4. Outline
The Place
The people
Brief history
The names:
Bangkok and the
people
Thai Views
Thailand dos’
and don’ts
Thai language
Lessons
5. I hate Thailand
What do you think about Thailand?
An amazing Country?
Food?
Attractions?
Shopping Paradise?
Watch!
6. The most beautiful thing in Thailand is the
Thai people
น่ารัก
Narak = lovely =
cute= nice
7. Area: 514,000 sq km
Population: 60 millions (6-8
in Bangkok!)
Ethnic groups:Thai 75%,
Chinese 14%, other 11%
Religions:Buddhism 95%,
Muslim 3.8%, Christianity
0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%, other
0.6% (1991)
Languages:Thai, English
(secondary language of the
elite), ethnic and regional
dialects
Literacy:93.8%
Prime Minister: Thaksin
10. Central: fertile basin of the Chao Phraya River
North: mountainous, hill tribes
independent kingdoms in the past (ex: Sukhothai,
Chiangmai)
Northeast (Isan) :the Korat Plateau
• arid region , harsh climatic conditions often result in
this region being subjected to floods and droughts.
• evidence of Vietnamese and Khmer influences (Khmer
temples dating back to c. 12)
• Recent excavations suggest flourishing Bronze Age
civilisation, some 5,000 years ago (ex: Ban Chiang in
Udonthani)
South: once a part of Srivijaya Empire
11. The People
settlement and cohabitation of diverse
ethnic groups in the Chao Phya basin
(past, present):
Dvaravati (Mon speaking) c.6- c. 12
Khmer c.11-c. 19
Thai c. 13 on
Thai: Tai speaking group
◦ ethnic, cultural, linguistic group spread from
southern China to northeastern India and most
of the peninsula.
12.
13. Thai script
◦ devised by King Ramkhamhaeng in 1283
(based on "Grantha", an ancient Brahmi script
of South India)
◦ first appeared on stone inscription
14.
15. Brief History
Sukhothai: first established Thai Kingdom
in c. 13 (1253-1350)
◦ paternal monarchy in accordance with Buddhist
political philosophy
◦ King as protector and promoter of Buddhism
◦ King Luthai compiled: Traiphumikatha (Three
Worlds)- Buddhist cosmology in 1345
16.
17. Brief History (2)
Ayuthaya (1350-1767) 417 years
◦ adopted Khmer administration model
influenced by Brahminism and Hinduism
◦ King as "deva raja" (God King)
◦ "sakdina system": social stratification system,
everyone assigned a numerical ranking
◦ international trade, contacts with western
traders, establish relations with western
nations.
King Narai (1656-1688)
◦ expansion of territory
20. The full Name of Bangkok
At present, Thais will never call their
capital city Bangkok
Instead in Thai it is known as Krung Thep
(กรุงเทพ), which roughly translates to 'City of
Angels'.
Bangkok (translating as 'village of wild
plums') was the original site for the
capital city and was located west of the
Chao Phraya river (in modern day
Thonburi).
21. The full Name of Bangkok
In the official English romanisation, this is
certified as the longest place name in the
world in the Guinness book of records. It's
pronounced something like:
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin
Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop
Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom
Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman
Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam
Prasit
22. Thai People’s Names
Thai names, both given name and family,
are often long and there are a great many
of them. The diversity of family names is
because they are required to be unique to
a family, and they are a recent
introduction.
23. Chanpreeya (my first name)
Meaning
Daughter of the Moon
Therefore, Thais may address each other
by nicknames. Informal names are usually
awarded at birth.
24. Thai world views
shaped by ("popular") Buddhism
(Theravada/Hinayana)+ animistic +
Brahminism/Hinduism
◦ the law of "karma" (volitional acts)
every action has consequences
state of one's existence now is an outcome of one's
"karma" (deed) in the previous life
◦ cycles of rebirths, reincarnations
◦ uncertainty and transiency of all things
◦ tolerance, accepting fate ( "plong")
◦ belief of supernatural powers
28. Thailand Do’s and Don’ts
Do respect all Buddha images. Buddha images are held sacred and
sacrilegious acts are punishable by imprisonment even if committed by
foreign visitors.
Do dress properly when visiting a temple.
Do remove your shoes before entering a temple, somebody’s house and
even some shops.
Do treat monks/elders/professors with respect.
Do eat with a spoon and a fork. Use the fork to load food on to the
spoon.
Do try and learn a few basic phrases in Thai, like ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’.
Do smile a lot.
29. Thailand Do’s and Don’ts
Don’t place your feet on the table while
sitting, don’t point to anything with your feet
and don’t touch anybody with your feet
Don’t touch the thais’ heads Unless you’re
in a very close relationship with someone or
are with a child, you shouldn’t be touching or
putting things over people’s heads. The head
is considered the cleanest and most holy part
of the body, so touching someone’s head is
seen as disrespectful and will make Thais
uncomfortable.
