learning the thai language

Thai Society and culture, Living in Thailand.
Post Reply
User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » October 18, 2018, 3:04 pm

One of the nuances of Thai culture is the sniff kiss......หอมแก้ม that all proper Thais will do on their wedding day. To me, it's even less intimate than rubbing noses with your partner.....but that's probably because my brain is wired 110v.

แก้ม means 'cheek'.......and there's a term I've run across in many local news website about water control around Udon. You have your klongs to direct the water......and then you have your holding areas which the locals refer to as แก้มลิง.

I've successfully used the concept of แก้มลิง for runoff control in our yard. But after yesterday afternoon's rain storm (it rained harder than it did all rainy season!), we had a new area where water lines converged and tore through the ground. Gardener and แก้มลิง to the rescue. A few hours of digging out a basin......putting in some pea gravel and a pvc pipe (with a hundred or so drilled holes).....fill up the hole with dirt, plant grass....mission accomplished.

Now to wait and see if our แก้มลิง #2 lives up to its reputation



User avatar
mech_401
udonmap.com
Posts: 849
Joined: August 13, 2018, 3:59 am

Re: learning the thai language

Post by mech_401 » October 22, 2018, 3:07 pm

tomorrow seems to be some kind of holiday
again วันหยุด ( day stop) chulalongkorn day?

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » October 24, 2018, 11:00 am

I wish I had enough remaining brain cells to remember all the ways that Thais use the word ใจ.........or short phrases that express something differently than the literal translation of the words. My favorite of the week is
ปิดทองหลังพระ
You can google translate the phrase for the meaning of the expression, but it won't give the literal translation of the words. Anyone want to give it a crack?

User avatar
mech_401
udonmap.com
Posts: 849
Joined: August 13, 2018, 3:59 am

Re: learning the thai language

Post by mech_401 » October 24, 2018, 11:32 am

close gold behind monk :-s nope im getting nowhere with that

User avatar
Hages
udonmap.com
Posts: 129
Joined: January 26, 2006, 8:06 pm
Location: Udon Thani

Re: learning the thai language

Post by Hages » October 24, 2018, 12:09 pm

Doing a thankless job :-k

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » October 24, 2018, 12:24 pm

mech_401 wrote:
October 24, 2018, 11:32 am
close gold behind monk :-s nope im getting nowhere with that
ปิด to affix
ทอง gold
หลัง behind
พระ Buddha image

or as Cicero said "Whatever is done without ostentation, and without the people being witnesses of it, is, in my opinion, most praiseworthy"

Thanks to dreamstime.com for the photo
Attachments
Capture.JPG

User avatar
FrazeeDK
udonmap.com
Posts: 4909
Joined: February 13, 2006, 2:02 am
Location: Udon Thani Thailand

Re: learning the thai language

Post by FrazeeDK » October 24, 2018, 4:32 pm

putting gold on the back of the Buddha.. An old Thai proverb. That's doing some good deed without attribution or expectation of recognition.. No getting big face...

ปิดทองหลังพระ (pid tong lang pra)
Translation: Putting a gold leaf on the back of the Buddha image.
Meaning: Doing something good without seeking for attention.

here's some other common Thai proverbs.. https://www.anjajonestranslation.co.uk/ ... n-english/
Dave

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » October 30, 2018, 5:59 pm

Thinking of my long-ago discovery that Rama Road in Bangkok is not pronounced Rama…..in Thai….much like Suvarnaphumi isn’t pronounced that way. So…..in the two products shown below, only one is pronounced as it is spelled in English. Anyone?
Attachments
hospital equip.JPG
singha.JPG

jeebeeg
udonmap.com
Posts: 96
Joined: October 16, 2011, 5:00 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by jeebeeg » October 30, 2018, 6:09 pm

no 1 is singha
no 2 is sing

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » October 30, 2018, 7:32 pm

jeebeeg wrote:
October 30, 2018, 6:09 pm
no 1 is singha
no 2 is sing
All for a silly ์

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » November 3, 2018, 2:56 pm

As you're driving toward the statue circle on SriChomCheun Rd there's a small restaurant with a sign in front that I've been meaning to take a photo of.......but 3 times now, camera ready, there's been a vehicle passing in the opposite direction that blocks the sign. The first time I passed the sign, I wasn't sure I read it correctly. But sure enough, the sign says
"ตูดเป็ดทอด". You can add that to the list of things you're not likely to see in a grocery store back in your home town.

