gratitude, selfishness and buddhism are western outlandish concepts that should not be applied to Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryAdriaenssens Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Short answer "NOTHING!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlo Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 The Thai Smile was something often posted in articles about Thailand. But having lived now in Thailand for a number of months I have hardly seen the illusive Thai Smile. All waitresses who have served me seem to hate their job and as such never give you a smile or on most occasions utter a single word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Short answer "NOTHING!" Same as the flag in your avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
car720 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Definition of a smile: to have, produce, or exhibit a smile a : to look or regard with amusement or ridicule smiled at his own folly b : to bestow approval c : to appear pleasant or agreeable However Thais smile is none of the above, when Thai smiles it means almost nothing or everything, and one should not misconstrued a Thai smile for niceness. From the Thai male it states:- "You are such a tosser but I don't know how to express it so that you will understand so I will just give you a wry little smile instead." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samsensam Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 the assumption is that they are thinking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
car720 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 The Thai Smile was something often posted in articles about Thailand. But having lived now in Thailand for a number of months I have hardly seen the illusive Thai Smile. All waitresses who have served me seem to hate their job and as such never give you a smile or on most occasions utter a single word. Got news for you. It won't get any better either. This is international feminism now. But you have to give them credit, they usually hate everything and everyone equally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whaleboneman Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 A Thai smile is like a dog wagging its tail, it can mean:- (a) I am very happy to see you ( I want to steal your food © I am looking forward to killing you or similar, and many more besides. Well you don't know anything about dogs or Thai smiles do you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HooHaa Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 they want to know why you are wasting your time sweating the small stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smotherb Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Definition of a smile: to have, produce, or exhibit a smile a : to look or regard with amusement or ridicule smiled at his own folly b : to bestow approval c : to appear pleasant or agreeable However Thais smile is none of the above, when Thai smiles it means almost nothing or everything, and one should not misconstrued a Thai smile for niceness. Thais, like many other people, smile for many reasons, e.g., they smile because they are embarrassed, shy, being coy, or have no idea what expression they should emit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
car720 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 A Thai smile is like a dog wagging its tail, it can mean:- (a) I am very happy to see you ( I want to steal your food © I am looking forward to killing you or similar, and many more besides. Well you don't know anything about dogs or Thai smiles do you? Perhaps, rather than criticizing the person it would be more beneficial if you offered your interpretation of a Thai smile instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilowatt Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 I have been going to drag races up north for a year now.I have won more than my fair share.I always get genuine looking smiles from the lousers and according to my Thai gf they now call me uncle. So I say smiles outside the bar scene are Real Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 From Animals, Pink Floyd: After a while, you can work on points for style like a club tie, a firm hand shake a certain look in the eye AN EASY SMILE you have to be trusted by the people that you lie to so that when they turn their backs on you you'll get the chance to put the knife in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreasyFingers Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 I get very pleasant return smiles from people on a regular basis, and there is no ulterior motive because they are folks I happen to encounter as I walk along... they are not going to get anything else from me than a facial expression of good will. Especially gratifying are the ones who look doubtful or pissed off at first, but break out in a "happy face" when I persist. My GF has remarked "You do not have to smile at everybody!" I suspect she means the other Thai ladies. Fully agree. Cannot understand farangs who do not smile. Didn't we come here to be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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