Would you mind being called a “pig” or perhaps a “buffalo”? I assume that you would not appreciate that. However in Thailand these are common names and there are numerous 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.
It was not always like that. A few centuries ago Thais had much shorter and less convoluted names. It is a fairly recent phenomenon that those never-ending names have been in vogue. This trend compelled the Thai government to put legal limits on the number of syllables that a name can have. This prevented official business transactions from drowning in syllable quicksand. It is quite easy to change your name in Thailand. Your name does not fit you - just select one you like better. It is a fairly simple process.
In Thailand you might plead "please, anything but your real name!" Nicknames to the rescue! Fortunately most Thais have one. They are mostly only one syllable long and sometimes only one 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. There is Ms Pig, Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Dog, or Ms Bomb. Who comes up with such 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 impossible, but in this instance her parents looked at her baby fat and decided that she resembled a cute baby pig, hence the name. In Thailand "pig" is seen as a cute nickname. If one day the girl does not find her nickname appealing anymore, she will be able to change it at any time. Then I have a friend whose name is "dog". As a small kid he was constantly peppering everyone with questions and interrupting conversations. That reminded his family and friends of the yapping of a dog, so ‘dog’ became his nickname.
Some nicknames can have special meanings, or even magical powers. One man was always sickly as a boy and could never shake his various illnesses. So the folks in his village decided to call him buffalo, which is a powerful animal. There is even a saying ’strong as a buffalo’. In his case it worked, the constant illnesses 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. “Stupid like a buffalo” is a derogatory way to talk about someone.
Some nicknames literally add color to the concept. I have a friend whose name is "Green". She ended up with this name since as a baby she supposedly had a greenish complexion, and that became her name. Now, 40 years later, she definitely lost her greenish complexion but not her nickname.
In many cultures dreams are taken seriously. A good Thai friend of mine once had a dream. 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. She declined the gift and requested that the monk give it to her friend who was very happy to receive it. The day after the dream she realized that she was pregnant. So she named the baby girl “Ploy”, the Thai name for ‘precious stone’. 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.
Thais know no limits when it comes to creative nicknames. 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. In the absence of a better idea she ended up calling her son "bomb".
Not all nicknames are that graphic. Some are merely single letters like O (pronounced Oh) , E (sounds more like the English pronunciation of ‘A’), B (pronounced ‘bee’) or D (pronounced ‘dee’). One-syllable western names like 'Cat' or 'Joy' are all the rage nowadays.
Some Thais do not use nicknames, but they are a minority. In most cases Thais will introduce themselves by their nicknames. You might find some of those nicknames strange, but they save us from having to repeat or remember those monstrosities of legal names which are so fashionable in Thailand.
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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