Thai Language Thai Culture: Non-Synonymous Synonyms

Non-Synonymous Synonyms…

As often happens, a mistake I made in speaking Thai has led me to thinking about things to share with our readers. In this case it’s where a Thai word has a certain English translation in one situation, but another Thai word, often with the same English translation, needs to be used in different situation.

Case in point: The other day while I was out shopping a clerk was quite helpful, so when the bill came to 90 baht I gave her a 100 baht bill and wanted to say, “keep the change”.

Here is what I said: “ไม่ต้องคืนเงิน” /mâi dtông keun ngern/

I wanted to say “no need to return (the change)”. But as soon as I said it, and saw the expression on the clerk’s face, I knew I had made another of my infamous Spoken Thai blunders.

Here is the problem: The Thai word คืน /keun/ means “to return” (in that I am returning money I borrowed from you). So I told the clerk, “you don’t have to return my money.” She was probably wondering when I had lent her any money.

What I should have used was: ทอน /​ton/, which means to “return” (money, as in change – like, I give you 100 baht for a 90 baht bill and the “change” or เงินทอน /ngern ​ton/ is 10 baht).

So, I should have said: ไม่ต้องทอนเงิน” /mâi dtông ton ngern/, which means, “no need to return the change”. Or more loosely translated, “keep the change”.

I know, it’s a little thing but many of the blank expressions we receive come from saying the wrong thing in Thai. Inexperienced learners of Thai think it is because Thais don’t want us to learn Thai, which is ludicrous. Usually, and in my case almost always, it is because I have said something incomprehensible.

Here are more Thai words that can be translated as synonymous but will get us blank expressions if we don’t use them in the correct context.

Steal, Rob, Hold up, Cheat, Break into…

There are lots of words for thievery, or the breaking of the second Buddhist precept. Some of these are interchangeable and some are quite specific in how they are used.

ขโมย /kà~​moi/ – thief (n); to steal (v)

คนขโมยมอเตอร์ไซค์ /kon kà~​moi mor-​dter-​sai/
Someone stole my motorcycle.

คอมโดนขโมย /kom dohn kà~​moi/
The computer was stolen.

เขาเป็นขโมย /kǎo bpen kà~​moi/
He’s a thief.

จี้ /jêe/ – to rob

เขาโดนจี้ที่ถนน /kǎo dohn jêe têe tà~​nǒn/
He was robbed on the street (mugged).

ปล้น /bplôn/ – hold up; plunder

โจรปล้นธนาคาร /john bplôn tá~​naa-​kaan/
The thief held up (robbed) the bank.

โกง /gohng/ – defraud, cheat, swindle

พี่เขยโกงเงินผม /pêe-​kǒie gohng ngern pǒm/
My brother-in-law cheated (swindled) me out of my money.

งัด /ngát/ – break in (force or break open)

บ้านโดนงัด /bâan dohn ngát/
The house was broken into.

Doctor words…

Thai is full of words that are specific to the people we are talking to (peers, elders, juniors, etc.). There are some words we should have at the ready when we are going to talk to a doctor to explain specific symptoms. They may or may not be the same words we use with our drinking buddies.

Head
Common word: หัว /hǔa/; headache – ปวดหัว /bpùat-​hǔa/
Doctor word: ศีรษะ ​/sěe-​sà/; headache – ปวดศีรษะ /bpùat-​sěe-​sà/

Buttocks (bottom, butt)
Common word: ก้น /gôn/; My butt hurts. – ปวดก้น /bpùat gôn/
Doctor word: ตะโพก /dtà~​pôhk/; I have a pain in my bottom. – ปวดตะโพก /bpùat dtà~​pôhk/

Urinate (Note: There are many, many words for this in Thai. The most polite are used here).
Common word: ฉี่ /chèe/; Urin – น้ำฉี่ /náam chèe/; Trouble peeing – มีปัญหาฉี่ /mee bpan-​hǎa chèe/
Doctor word: ปัสสาวะ /bpàt-​sǎa~​wá/; Urin – น้ำปัสสาวะ/náam bpàt-​sǎa~​wá/; Trouble urinating – มีปัญหาปัสสาวะ /mee bpan-​hǎa bpàt-​sǎa~​wá/

Blood
Common word: เลือด /lêuat/; Blood pressure – ความดันเลือด /kwaam-​dan-​lêuat/
Doctor word: โลหิต /loh-​hìt/; Blood pressure – ความดันโลหิต /kwaam-​dan-​loh-​hìt/

To return…

As illustrated above there are lots of words that mean “return”.

กลับคืน /​glàp-​keun/ – to return (turn back, come back)
กลับมา /​glàp-​maa/ – to return (from somewhere)
ผลตอบแทน /pǒn-​dtòp-​taen/ – a return (on an investment); yield
ผลกำไร /pǒn-​gam-​rai/ – profitable return
คืน /keun/ – to return (give something back)
ทอนเงิน /ton ngern/ – to return money (to give change)

Change (exchange)…

And “change” has many Thai translations too.

เปลี่ยนแปลง /bplìan-​bplaeng/ – to change (an action, do something differently)
แลกเปลี่ยน /lâek-​bplìan/ – to exchange something (with)
อัตราแลกเปลี่ยน /àt-​dtraa-​lâek-​bplìan/ – exchange rate (foreign exchange)
แบ็งค์ย่อย /báeng-​yôi/ – change (as in small bank notes)
เงินทอน /ngern-​ton/ – change (money returned)

Hugh Leong
Retire 2 Thailand
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