any equivalent phrases in thai to use to describe a down-to-earth , girl-next-door (if that means anything) personality?

'Tamada'or 'Bokatit' means normal.

Spelled phoneticly and I must admit I am not smart or clever.

Please help us understand the similarities, implications, and differences between:

ขาวบ้าน

ตาสีตาสา

คนธรรมดา

คนชนบท

คนตีนติดดิน

Some of these terms may not be flattering. Thanks.

Edited May 14, 201610 yr by DavidHouston

To add on, the phrases I'm looking for are meant to be flattering and used to describe a virtuous person.

Edited May 14, 201610 yr by Plotholes

To add on, the phrases I'm looking for are meant to be flattering and used to describe a virtuous person.

Riap roy, may well be the phrase you seek.

Every Thai knows what the phrase means.

Anytime I have used it, have been given a wai and a khop khun ka.

I am not quite sure what you are after. Down-to-earth means rational, not given to fancy or pretension. Virtuous is quite a different meaning.

ไม่ดัดจริต mai dadjarit = unpretentious.

For a virtuous person, คนดี khon dee = a good person would suffice or คนตรงๆ khon dtrong dtrong, a straight or honest person

I am not quite sure what you are after. Down-to-earth means rational, not given to fancy or pretension. Virtuous is quite a different meaning.

ไม่ดัดจริต mai dadjarit = unpretentious.

For a virtuous person, คนดี khon dee = a good person would suffice or คนตรงๆ khon dtrong dtrong, a straight or honest person

Oh, what I meant was for the phrase to have positive rather then negative connotations.

My dictionary translates down-to-earth as ตีนติดดิน eg:

เขาเป็นคนตีนติดดิน – ปากกับใจตรงกัน –นะ เขามักจะพูดในสิ่งที่เขาคิดหรือหมายความถึง - He is a down-to-earth sort of man. He always says what he means.

http://everydayenglish.pwa.co.th/article/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%99idiom%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A0%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A4%E0%B8%A9-%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%8817

I also asked a Thai the meaning of คนตีนติดดิน and the explanation kind of agreed:

"คนที่รวย แต่ไม่ถือตัว คบได้ทุกคนเสมอภาค ไม่แบ่งชั้น ว่าใครรวยใครจน...
เหมือนกับว่า คนรวย คุยกับคนจนเป็นเพื่อนได้ ไม่อวดรวย
... คนติดดิน หมายถึงคนที่มีการศึกษาสูง แต่ไม่รังเกียจคนที่มีการศึกษาที่ต่ำกว่าด้วย ทำตัวเสมอกัน"

[someone who's rich but not conceited, can mix with all classes, doesn't draw distinctions between rich and poor...someone who's educated but doesn't look down on people with less education...etc...] ie not pretentious or affected.

Edited May 14, 201610 yr by katana

ผู้ดี More often related to a person with merit (มีบุญ). A villager who had become a monk for at least the full three months of "pansaa" and who has since lived a virtuous life and continued to be involved in local temple affairs may be referred to as "phuu dii"

คนดี A good, nice person, even I who have never been a monk may on occasion, and perhaps erroneously, be referred to as "khon dii".

ตีนติดดิน literally "feet always on the ground". I don't recall hearing this phrase but my guess it is an attempt to translate English idiomatic speech into easily understood Thai idiomatic speech

คนไม่ถือตัว this is the complimentary phrase I hear most commonly to positively describe an unpretentious person which is a personality type perhaps not as common in Thailand as elsewhere as the pretentious and greedy tend to rule the roost.

Unpretentious = ติดดิน (dtit^L-din^M)

I'll second ติดดิน. Perfectly valid and has the same general meaning. I'd avoid using the word "ตีน" unless absolutely sure of the context and audience.