Thai Words Adapted From English
WORD ASSOCIATIONS AND QUIRKS

All languages have their idioms and colorful eccentricities - which are often taken for granted by their native speakers. Note: the Thai words and phrases in the following sections are not ‘tap saps’ – however, they're included because of their colorfulness or their quirky relationship with an English word.

airplane = reua bin (flying boat) เรือบิน

all, all over, or totally = too-a    ทั่ว    (think 'too')

always = sa-meuh   เสมอ    (think ‘same’)

band-aid = plaas-dteuh พลาสเตอร์   (plaster)

bed sheet = pa pboo tee nawn ผ้าปูที่นอน (cloth spread place sleep)

believe, for sure = cheua เชื่อ (think ‘sure’)

break a piece off = hak หัก

broken heart = ohk hak อกหัก (chest break)

a bunch/cluster= wee    หวี   (think; ‘a wee bit’)

calculator (hand-held device) = kreuang kit lake ครื่องคิดเลข
                                     - literally; machine think numbers.

cat = maew or meeow   แมว

change (verb) = pblee-en (think 'pliant')     เปลี่ยน

crimson = see leuat moo สีเลือดหมู (color blood pig)

delete, erase = lop ลบ

duh (obvious) = da da or doo doo ดู ดู

easy does it = bow bow เบาเบา

electricity = fai faa ไฟฟ้า (light/fire sky)

encourage = hai gamlang jai ให้กำลังใจ (give ongoing heart)

excuse (noun) = kam gae dtoo-a คำแก้ตัว (word fix body)

father = paw พ่อ

finish nail (carpentry) = tapu feunicheu (nail furniture)

foreigner (non-Asian) = farang ฝรั่ง (usually pronounced ‘falang’)

French (people & language) = farangsayt ฝรั่งเศส

game over = game laeo     เกมส์จบแล้ว
                   - 'laeo is the Thai word for ‘over’ or ‘formerly’ = 'that's it',
                       'he's out of my life', or 'I quit this job.'

geek = Thai slang for a ‘buddy’ or casual friend. This could be
                    a rare example of a Thai word adapted to English,
                    where it has come to mean; dunce or dork.

good deeds = boon     บุญ

ID card = sappot (sounds like ‘support’ and appears
to be a shortened form of ‘passport’)

king = pra jao yoo hoo-a     พระเจ้าอยู่หัว   (God resides head top)

kiss = joop   จูบ    - if you’re of a certain vintage, you may remember
             Betty Everett’s 60's song (redone by Cher and many others)
              titled: 'It's In His Kiss', subtitled 'The Shoop Shoop Song’

magnet = mae lek     แม่เหล็ก   (mother iron)

man = boo-root บุรุษ

mother = mae แม่

mouse = ‘noo’ หนู a child or young woman might refer
to him/herself as ‘noo’ when addressing an elder.

near = glai ใกล้ (falling tone)

far = glai   ไกล (medium tone) The slight tone variance between opposite
                      words could be a bit challenging for the neophyte. One hint:
                       if wanting to say 'very close', say 'glai glai.'

number = beuh เบอร์

occasion = ogaat โอกาส

on = bon บน

onion = hawm hooa yai หอมหัวใหญ่
                                              (sweet-smelling head big)
parcel (noun, as in postal package) = pasadu   พัสดุ

plan (noun) = paen      แผน

plunder (verb) = plon โพลน

pork = moo หมู

potato = man farang มันฝรั่ง (starchy-root foreign)

potato chips = lay (from Lays...) เลยส์

print (verb) = pim / pbrin พิมพ์ / ปรินท์

quotation marks = fan noo ฟันหนู (mouse teeth)
                                       or fon tong (rain gold) ฝนทอง

relax = pak pawn    พักผ่อน    - eerie resemblance to one of Bangkok's
                                              notorious red light district; 'Pat Pong.'

repair (verb) = sawm saem   ซ่อมแซม   (think: some same)

see-saw   สีซอ   - the ‘saw’ is an SE Asian-style one-string violin. To play it
                  with a back & forth bowing motion, is to 'see-saw'

serious = see-lee-at ซีเรียด

set (as in 'done') เสร็จ

souvenir = kawng tee ra leuk ของที่ระลึก (thing place for recollection)

squash vegetable = fak tong or pum-kin

stingy = kee nee-ao ขี้เหนียว (poop sticky )

stinky = men     เหม็น

very stinky = men boot

sucker (someone easily duped) = ba jee    บ้าจี้ (crazy tickle)

to touch (with fingers) = sam paat สัมผัส (think; 'some pat')

towel = pa chet dtoo-a ผ้าเช็ดตัว (cloth wipe body)

thing = sing สิ่ง

tidy / neat = pbraneet ประณีต

tutor (verb) = dtew ติว

waitress / waiter = kohnseu (from ‘consort’)

well done! = yee-em (think 'yum') เยี่ยม

whisper = grahsip (think ‘gossip’) กระซิบ

whoa! = why! ว้าย (said by a female or a gay man)

NOTE: The two word phrase; "kee ma" can connote up to five different things, depending on its intonation and context: 1. ride horse, 2. crap is coming, 3. dog poop, 4. riding dog, 5. horse manure.

Some kid's nicknames that can be heard around town: Mint, Boy, Boss, Bank, Milk, Moss, First, Queen, Bomb, Dream, Gift, Off, Ant, X, M, A, Junior. .....and not a few dogs are called 'puppy' or 'doggie'.

The complete list of 600 words plus additional "Learn Thai" chapters - now available in 156 page paperback; "600 Thai Words Taken From English"
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Thai Words Adapted From English WORD ASSOCIATIONS AND QUIRKS

Thai Words Adapted From English
WORD ASSOCIATIONS AND QUIRKS