Thai law prevents people from creating a surname that duplicates that of another family. Therefore, Thai citizens have been made to adopt surnames that are longer and more complex in order to keep them unique (e.g. SONJOHNKOKSOONG). It is very uncommon for non-related people to have the same family name.
The vast majority of Thai people have two names: their full, official name, and a nickname. Unlike in many countries, however, the nickname is chosen by the parents and given at birth, often before the official name has been chosen and registered!
A couple also has the right to use a different surname. Last names became legally required of Thai citizens in 1913 with the passing of the Surname Act 1913. Until then, most Thais used only a first or given name.
Other Answers (1) Khun+name is a polite way calling people. You might notice, children call their father Poh but make it polite they could add Khun before Poh. )+name is a polite way to call someone older.
The respect for elders within Thai culture is something that is lacking within Western culture. The proper term of address for anyone who is older is Pee (placed before their name), which literally translates as older brother or sister, and anyone younger is Nong, which translates as younger brother or sister.
Thai law prevents people from creating a surname that duplicates that of another family. Therefore, Thai citizens have been made to adopt surnames that are longer and more complex in order to keep them unique (e.g. SONJOHNKOKSOONG). It is very uncommon for non-related people to have the same family name.
The Structure of Thai Names. First of all, Thais have first names, last names, and nicknames. We do not have middle names. Our nicknames are usually westernized words and have zero relation to our first or last names.
Many Thai girls are named after cute or cuddly little animals or the sweetest fruits; names like Cat (Maew), Mouse (Noo), Deer (Kwang), Rabbit (Taay), Frog (Kop), Orange (Som), Pomelo (Som-O), Rose Apple (Chompoo), Marian Plum (Ma-prang), Watermelon (Taeng-mo), Grape (A-ngun).
Somchai (สมชาย)
If you look up any list of common Thai names for males, you will come across this one. That is because this is by far one of the most famous names for males in Thailand. You can see the prefix 'som' (สม) that we mentioned earlier here – in this case, together with the word 'chai' (ชาย) meaning male.
Other familial terms originate from the Teochew dialect, serving a constant reminder that many Thais are of Chinese descent. It's not uncommon to hear someone shout out hia (เฮีย or “older brother”) to a man who appears to be older or jay (เจ๊ or “older sister) to an apparently older woman.
Thai is considered a difficult language for English speakers to learn because it has significant linguistic differences. For example, Thai is a tonal language and uses a different writing system. But this doesn't mean that learning Thai is impossible.
It's the Thai equivalent of “LOL”; when you see “555” /hâa hâa hâa/ (ห้า ห้า ห้า) in Thailand it means “funny” and “laughing out loud”. Occasionally, we will add a plus sign to the fives in order to indicate that the laugh is longer than typed and express a higher level of amusement, e.g. “555555” or just “555+”.
In both a formal and informal situation, Thai people greet each other with the word 'sawadee' followed by 'kah' for females and 'kraap' (soft r) for males. It is normal to refer to someone of a perceived higher status by the title 'Khun' (Mr/Ms) followed by their first name.
1 – Sawasdee kha/khap: Hello in Thai
Women say 'Sawasdee kha', and men say 'Sawasdee khap'.
In Thai, the word nana (นานา) refers to many, multiple. It can also mean “meeting place”. Nana was also historically, the part of Bangkok where people met to discuss philosophical ideas. In modern times, the area is now where people meet to dine and socialize.
'Nok' means birds in Thai.
There are two ways that Thai people usually begin flirting with someone: 1) By asking if he or she is in a relationship. 2) By showing that they care about the person. Below are a few Thai phrases for flirting you can start practicing right away.
There are two types of kisses in Thailand: the traditional Thai sniff kiss and a kiss with the lips. A sniff kiss in Thailand is called hăwm (หอม) and a lips kiss jòop (จูบ). The traditional Thai word for kiss (hăwm) also means “pleasant smelling,” so it makes sense that this type of Thai kissing is a sniff kiss.
Although, there are exceptions from this rule as well. Second wives don't have a legal status in Thailand and bigamy is illegal, but they are not lovers either. It happens that mia noi is a woman that a man chooses to be with while he is still in a relationship with his first wife.
When addressing parents, you can use the word 'mae' (แม่) for mother/mom, and the word 'phaw' (พ่อ) for father/dad.
Although Thailand's capital is commonly known as Bangkok, in Thai it is often called Krung Thep. The full name is “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.”
The Tinglish (Thai-English) phrase 'same same, but different' means 'similar'. While its precise origins are largely unknown, it's likely that this construction originally appeared when Thais who were learning English tried to converse with visitors.