Thai Lingo

[hardpaolo]

kee kwai - buffalo shit
kee maa - dog shit
min kee - i smell shit
min kee fan - bad breath (when she leans in and says hello say this straight away, most amusing)

As you can see my Thai is very varied and gets me through any situation I find myself in.

[Guest]

(hardpaolo @ Jun. 07 2007,21:34) kee kwai - buffalo shit
kee maa - dog shit
min kee - i smell shit
min kee fan - bad breath (when she leans in and says hello say this straight away, most amusing)

As you can see my Thai is very varied and gets me through any situation I find myself in.  

This is why it is so hard to learn Thai like this.

When you say min I think it really should be pronounced like men as in Thai it is spelt เหม็น.

Similarly with fan really should be pronounced like fun as it is spelt ฟัน

Cheers

[jadeite]

Transliterations drive newbies crazy and as a newbie once upon a time I can really sympathize. Just think how many of them end their phrases with what sounds like the word "crap" because it is transliterated as "krap" so often? Even the Thai Airways magazine is titled Sawasdee. The thing is, there is no second "s" sound in there!!! Again it is a case of encoding the origin in the thai character set.

When you are dealing with newbies, give them words that sound like what you want them to pronounce, not the rubbish about trying to encode the origins of which Thai characters things came from--that means nothing to them! So here is one in that spirit:

cope coon cop = thank you

I guarantee you that will give you an excellent chance of being understood relative to other spellings you will find that will have you blurting out "carp kunt crap" or something equally unintelligible.

[kahuna]

I learned a new phrase today that gained large rewards....

Yaawt Ying...Perrfect Lady...

Still working tonight too...

[dummy_plug]

(ozzie @ Jun. 07 2007,18:18)

(jadeite @ Jun. 07 2007,20:07) Don't be discouraged, many basic phrases will be understood if the tones are wrong since they can be recognized by context. But regardless, Thai's will love you for trying; a hello here and thank you there will go a long way.

Yes it is true that the Thai's will like you for trying. They will even laugh and smile but this is their way of showing their appreciation at your attempt.

Absolutely correct. France this country is not!

[Guest]

(kahuna @ Jun. 08 2007,02:33) I learned a new phrase today that gained large rewards....

Yaawt Ying...Perrfect Lady...

Still working tonight too...

Yes they love being told they are the perfect woman

ยอดหญิง

[Guest]

Several phrases to learn for today:

Khun kathoey may? - Are you ladyboy?
Wan nee khun su-wai^ mak - Today you look very attracitve
Mi ham yai/noi - I've got a big/small cock

[brocklanders]

You dont say "khun katoey mai"...you say bpen katoey chai mai? or khun bpen katoey reu plao? You must use the verb "bpen" when using "to be" when describing a person(ie., their job, nationality, sex, etc)

[dummy_plug]

(ozzie @ Jun. 08 2007,16:58)

(kahuna @ Jun. 08 2007,02:33) I learned a new phrase today that gained large rewards....

Yaawt Ying...Perrfect Lady...

Still working tonight too...

Yes they love being told they are the perfect woman

ยอดหญิง

Good post! I'll have to use next time.

One I learned a year ago meant something to the extent of "sweet mouth", which is basically a person who goes around saying sweet nothings to every girl he sees. Does anyone know the Thai phrase for that?

[Stewart]

Sounds something like bang wah, although I am sure that is not spelt correctly

[Guest]

(brocklanders @ Jun. 09 2007,07:40) You dont say "khun katoey mai"...you say bpen katoey chai mai? or khun bpen katoey reu plao? You must use the verb "bpen" when using "to be" when describing a person(ie., their job, nationality, sex, etc)

Thanks for correcting me.

[Guest]

(dummy_plug @ Jun. 09 2007,14:33) Good post! I'll have to use next time.

One I learned a year ago meant something to the extent of "sweet mouth", which is basically a person who goes around saying sweet nothings to every girl he sees. Does anyone know the Thai phrase for that?

bpak waan - mouth sweet

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