What's in a name?

Thailand is a very different kind of place. It's a wonderful place, but at times a bit strange when seen through American eyes.

In the west 99% of us have nicknames based on our full given name right? (well unless you live in Memphis apparently where people have names like "Rooster") In the West Joseph is Joe, Steven is Steve, Patricia is Patty, etc. Makes sense. It's somewhat logical.

Not so in Thailand. In fact it's 99% the opposite. Here their nicknames have almost nothing to do with their given names. Of course many of their given names are real toungue twisters for us foreign blokes. We can thank the French for that... it was the French missionaries that did the conversion from Thai script into the Western alphabet. Right buggered job of it too!

So here are some samples for you of some Thai nicknames and their meanings...

Lek - small
Yai - big
Goong - shrimp
Poo - crab
Pung - lobster
Som - orange
Pias - beauty
Nah - face
Nok - bird
Dow - star
Daeng - red
Fah - blue
Fahn - dream
Ling - monkey
Raht - ?
Moo - pork
Gai - chicken
Geng - clever
Naht - ?
Tang - the old astronaut's breakfast drink!

I actually had friends in Bangkok with three daughters. The daughter's real names were Ratree (night time), Rhiamfah (something blue), and Thatcheree (don't know). The family, in trying to be clever, gave them the nicknames A, B, and C. Yep. The alphabet characters. Not Ay, Bee, See, just plain ole A, B, C. That's it.

Then another friend, whose nickname I knew as Arm, told me her brother's nickname was Leg. Leg? The English word "leg"? You mean as in those two things people use for walking around? Yeppers! ...Her baby sisters nickname was Neck.

Then there was my first girlfriend in Thailand years ago. Her name was Fah (blue). She had six siblings, all named for colors Daeng (red), Leung (yellow), Kiow (green), Som (orange), Dum (brown), and the youngest was New. New? What color is that? "It's no color, she "new"" What? You mean as in the English word "new"? As in she's brand new? "Of course," Fah said as if to say 'Duh!'. "She come accident." Accident? Oh! You mean your parents didn't intend to have another child? "Yes! She come accident."

No offence to any of my great Thai friends, but with names like these, it's a wonder some of them ever leave the house.