Luckily Thai People Have Nicknames
Would it be okay with you if someone called you a “pig” or a “buffalo? I assume that you would not appreciate that. But in Thailand many people are called by these names and others which seem equally strange to us. Thai people have first names and surnames just like we do, but generally they contain so many syllables that it is a real challenge for just about any westerner to repeat or remember such a name.
This was not always the case. A few centuries ago Thais had much shorter and less convoluted names. Recently it has become fashionable to take on those monstrosities of names. The Thais actually had to come up with a law that limits the number of syllables that a name can have. Otherwise those enthusiastic name creators would have made any official business a syllable nightmare. It is quite easy to change your name in Thailand. Don’t like it, no problem, pick another one. It is a relatively simple procedure.
In Thailand you might plead “please, anything but your real name!” Luckily most Thais have nicknames which are the opposite of those never-ending legal names. In contrast they usually consist of only one syllable or letter. For simplicity’s sake Thais frequently use any one of the syllables of their real name as their nickname. You will find that some of those nicknames strike you as very unusual. There is Ms Pig, Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Dog, or Ms Bomb. How do they get names like that? I will tell you the real stories of several of my Thai friends.
Many nicknames are very descriptive. How about a girl whose name is “pig”? In western countries that would be very demeaning, but she was given that name since her baby fat reminded her adoring parents of a piglet. Thais think that this is a rather cute name. If one day the girl does not find her nickname appealing anymore, she will be able to change it at any time. Another acquaintance of mine is called “dog”. When he was a little boy, he was a real chatterbox to the point of grating on people’s nerves. His parents found that he resembled an excited puppy, so “dog” it was for him.
Some nicknames can have special meanings, and even magical powers. In one case a young boy was chronically weak and sickly. And so the villagers figured if they would call him “buffalo”, then the spirit of such a powerful animal would help him. 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 before you start calling people “buffalo”, be aware that this is also used as an insulting word. They are considered quite stupid animals. Unless a special context exists, calling people “buffalo” will get you into trouble very quickly.
Some nicknames literally add color to the concept. The nickname of another friend of mine is: “Green” . Her parents noticed a greenish complexion when she was born and therefore called her by that name. Today, 40 years later, she looks anything but green, however she still goes by the same name.
In many cultures dreams are taken seriously. In one case my Thai friend’s dream foretold an event. She was visiting a temple, and her sister in law who accompanied her was offered a beautiful stone by one of the monks. 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. In her mind the dream foretold the pregnancy and therefore she gave the baby the nickname of ‘precious stone’, Ploy. The gift of the stone symbolized that she was about to receive something beautiful, and the pregnancy confirmed that.
There are also some truly 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. Since she had not been able to decide on a good nickname for her newborn son, she just called him “bomb”.
Not all nicknames are that graphic. Many are just 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.
