Thread: Is there a racist word for 'thai' that thais understand?

Originally Posted by toddaniels

Thanx for that edu-ma-cation there Rabid Boss..
Last time I checked (which I do once in a while) racial slurs are used the world over by different races towards other races.. The thais are no different in that regard.

What gets me is these peoples' penchant for bashing other thais because they come from a different province, don't have as high paying job, didn't go to college, and a myriad of other mostly b/s mindless criteria, because they are ALL thais! I think that's not actually racism but classism or something like that..

All cultures are consciously embedded with the classism thing - nothing particularly subjected to special societies, especially such cultures that pretend to be developed, exceptional, tolerant, and egalitarian [which is largely conditioned fantasy].

Calling a Thai a slave, or implying he is of slave class will do it.
I was once referred to as kee nok by a guy sweeping the road in a market.
He called to a stall owner, "Ahhh, farang kee nok ma laow".
I ignored him, and spoke to the stall owner in Thai loud enough for him to hear, "Slaves should be careful of their words because farang can speak Thai.".
The stall owner stifled a giggle, and the low class street cleaner skulked off.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

In 17 years of learning Thai (lazioy I might add, I haven't actually picked up a book ar listened to a tape for about 13 years) I have never ever bothered to learn how to insult and I think it has stood me in good stead.

What is the point, you know how it's gonna end up.

There is a point in learning insults if you're integrating in this society. Not necessarily to insult others but to know when others are insulting you.

Knowing how far you can go and being able to do it in a subtle way is an art.

Do you want to be a doormat?

Chinese Thais get riled by the word jek. Others get sensitive when you talk about their noses. Dtung boeng or dtung maeb always gets a laugh in Isarn but secretly they hate it

Originally Posted by Maanaam

Calling a Thai a slave, or implying he is of slave class will do it.
I was once referred to as kee nok by a guy sweeping the road in a market.
He called to a stall owner, "Ahhh, farang kee nok ma laow".
I ignored him, and spoke to the stall owner in Thai loud enough for him to hear, "Slaves should be careful of their words because farang can speak Thai.".
The stall owner stifled a giggle, and the low class street cleaner skulked off.

Many farang I know get mixed up with this word.

Usually a Thai will say "farang kee ngok" which isn't nearly as insulting as "farang kee nok."

Originally Posted by toddaniels

Originally Posted by NZdick1983

Ever noticed how they use the pre-fix Khun - before Thai... but hardly ever hear them say "khun Farang" or "Khun Kaak".

Ummm NZdick1983, actually I believe they're saying คนไทย (kon tai) as in thai people, NOT คุณไทย. They also use คนฝรั่ง for foreign people too BTW..Nick, you seem a little more "effluent in thai" than fluent. I always say "fluent is just an imaginary place in your mind". Just a question, because I'm curious, what criteria do you base this imagined fluency in thai on?

Early on I was sure ฝรั่ง was derogatory, but now I know, given the thai penchant for "shoe-horning" or "cubby-holing" people into nice neat piles or boxes to delineate them from thais, is just what they do.. The "thai-f-word" for foreigners carries no implied negativity. It's the words which come before or after it which sway the meaning from just a classification of someone NOT thai, to something else.

Anecdotally, I can't ever recall a hearing a thai say หน้าหี "pussy face" when calling someone a pussy. In fact after a brief google I think it's another foreign bastardization of thai/engrish where it carries not all that much meaning to thais in thai. It's right up there with clueless foreigner trying to call a thai an asshole and using the word รูตูด (ruu-dtùut) which carries no meaning or comparative value in thai other than the orifice where shit comes out.

I have heard หน้าเหมือนเมีย (nâa-mʉ̌an-mia) "face like your wife's", used to call people a pussy or chicken shit and that's pretty hard core to say to someone!

Thai people don't use คนฝรั่ง for foreigners. They do use it for some other Asians but not whities.

ปอดแหก is used for woose.

I read somewhere (cant remember now) That "Siam" was a derogatory term used by the Chinese meaning "dark skinned" and was used for the people that lived in what is now Thailand.
Personally I don't care if I am called farang by strangers. Lady cows' family refer to me by my Christian name. Other friends of extended family who don't know my name call me Paw (daughters name). Luckily for me, Lady cows family are well educated and all speak English well. The downside is my Thai language skill has suffered because I am Kikiet.
In Australian culture derogatory name calling is acceptance within the male peer group so most oz males are use to some very derogatory names.

Me Kigiet also but what I cant understand is why anyone would want to learn a derogatory name for their hosts. The Thai people are your hosts presuming you are in or will visit Thailand, would you want to insult those you visited in your own country ?

