Luckily Thai People Have Nicknames
Would it be okay with you if someone called you a “pig” or a “buffalo? I imagine you wouldn’t like it. But in Thailand many people are called by these names and others which seem equally strange to us. Thai people have first names and surnames same as we do, but generally they contain so many syllables that it is a real challenge for any westerner to repeat or remember such a name.
It was not always like that. A few centuries ago Thais had much shorter and less convoluted names. Only in the last few generations has it become all the rage to adopt such monstrous names. The Thais actually had to come up with a law that limits the number of syllables that a name can have. This prevented official business transactions from drowning in syllable quicksand. Thai law makes if fairly simple to change your name. Don’t like it, no problem, pick another one. A simple application will do it.
When someone gives me one of those complicated names, I just ask them for a shorter name. Fortunately most Thais use abbreviations of their real name or nicknames which are at the other end of the spectrum of the multi syllable confusion. In contrast they typically consist of only one syllable or letter. Often the Thais use one of the syllables of their legal name as their nickname – it does not matter which one. Many nicknames are strange to our taste. There could be Ms Pig, Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Dog, or Ms Bomb. How do they come up with those names? Here are the actual stories of friends of mine here in Thailand.
Many nicknames are very descriptive. How about a girl whose name is “pig”? While that is seen as an insult in the west, she was called that since she was a somewhat round baby with a good share of baby fat, and therefore was called ‘pig’. In Thailand “pig” is seen as a cute nickname. If at some point the girl does not find her nickname appealing anymore, she will be able to change it at any time. The nickname of another acquaintance of mine is “dog”. As a small kid he was constantly peppering everyone with questions and interrupting conversations. Thai dogs are usually a very unruly bunch, so therefore the unruly boy became “dog”.
Some nicknames might have special meanings, and even magical powers. One man was always sickly as a boy and could never shake his various ailments. The people of his village thought that the name “buffalo”, a powerful animal, would help him counteract his weak condition. There is even a saying ’strong as a buffalo’. Amazingly his chronic diseases went away and he became a strong, healthy person, true to his name. But before you start calling people “buffalo”, be aware that this is also used as an insulting word. Buffaloes are seen as very stupid animals. “Stupid like a buffalo” is a derogatory way to talk about someone.
Nicknames can be literally colorful. One of my friend’s nickname is “Green”. When she was born she had a slightly greenish skin tone and that is how she ended up with this nickname. Today, 40 years later, she looks anything but green, however she still goes by the same name.
In many cultures dreams are taken seriously. In one case my Thai friend’s dream foretold an event. She went to a temple with her sister in law and a monk wanted to give a large beautiful precious stone to her sister in law. But she didn’t want it and told the monk to give it to her friend instead who accepted it gratefully. Then she awoke from the dream and discovered that she was pregnant. She was convinced that the dream had told her that she would have a baby and so she called it Ploy, meaning ‘precious stone’ in Thai. The gift of the stone symbolized that she was about to receive something beautiful, and the pregnancy confirmed that.
Thais know no limits when it comes to creative nicknames. The same friend of mine also gave birth to a boy right around the time of the Iran-Iraq war. The Thai news agencies published regular stories about all the shooting and bombing. In the absence of a better idea she ended up calling her son “bomb”.
Not all nicknames are that graphic. Some are merely single letters like O (pronounced Oh) , E (sounds more like the English pronunciation of ‘A’), B (pronounced ‘bee’) or D (pronounced ‘dee’). One-syllable western names like ‘Cat’ or ‘Joy’ are all the rage nowadays.
Not all Thais use nicknames. They use their legal names which in those cases tend to be reasonably pronounceable. When you meet Thais, they will usually introduce themselves with their nicknames. Although some of these nicknames appear strange to us, we should count our blessings, since we would have a serious challenge trying to understand or remember those mile-long legal names which are so typical in Thailand.
