In Thailand you Need to Ask for People’s Nicknames
Would you mind being called a “pig” or a “buffalo”? I assume that you would not appreciate that. However in Thailand these are common names and there are lots of others that appear strange to our taste. Thais have first and last names like we do, but they are often four or five syllables long and, at least for us, impossible to pronounce, what to speak of remember.
This was not always the case. A couple of 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 amount of syllables that a name can have. Otherwise those enthusiastic name creators would have made any official business a syllable nightmare. It is quite easy to change your name in Thailand. Don’t like your name, just change it. A simple application will do it.
When someone gives me one of those complicated names, I just ask them for a shorter name. Luckily most Thais have nicknames which are the opposite of those never-ending legal names. In contrast they usually 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. You will find that some of those nicknames strike you as very unusual. There is Ms Pig, Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Dog, or Ms Bomb. How do they get names like that? I will tell you the real stories of several of my Thai friends.
Many nicknames are very descriptive. One girl I know is called “pig”. In western countries that would be very demeaning, but she was given that name since her baby fat reminded her adoring parents of a piglet. Thais think that this is a rather cute name. Of course if ever the girl decides someday that she does not like her nickname anymore, she can simply change it. The nickname of another acquaintance of mine is “dog”. As a little kid he was constantly peppering everyone with questions and interrupting conversations. Thai dogs tend to be a very unruly bunch, so therefore the unruly boy became “dog”.
Some nicknames can have special meanings, and even magical powers. One man was always sickly as a boy and could never shake his various illnesses. And so the villagers figured if they would call him “buffalo”, then the spirit of such a powerful animal would help him. 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 you should be aware that “buffalo” is often used as an insult in Thailand. Buffaloes are seen as very stupid animals. “Stupid like a buffalo” is a derogatory way to talk about someone.
Some nicknames literally add color to the concept. The nickname of another friend of mine is: “Green” . She ended up with this name since as a baby she supposedly had a greenish complexion, and that became her name. Today, 40 years later, she looks anything but green, however she still goes by the same name.
Non-western cultures often place more importance on dreams than we do. In one case my Thai friend’s dream foretold an event. While visiting a temple, a monk offered her sister in law who was with her a big precious stone. However she turned the gift down and asked the monk to let her friend have it instead. She took it happily. The day after the dream she realized that she was pregnant. In her mind the dream foretold the pregnancy and therefore she gave the baby the nickname of ‘precious stone’, Ploy. Since her sister in law had no desire to conceive a child, my friend interpreted the passing of the stone to herself as highly symbolic.
There are also some truly creative nicknames. The son of one of my friends happened to be born during the war between Iran and Iraq. The Thai media covered the war in depth with all its horrors and bombing. She had been looking for a good nickname, and so she named the baby “bomb”, a name which he still has twenty years later.
But not all nicknames have meanings. Many are only single letters like O, or E, or B. 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. In most informal situations Thais will only use their nicknames for introductions. However strange some of those nicknames appear to us, they are a blessing in disguise since we would never be able to understand, repeat or remember most of those convoluted legal names which the Thais like so much.
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