And as has been explained many times Farang is not an insult it is the Thai word for foreigner if you dont like Thais using their own language then you shouldnt be here.

Originally Posted by birding

for their hosts. The Thai people are your hosts

have a red

Originally Posted by toddaniels

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Does any one (race, people, nationality) have a derogatory word for themselves in their own language?

What about when blacks call each other nigger? Aren't they dissin' themselves? Just wondering is all..

"Yo nigga, wat's up!"

If you're not one and particulary if you are WHITE - you can not address a person of colour among his pigmentally-enhanced friends with that line especially if addressing a stranger of colour...(unless you're Eminem or something related).

"monkey" in Thai eventually...

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Originally Posted by birding

for their hosts. The Thai people are your hosts

have a red

seems rather unfair

Originally Posted by Thai3

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Originally Posted by birding

for their hosts. The Thai people are your hosts

have a red

seems rather unfair

For repeating the tripe about 'we are guests in their country" crap?

I'm a guest when i am a tourist. If i am living, working, paying taxes, paying rent, contributing to the economy then I am not a guest and they (particulalry the taxi drivers, thieves, pimps, bigots and other nose picking, pimple squeezing scum) are not my hosts.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

For repeating the tripe about 'we are guests in their country" crap?

yeah, fvck that man.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

I'm a guest when i am a tourist. If i am living, working, paying taxes, paying rent, contributing to the economy then I am not a guest and they (particulalry the taxi drivers, theives, bigots and other scum) are not my hosts.

I'm a permanent resident also and feel that LOS is my home but I want to maintain my Western sensibilities, EH?

One is a guest if they have no possibility of becoming a citizen or a permanent resident..

Truth be told you are always a guest (or visa holder) if a nation can expel you or send you packing and you have no rights to change their decision.

Originally Posted by PeeCoffee

One is a guest if they have no possibility of becoming a citizen or a permanent resident..

Truth be told you are always a guest (or visa holder) if a nation can expel you or send you packing and you have no rights to change their decision.

And therefore i was not and am not a guest.

KW, I wasn't referring to anyone in particular.
99% of expats residing in Thailand are visa-holders aka guests.

Originally Posted by Hugh Cow

I read somewhere (cant remember now) That "Siam" was a derogatory term used by the Chinese meaning "dark skinned" and was used for the people that lived in what is now Thailand.

Actually, the etymology of the historied term, Siam, has little in relation with Chinese [people and language]. Though, I'm sure that the early controlling Chinese communities coined it in such a derogatory fashion towards the "native folk".

Even though the accepted expressions, Siam and Siamese [Persian/Indian origins], were used for the outside world, the locales naturally used Mueang Tai and Khon Tai for their country and themselves.

Originally Posted by Hugh Cow

I read somewhere (cant remember now) That "Siam" was a derogatory term used by the Chinese meaning "dark skinned" and was used for the people that lived in what is now Thailand.

Etymology[edit]
Portuguese Sciam ‎(“Thailand”), from Pali शुभर्नभुमि ‎(suvarnabhumi, “land of gold”) or Sanskrit श्याम ‎(śyāma, “dark”) or Mon rham ‎(rhmañña, “stranger”), probably the same root as Shan and Assam[1]

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Siam#Etymology

I know the Mon call themselves Rehmonnaya or something, don't see the link between Rham and Siam really. Suvarnabhumi thing doesn't sound plausible.

Ting tong seems to have caught on now.

Originally Posted by Sumbitch

Originally Posted by kingwilly

For repeating the tripe about 'we are guests in their country" crap?

yeah, fvck that man.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

I'm a guest when i am a tourist. If i am living, working, paying taxes, paying rent, contributing to the economy then I am not a guest and they (particulalry the taxi drivers, theives, bigots and other scum) are not my hosts.

I'm a permanent resident also and feel that LOS is my home but I want to maintain my Western sensibilities, EH?

Western sensibilities.

Ain't that a terminology of extreme contradiction?

Well that's cleared it up then, nobody's admitted to being a guest worker.

Don't the Cambos call the Thais "aa kaa pek" or something? Like "stinky shrimp paste" or something? The Burmese must have a word for them - other than just "ayudya"?

"Thai" means fish in Japanese lol...

IF you feel you possess enough thai to dig yourself out of the hole you gonna dig by slagging off a thai in thai, and wanna use a racial slur call them "Karen" (the hill tribe).

Nothing riles up thais more than being called it.
In thai it's กะเหรี่ยง - gà-rìang

Originally Posted by Sumbitch

I'm a permanent resident

I'd bet that you aren't. I reckon that like a lot of people in Thailand, you have permission to stay in Thailand for one year and you have to seek permission again each year. That is not permanent residence.