Would it be okay with you if someone called you a "pig" or a "buffalo? I didn’t think so. However in Thailand these are common names and there are many 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 is a somewhat recent phenomenon. A few generations ago Thai names were much shorter and simpler. It is a fairly recent phenomenon that those never-ending names are in vogue. This went so far that the Thais felt compelled to pass a law that limits how many syllables names can contain. Otherwise those enthusiastic name creators would have made any official business a syllable nightmare. Thai law makes if fairly simple to change your name. Don't like your name, just change it. It is a fairly simple process.
When someone gives me one of those complicated names, I just ask them for a shorter name. Fortunately most Thais use abbreviations of their real name or nicknames which are at the other end of the spectrum of the multi syllable confusion. They are refreshingly short, generally only one syllable and often just a single letter. For simplicity's sake Thais frequently use any one of the syllables of their real name as their nickname. Some nicknames appear quite strange to us. You have Ms Pig, Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Dog, or Ms Bomb. How do they invent some of those names? Here are the actual stories of friends of mine here in Thailand.
Some nicknames are highly descriptive. A female friend of mine is called "pig". In the west such a name would be unthinkable, but in this case her parents looked at her baby fat and decided that she resembled a cute baby pig, hence the name. Thais believe that this is a rather cute name. If at some point the girl does not find her nickname appealing anymore, she will be able to change it at any time. 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 Thais believe that nicknames can have special powers. One man was always sickly as a boy and could never shake his various ailments. The people of his village thought that the name "buffalo", a powerful animal, would help him counteract his weak condition. There is even a saying ’strong as a buffalo’. In his case it worked, the constant ailments vanished and he lived up to his name. But you need to be aware that "buffalo" is often used as an insult in Thailand. Buffaloes are seen as very stupid animals. Unless there is a special context, calling people "buffalo" will get you into trouble very quickly.
Nicknames can be literally colorful. One of my friend's nickname is "Green". She ended up with this name since as a baby she supposedly had a greenish complexion, and this became her name. 40 years down the line her skin looks perfectly normal, but she is still Miss Green.
Non-western cultures often place more importance on dreams than we do. In one case my Thai friend's dream foretold an event. She visited a temple with her sister in law and a monk wanted to give a large beautiful precious stone to her sister in law. But she did not want it and told the monk to give it to her friend instead who accepted it gratefully. Then she awoke from the dream and discovered that she was pregnant. She was convinced that the dream had told her that she would have a baby and so she called it Ploy, which means 'precious stone' in Thai. 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.
Some nicknames are very creative, to the point of being quite strange. The same woman has a son who was born during the Iran-Iraq war. The Thai news agencies published regular stories about all the shooting and bombing. She had been trying to find 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.
Some Thais use their legal first names, but the majority have nicknames. 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 that the Thais like so much.
Author Resource:-
For more information about living and traveling in Thailand please visit
www.shamakern.com
The author is an expat who lives permanently in Thailand. He writes entertaining and informative stories about a fascinating country.
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