Would it be acceptable to you if people called you a “pig” or “buffalo”? I imagine you would not like it. However in Thailand these are common names and there are numerous others that appear strange to our taste. 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 memorize such a name.
This was not always the case. In earlier times names in Thailand used to be shorter and easier. 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 amount of syllables that a name can have. This prevented official business transactions from drowning in syllable quicksand. Thai law makes if fairly simple to change your name. Don’t like it, no problem, pick another one. A simple application will do it.
When someone gives me one of those complicated names, I just ask them for a shorter 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. You have Ms Pig, Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Dog, or Ms Bomb. Who comes up with such names? Here are some name stories of Thais whom I know personally.
Many nicknames are very descriptive. A female friend of mine is called “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. In Thailand “pig” is seen as a cute nickname. Of course if the girl decides one day that she does not like her nickname anymore, she can simply change it. The nickname of another acquaintance of mine is “dog”. As a young child he was very talkative and a little hyper active. 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. There is the story of a sickly boy who always had one health issue or another. 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 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 regarded as stupid and low brained. “Stupid like a buffalo” is a derogatory way to talk about someone.
Nicknames can be literally colorful. I have a friend whose name is “Green”. When she was born she had a slightly greenish skin tone and that is how she ended up with this nickname. 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 went to 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. When she woke up, she soon found out 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 going to receive something beautiful, and the pregnancy confirmed that.
Some nicknames are very creative, to the point of being quite strange. The son of one of my friends happened to be born during the war between Iran and Iraq. The Thai media was full of reports of 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. 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’). The latest trend is to use short western names like ‘Joy’ or ‘Cat’.
Some Thais do not use nicknames, but they are in the minority. In most informal situations Thais will only use their nicknames for introductions. Although some of these nicknames appear strange to us, we should count our blessings, since we would have a serious challenge trying to understand or remember those mile-long legal names which are so typical in Thailand.