User avatar
Giggle
udonmap.com
Posts: 1895
Joined: October 18, 2016, 4:24 pm
Location: In your head

Re: learning the thai language

Post by Giggle » November 3, 2018, 3:32 pm

fried duck's ass.
Ashli Babbitt -- SAY HER NAME!

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » November 3, 2018, 7:13 pm

Giggle wrote:
November 3, 2018, 3:32 pm
fried duck's ass.
So a choice between ตูดเป็ดทอด and ปากเป็ดทอด .............I think I'd have to go with the latter

User avatar
Giggle
udonmap.com
Posts: 1895
Joined: October 18, 2016, 4:24 pm
Location: In your head

Re: learning the thai language

Post by Giggle » November 3, 2018, 7:55 pm

Not much meat on the latter. :shock:
Ashli Babbitt -- SAY HER NAME!

jeebeeg
udonmap.com
Posts: 96
Joined: October 16, 2011, 5:00 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by jeebeeg » November 3, 2018, 8:00 pm

fried duck beak, a treat

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » November 7, 2018, 3:11 pm

My wife bought some large fish from the market and put them in one of our many large guppy tanks. A few days later, while feeding the guppies, I noticed one of the new fish floating at the surface, its mouth clearly out of the water. I told my wife one of her fish had died.......but she tapped it on the head and it went back under the water. I'd never seen a fish do such a thing.......and pronounced the fish the 'submarine fish'. My wife called it ปลาปู่.
ปลาปู่ make delicious tomyam.....but, for now, the ones my wife bought are getting a reprieve....and getting fatter....inside our guppy tank.

If you like reading Thai fairy tales.......ปลาปู่ทอง is an old-time favorite....in books and in movies.
https://www.dek-d.com/board/view/3839808/
Attachments
Capture.JPG

User avatar
Shado
udonmap.com
Posts: 1957
Joined: January 22, 2007, 4:58 am
Location: Truman Lake, Missouri

Re: learning the thai language

Post by Shado » November 7, 2018, 4:33 pm

We catch the ปลาปู่ (bpla bpu) in local waters fairly often. The English name is Marble Goby. Due to the Thai folk tale about the ปลาปู่ทอง (bpla pbu tong) or Golden Goby, some Thais won't eat this fish even though it is quite tasty. It is an interesting fish to catch as often you will feel or see a very slight bite and then nothing. You will think the fish is gone but when you start to reel in it will be on the hook. The coloring varies widely and once hooked it is brought in easily with hardly any resistance.


Image

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » November 16, 2018, 2:58 pm

If you want to skip your daily crossword and take a wack at finding the error in this sign (post near our home announcing work to install a traffic light), I'll give a hint:

There's something amiss with the dates.
Attachments
Capture.JPG

User avatar
parrot
udonmap.com
Posts: 10925
Joined: March 19, 2006, 8:32 pm

Re: learning the thai language

Post by parrot » December 5, 2018, 7:25 pm

If you're trying to motivate yourself to learn to read Thai....if you can break that beginner barrier......where you can put just a few words together......words that you'll see everyday everywhere....ไก่ รถ อุดร หมู or just start out on license plates where you can practice your knowledge of the alphabet........if you can break that barrier and keep at it, you'll soon find your ability to spot more words you know........begin to read signs.........begin to understand a menu......and all that helps reinforce your reading skills.

Today, while in the AIS shop in Central......watching the girls ogle the latest iphones.......I noticed this sign which is broken into bite-size pieces. Thais use สุด a lot!
Attachments
Capture.JPG

User avatar
GT93
udonmap.com
Posts: 7848
Joined: June 5, 2009, 9:37 am
Location: Auckland

Re: learning the thai language

Post by GT93 » December 6, 2018, 12:51 am

For those keen to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into the local lingo, here's an introduction:

http://learnthaiwithmod.com/2016/06/isa ... i-dialect/
Lock 'em up - Eastman, Giuliani, Senator Graham, Meadows and Trump

Post Reply

Return to “Society and culture”