The Thai Pirate's Top Ten Thai Words of the Month

This month: Driving

Driving in Thailand can be hard.... but when you don't have a clue what the hell anyone is talking about, it can be downright dangerous.

Thai 'navigators' are likely to tell you to make a left turn 3 seconds before you have to, and whilst driving at 100kph. This is normally amongst scores of other road jokers, cheerily pulling off moves that would make Mad Max cry like a little girl.

Shouted orders from the backseat are common. Although it may be pleasant to have no idea that your mother-in-law is telling everyone else in the car that you are an irresponsible maniac, knowledge is power, and any grasp on Thai driving lingo is a bonus.

A driver farang in Thailand normally has to make a transition, one from driving somewhere 'normal,' with 'normal' road regulations, to driving in a country where road regulations are 'a bit of a laugh.'

As Darwin said: 'it's evolve or die. Baby'.

So here are a few handy words and common phrases that can assist in your understanding, and possibly help you to survive the road in Thailand.

DONG BAI - Straight on
LIL SII - Turn left
LIL QWAH - Turn right

JIT SII - Keep left
JIT QWAH - Keep right

YUT RODT - Stop the car
CAB RODT - Drive the car

CHAH LUNG NOI - Slow down
LIL KUN EEEK - Speed up

DUM LUAT U KANG NA - Police ahead
POM MAI DAI TAM ARAI PIT - I did nothing wrong!
POM HI SAM LOY BAHT - Here is 300 baht
BLOY HI POM BAI TURK KUB - Can I go now

AO BUTT I HEAD - Accident
RODT TID MARG - Heavy traffic

DOD NI ROT MAI - Did you fart in the car?
KRII DOD NI ROT MAI - Who farted in the car?
BIRD KRA JOK - Open the window

KON KAB ROD GRUM LUNG BAH - The driver is a maniac (usually heard from the backseat)

Comments

[Talen]

DOD NI ROT MAI - Did you fart in the car?
KRII DOD NI ROT MAI - Who farted in the car?
BIRD KRA JOK - Open the window

These will definitely come in handy up country when Grandma is in the car.

Motorcy taxi drivers always laugh at me because as soon as I get on I say Cha Cha and usually don't stop until at my destination

[Ben Shingleton]

Very sensible Talen. And the 'Dod' lines are a winner with most Thai's I find!

[Samui Mostwanted]

I f you are trying to explain a taxidriver the destination
and he says that he might know it and afterwards scratches his head go out of the taxi and find another one.

[wotchit321]

For any english folks out there wondering about pronounciation
DOD NI ROT MAI
should be pronounced Dodney Rodney like Boycey out of 'Fools and Horses'.

[theoldman]

Please tell me that photo isn't the first of a pair of "before" and "after" shots ?

[oakley]

Good list of phrases. But as a Thai native speaker, I would like to suggest a few adjustments.

LEAW is to turn, not LII.

SAI is left, not SII.

CHA LONG NOI - not CHA LUNG NOI. LONG means down, essentially you're staying "slow down".

REW KUN EEK - Speed up. "Rew" is fast, not LIL.

SAM ROI Baht, not Sam Loi. ROI with the R is proper pronunciation of 100. A lot of people lost the rolling R these days.

Hope that helps!

[The Thai Pirate]

No theoldman, they are not before and after thank god! I just thought the second shot fitted more with the phrase...

Hi Oakley, thanks for this. The trouble I find with LEAW is people like me read it LAW, whenever I hear a Thai person say it it sounds more like LILLE as in the French city, but now I read your version I see what you mean. Also with ROI, non-Thai's will read it ROY, as 'ROY' of the Rovers. Whenever I hear it it always sounds more like LOY as in A-LLOY (wheels). But thanks for the corrections. I admit I asked Sutiya a couple of them and she kind of shouted them quickly across the room as I tapped them in :)

[The Thai Pirate]

Plus Oakleigh, re the 'rolling' R, you're quite right, this should be pointed out as the proper pronounciation.

[oakley]

No problem. I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to the rolling R. Drives me bonkers when I go to restaurants here in the US and the menu would say Kapao GAI instead of Kraprow Gai. The L is also losing a battle of the spoken words. Listen to people say PA instead of PLA for fish. *sigh* :-D

[Ben Shingleton]

Alas, I believe I am guilty.... :D But it's early days for me. And I always say PLA, so there is hope...

[Martyn]

Hello Ben I've got three days off work, the John Smiths Smooth is going to take a bit of a battering and so will my bank account. Looking at the top photo, reading your post and with a few memories of taxi rides out of Bangkok still fresh in my mind I assume the motorcycle rider in the photo is the one going the right way.

[Ben Shingleton]

:) That is entirely possible HD, as you well know....