Surely if you have been to Thailand you may have heard some funny-sounding Thai words and wondered about their meaning. Even though there are a lot of Thai people who speak English in major cities such as Bangkok, Phuket, or Chiang Mai, learning just a few essential Thai phrases while traveling in Thailand can have an impact on your experience, especially if you visit smaller towns or make a trip to the countryside.
Are you curious to know which ones the funny Thai words are? I have put together a solid list of Thai words for you to have while traveling around Thailand that will surely make you laugh.
Funny Thai Words And Their Meaning
“Maew (แมว)”— Cat
Learning a foreign language is, for the most part, a challenging task. The Thai language continues to be a stumbling block for those hoping to learn only a few words, with the exception of one. Maew (pronounced “meow”), which means “cat,” is probably the easiest word in Thai to remember. It’s not the most useful phrase, but it’s definitely funny.
“Mŏo (หมู)” — Pig
Visitors may mistakenly believe that the Thai word moo means cow. There must be a pattern here if maew means cat. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Moo is an English term that means “pig.” This may be perplexing, but it’s a vital term to know if you want to sample some of Thailand’s most popular dishes during your visit to the Land of Smiles.
“Kăo (เขา)”— He/She/They
Since you now know that moo means pig do not feel offended if someone refers to you as kăo. It has nothing to do with the cow as in farm animals. Kăo simply is the Thai word for the pronouns he, she, and they.
“Hâa hâa hâa (ห้า ห้า ห้า)” — Five five five (555)
If you make a few Thai friends while visiting the country, you will undoubtedly hear the number 555 on different occasions, or even receive them in messages. The number of fives sent will vary, but one thing will always be the same: someone is laughing. In Thai, the term hâa means “five.” ” As a result, instead of sending a “laughing out loud” letter LOL, they’ll send a series of number fives…
“kŏn-kaen stand-up (ขนแขนสแตนอัพ)” — I got goosebumps.
If you think about Barbie and Ken here you are wrong and it’s also not the name of an Asian comedian; the expression “kŏn kaen stand-up” means something like “I got goosebumps” or “It gives me the creeps” in English.
So Naughty – Some Thai Words Have Unfortunate English Sounds
Have you ever heard a Thai word that can crack you up laughing? Come on, you can’t help but smile when you hear that Porn is going out with nong Fuck. Food, names of people, places, might make you giggle once in a while. Let me teach you some naughty Thai words, too.
Fák! (ฟัก), Fák-Tong! (ฟักทอง) Or ฝึก (fèuk)
This is a common word that you may all have heard. When you first hear this word, yeah I know what you are thinking right? It sounds naughty’. Basically, ฟัก (fák) is a ‘gourd’ in Thai. ฝึก (fèuk) is ‘to practice.’ ฟักทอง fák-tong means ‘pumpkin.’
Prick (พริก) – Chili
Food with prick!?, which is chili, is a popular ingredient in Thai cuisine. The term “pad prick (ผัดพริก)” comes to mind as an amusing example. Even though you should know that prick is chili, the sound is tempting to think dirty, isn’t it? Pad means ‘stir,’ so it could be referred to as ‘stir prick.’
Khao pad (ข้าวผัด) is another common Thai restaurant dish. You may even find several different types of khao pad on a Thai menu. Sounds like a cow’s pad! Cow shit?! Not a great meal. Actually, it is not ‘cow’ but khao with a higher pitch and it means rice.
Porn (พร) – Blessing
Porn is at the library…
Many Thai names are funny because they sound like swear words or sexual references in English. Porn is a common nickname for a Thai woman actually. This name is the subject of a joke about a Thai girl named Porn who went to the library and changed her Facebook status in English: Porn is at the library. In reality, however, it is an optimistic Thai word that means “blessing” or “wish” in some cases.
In fact, it is a positive word in Thai and means ‘blessing’ or sometimes it means ‘wish’. In the Buddhist religion when a monk gives blesses and people making merit, they call the monk haiporn (ให้พร). Hai means ‘to give’ so the combination means ‘blessing’. Or when people go to the temple and ask for a good thing to come to their lives. Thais call this action korporn. Kor is the action of asking for something.
Learning Thai Can Be Fun
Thailand offers so many things to enjoy. The weather, the people, the food, beaches, wildlife.. everything here will very quickly show you how sanook (สนุก) – fun is reflected in everyday life. Thai people love to joke around and make fun of. Why else would it be called the land of smiles? The best way to enjoy life is to go everywhere with a light heart and a smile, which many people will appreciate seeing, especially in Thailand. As long as you are not rude and use common courtesy, you should be in for a great time and a lot of fun here.
Want to learn more funny Thai words like this? Learning can be fun, too. Try the Ling Thai app for yourself and see how the different tests and games help you learn the Thai language while also enjoying it. Test your skills to improve your Thai.
