Learning some new Thai vocabulary

[PeteC]

Should we try some more similar, tricky words? My transliteration is likely off, so please correct. Pete

1) Khun = You

2) Kohn = Body hair accept head and pubic

3) Koon nee = tonight, so assume just "Koon" = night.....Koon bier = beer night! Other uses: Koon punee = tomorrow night. Ma Koon = last night

4) Poom = Formal for I or Me.

5) Poom = Hair on your head

If more close to the above two in sound, please add.

[BaaBaa.]

I is pom.

[Frank Hovis]

I'm with Baa Baa

Me, I, My etc is 'Pom' (pronounced the same as english pom-pom)

My Car ~ "Lot Pom" (Lot for car but sometimes I hear Rot and see it written as Lord which is more like the word for drinking straw)

I have a toyota car - "Pom mee lot Taw-yo-taaa"

Hair is just the same, as is head - hair cut is 'gat pom'

Pubic Hair -- "mois"? Pronouced like the first part of english moist

[BaaBaa.]

I say Rot, I'd say the L or R thing is down to where your missus or friends are from.

[Frank Hovis]

Khun for You, pronounced like raccoon or just coon.

Koon for night, I would say is more like saying Leonard Cohen but with ooo instead of oh, Leonard Cooohen, but can also be said with a G at the front as in Gooohen so less confusion over You or Night.

[GLCQuantum]

Frank Hovis said...

Hair is just the same, as is head - hair cut is 'gat pom'

To save anyone from walking into a barbers and asking the chap behind the counter to 'bite your hair' I'll correct this for you

gat = bite

dat = cut

Thai can be confusing... there are, I think, 5 tones (barely recogizable to the farang ear) of the word 'Khaow'. Try translating this....

He entered the white gates to the mountain of white rice.

or (I think this ones probably worse)

Who sold chicken eggs to the chicken egg seller near here.

[Bamboo Grove]

Not in the tricky series but what I always found amusing. You can see the thi sign in front of many small restaurants saying รสเด็ด. It means "truly delicious" but when transliterated for English speakers it becomes "rot dead."

[Frank Hovis]

There's definitely a difference between Gat Pom (hair cut) and Yoong Gat (mosquito bite) I never thought of it as a D though, easier just to say 'Su keen hed' or make sure your hairdresser is one that you wouldn't mind nibbling your head

[Takiap]

I say Rot, I'd say the L or R thing is down to where your missus or friends are from.

From north to south and east to west, spanning all income groups, the vast majority of Thais pronounce their R's as L's.


Obviously news readers and etc have to speak correctly, as do other Thais when they're in certain situations, but when they let their hair down, R becomes L.


I can recall two instances where Thai speaking Farang have had a discussion with Thais, talking "perfect" Thai, and after they've left, the Thais actually commented on it, and not in a very nice way either.



On a different note......................I also hear a lot of Thais nowadays are say jah rather than ka.


Some of the young ones are also changing the "s" in certain words to a "th". I find this quite amusing really, because for the most part, they struggle to pronounce "th". Put it to the test, and ask your missus to say: "I thought about a thimble for my thick thumb"......lol.

[BaaBaa.]

I disagree Takiab, most Thais I know use R.

My GF speaks Khmer Surin when she's at home and the language is full of rolling Rs, therefore they can pronounce R properly.

My local Som Tam lad and a few restaurants are from a similar area and use R.

I think Kendo and SJ wife's are from a similar area and I'd imagine use R not L, my son says Rot, arai etc.

Lot and Alai sounds wrong to me.

Ask your friends what Giraffe is in Thai, because my son pronounces it GiRaffe.

[PeteC]

Pubic Hair -- "mois"? Pronouced like the first part of english moist

No S, just moi or moy. Be careful of this one as there are still plenty of middle and older age woman around with the nickname "moey". It's a Chinese type nickname and woman of that heritage are the only ones who usually have it. I've known one with that name for 40 years and I still make the wrong pronunciation at times resulting in much laughter, then something thrown at me. Pete

[PeteC]

Another interesting one with two words when English has only one.

Eim = after a meal and your stomach is full.

Tem = everything else that's full or you want filled. If stopping for gas you can say "Tem krup...diesel" and he'll know what you mean.

I don't know the full details behind Eim. I wonder if it can also be used when referring to other parts of the body? Such as "Jai eim luk khun" meaning more or less, My heart is full of love for you. I have a feeling it can't be used that way, or for any other organs, and Eim only refers to food and stomach. It's bewildering to me why they thought they needed a special word for that condition...there must be a deeper meaning to it. Pete

[Frank Hovis]

I would use a D for Dem not T for Tem as in 'Dem Tang, Cap'

Moy - noted, I wasn't too sure. It's not something I tend to chit-chat about much.

I would say A-Lie (english pronounciation of lie - to tell a mistruth) rather than A-Rai, and like wise , A-Loy rather than A-Roy (for tasty)

[BaaBaa.]

Also every translation I've ever read uses R not L.

http://www.thai-language.com/dict

http://www.amazing-thailand.com/Lang.html

I've never seen a single phrasebook, translator or software use Tao Lai, Alai, Aloy, or Lot Ken.

[Dannie Boy]

Also every translation I've ever read uses R not L.

http://www.thai-language.com/dict

http://www.amazing-thailand.com/Lang.html

I've never seen a single phrasebook, translator or software use Tao Lai, Alai, Aloy, or Lot Ken.

I agree entirely that the phrase books and dictionaries will always use R and not L, but pronunciation is a different thing altogether. I go to Thai lessons twice a week and the woman teacher (originally from Issan but has lived most of her life in Bangkok) always spells and pronounces words with R not L, but I reckon at least 50% of Thai use L not R when they pronounce words, it's just the way it is.