Thai Language Thai Culture: Asking for Directions in Thailand

Asking for Directions in Thailand…

After my last post, Do Thais Want Me to Speak Thai?, I received an interesting link to a posting on ThaiVisa.com, Speaking Thai in Thailand is Useless.

The poster says that he speaks “pretty good Thai including tones etc. phood chart”. I believe he means พูดชัด /pûut chát/ (speaks clearly). But even though he speaks Thai so well:

“It hasnt (sic) really helped at all as when I am in a restaurant or venue and order in what I think is perfect Thai they just look at me with the look of a Phnom Phenn Motorcycle Taxi driver, then look at the Thai I am with for confirmation. She/he says exactly the same thing as I just said then everything is ok.”

If you have read my last post then you already probably know my take on this: Your Thai friend speaks “perfect Thai”, you, on the other hand, maybe not so “perfect”. BTW, I was once in Phnom Penn and met a taxi driver who did speak perfect Thai – but I digress.

It’s the comments on the forum post that I was interested in. They contain some of the generalizations that are so prevalent in the Farang community in Thailand. You know, they always start out with “Thais …”. In this case the generalizations have to do with asking for directions in Thailand.

Here are a few of the top generalizations:

• Most of us know that back home if you need directions or some local knowledge you just as (sic) a local, not here.
• Thais are reluctant to ask for directions.
• Thais are not so good with directions.
• It is not uncommon that Thais ask another Thai for directions to somewhere and then are confused by the answer.
• Normally if you follow their directions they are wrong.
• Face, some think by asking for directions it makes them lose face by appearing to be ignorant.
• Never ask them for directions.

I never cease to be amazed at the depth at which visitors to Thailand understand the workings of the Thai culture and Thai psyche. But since it appears that so many people are having trouble asking for directions (a problem everyone, especially men I have to admit, have everywhere in the world – see below) I thought that maybe a short primer on Thai direction words and phrases might help you get where you’re going.

For our purposes let’s say we are looking for วัดดอยคำ /wát doi kam/, Wat Doi Kham, “the temple on the golden hill”.

Asking for directions…

Note: They are often used with the Thai “be” word อยู่ /yùu/

Where: ที่ไหน /tîi-nǎi/

[See post to listen to audio]

วัดดอยคำอยู่ที่ไหน
wát doi kam yùu tîi-nǎi
Where is the Doi Kham Temple?

[See post to listen to audio]

Which way (direction): ตรงไหน /dtrong nǎi/

[See post to listen to audio]

วัดดอยคำอยู่ตรงไหน
wát doi kam yùu dtrong nǎi
Which way to Doi Kham Temple?

[See post to listen to audio]

Far: ไกล /glai/

[See post to listen to audio]

วัดดอยคำอยู่ไกลมั้ย
wát doi kam yùu glai mái
Is the Doi Kham Temple far (from here)?

[See post to listen to audio]

Close: ใกล้ glâi

[See post to listen to audio]

วัดดอยคำอยู่ใกล้มั้ย
wát doi kam yùu glâi mái
Is the Doi Kham Temple close (to here)?

[See post to listen to audio]

How far: ไกลเท่าไหร่ /glai tâo-rài/

[See post to listen to audio]

วัดดอยคำอยู่ไกลเท่าไหร่
wát doi kam yùu glai tâo-rài
How far is Doi Kham Temple (from here)?

[See post to listen to audio]

How many: กี่ /gèe/ (kilos – กิโล /gì-loh/); (meters – เมตร méet)

[See post to listen to audio]

วัดดอยคำอยู่กี่กิโล(จากที่นี่)
wát doi kam yùu gèe gì-loh (jàak têe-nêe)
How many kilos is Doi Kham Temple (from here)?

[See post to listen to audio]

How long (will it take to get there from here): เท่าไร /tâo-rai/

[See post to listen to audio]

จะใช้นานเท่าไร
jà chái naan tâo-rai
How long will it take (to get there)?

[See post to listen to audio]

Giving directions…

ตรงไป(ข้างหน้า)
dtrong bpai (kâang nâa)
Straight (ahead).

[See post to listen to audio]

เลี้ยวซ้าย
líeow sáai
Turn left.

[See post to listen to audio]

เลี้ยวขวา
líeow kwăa
Turn right.

[See post to listen to audio]

อยู่ 10 กิโลเมตรจากที่นี่
yòo 10 gì-loh méet jàak têe nêe
It’s (10 kilos) from here.

[See post to listen to audio]

อยู่ใกล้
yòo glâi
It is close.

[See post to listen to audio]

อยู่ไกล
yòo glai
It is far.

[See post to listen to audio]

อยู่ข้างๆ
yòo kâang-kâang
Next to.

[See post to listen to audio]

อยู่ข้างหลัง
yòo kâang lăng
Behind.

[See post to listen to audio]

อยู่ด้านหน้า
yòo dâan nâa
In front of.

[See post to listen to audio]

And when nothing else works I have often been the grateful recipient of a local person’s kind assistance.

ผมจะพาคุณไป
pǒm jà paa kun bpai
I will take you there.

[See post to listen to audio]

This just happened…

I was out trimming my Bougainvillea hedges when a car pulled up and a woman asked me for directions (so much for Thais not willing to ask for directions). She said

บ้านสัปเหร่ออยู่ที่ไหน
bâan sàp-bpà-rèr yùu tîi-nǎi
Where is the “sup-er-er’s” house?

[See post to listen to audio]

Now I knew I had heard the word สัปเหร่อ /sàp-bpà-rèr/ before and I remembered it had something to do with death. Since there was a crematorium just up the road I figured that was what she wanted so I smiled and being the helpful soul that I am I pointed out the crematorium and said

อยู่ที่นี่เอง
yùu tîi nîi eeng
It’s right here.

[See post to listen to audio]

แค่ร้อยเมตร
kâe rói méet
Only about 100 meters.

[See post to listen to audio]

อยู่ข้างขวา
yùu kâang-kwǎa
On the right.

[See post to listen to audio]

But as it turned out I was giving her completely wrong directions.

You see the common Thai word for “crematorium”, which is what was down the road, is สุสาน /sù-sǎan/ or ป่าช้า /bpàa-cháa/ which are words that originally meant cemetery but modern usage includes a place to cremate bodies. The sign in front of the one down our road uses the word สุสาน /sù-sǎan/.

crematorium: สุสาน /sù-sǎan/ or ป่าช้า /bpàa-cháa/

[See post to listen to audio]

But the woman had asked directions for บ้านสัปเหร่อ or the “undertaker’s house”. The word สัปเหร่อ /sàp-bpà-rèr/ means “undertaker’. Not the same thing.

undertaker’s house: บ้านสัปเหร่อ

[See post to listen to audio]

Right after she drove on I remembered all this. I was in the ballpark, I got the “death” thing right, but no cigar. As I saw her drive into the cemetery, and not the undertaker’s house where she really wanted to go, I slowly closed my gate and slunk back home so she wouldn’t see me. I know there is usually only one reason to look for บ้านสัปเหร่อ and I felt sorry for her. I hope she eventually found what she was looking for.

Here’s the audio files for the ‘Asking for Directions in Thailand’ post: download

Hugh Leong
Retire 2 Thailand
Retire 2 Thailand: Blog
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