30. Thai Phrases (P.6)
Hello Thank you
Sa wat dii + kha
(female)
Sa wat dii + khrap
(male)
Kob Khun + kha
Kob Khun + khrap
31. Pai Nai
When certain Thai phrases are translated into English
they can lose something in translation and in their
English form may appear abrupt or impolite. One
example is the Thai phrase ‘pai nai’ which is a form
of greeting used in everyday speech between Thai
people. Saying ‘pai nai’ when you see someone you
know on the street is just a social pleasantry along
the lines of saying, ‘how are you?,’ ‘how’s it going?’ or
‘what are you up to?’.
A direct translation of ‘pai nai’ is ‘where are you
going?’ (pai=go nai=where) to which the typical
response would be ‘pai thiao’ which is similar to
saying ‘out and about’ or ‘going for a stroll’.
32. Pai Nai
A direct translation of ‘pai nai’ is ‘where
are you going?’ (pai=go nai=where) to
which the typical response would be ‘pai
thiao’ which is similar to saying ‘out and
about’ or ‘going for a stroll’.
33. With this in mind, don’t be surprised if a
Thai person asks , ‘where you go?’ Because
Thai grammar and sentence construction is
so different to English, the question will
normally be asked in the abbreviated form
of ‘where you go’ instead of ‘where are you
going’.
You might be thinking, ‘none of your
business’, but the person asking isn’t trying
to be nosy (not usually anyway). They’re
just trying to put into English the Thai
greeting ‘pai nai’.
34. Pai Nai
The answer you give doesn’t really matter as
such because the person asking is just
engaging in a bit of polite small talk. Feel
free to tell the person inquiring that you are
off to get some food, go shopping or
sightseeing. You could try saying ‘nowhere
special’ which may get you a blank look, but
if you can pronounce ‘pai thiao’ correctly
you will be rewarded with smiles of
appreciation especially if you remember to
add khrap or kha to make it even more
polite.
35. Practice Dialogue 1 P.8
Dialogue 1
A: Sa wat dii kha/Khrap
B: Sa wat dii kha/Khrap
A: Pai Nai kha?
B: pai thiao Khrap
36. Thai Small Talk
What is your name?
(Khun cheu arai?) P.10
How old are you?
(Aayuu thao rai?)
Where are you from?
(Maa jaak thii nai?)
Are you married? Do you have girlfriend or
boyfriend?
(Taeng ngaan laew reu yang?)(Mee Fan Mai?)
How long have you been in Thailand? (Yuu
muang Thai maa naan laew reu yang?)
48. Mai pen rai = Kreng jai
Mai
pen
rai
You’re welcome
Never mind,
don’t worry
about it
It’s OK, it’s up to
you
No, thank you
49. Kreng jai
The use of mai pen rai is part of ‘Thainess’.
It’s part of the very fabric of Thai society and
goes beyond direct translation of the words.
In Thailand, there is a tendency to not always
give a straight answer to a straight question
in case other people’s feelings are hurt.
Similarly, many Thais don’t want to cause
trouble or inconvenience to other people
because of the Thai concept of kreng jai. The
idea of kreng jai also helps to explain some
of the reasons why mai pen rai may be given
as a response.
50. Land of Smiles
Thailand is famously known as the ‘Land
of Smiles’, and for good reason. But a
Thai smile does not automatically mean
that the person is happy. This can lead to
misunderstandings between Westerners
and Thais
51. Land of Smiles
Living in Thailand I have since witnessed many
occasions where British people, Germans, Australians
etc. have misinterpreted the Thai smile as a sign that
they are being mocked. In Thailand, the smile isn’t
just a sign of happiness. Thais smile when they are
amused, bemused, apologetic, annoyed, uncertain,
wrong, furious or embarrassed. In fact, there is a
Thai smile to cover just about every circumstance and
it is no wonder that it can lead to confusion. It is
common for Thai television to show pictures of
criminals in handcuffs being taken back to the scene
of their crime where they are photographed and
filmed. Not only do the policemen smile, but so too
do the criminals! Believe me, they are not smiling at
the thought of spending the next ten years of their
life in a Thai prison.
52. Land of Smiles
Very often though, the Thai smile is a
welcoming one. There is a definite
attitude in Thailand that life should be
enjoyed. Being too serious is unhealthy
and causes stress and illness – ‘do not
think too much, be happy’ Thai people
always say to friends and colleagues.
54. Enjoy your stay in Bangkok
Bangkok. A city that never sleeps. Not a
single minute.
And when you visit Bangkok it is
really easy to not sleep as well.
In the streets there will always be people,
every night of the week there are
markets, street food on every corner,
temples to explore and so much more.
It’s exotic, vibrant, chic and crazy.
55. Enjoy your stay in Bangkok
The Grand Palace and the Emerald Budha
Wat Pho
Asiatique the RiverFront
China Town
Chatuchak Weekend Market
