What does the term 'farang' mean and how is it perceived by different ethnicities in Thailand?

@Martin *********

Appreciate your lesson. You must be an out of work schoolteacher.

As to meanings of thai term: You say potatoe, I say.......

Make a fool out of yourself anytime your bravado surfaces..ok.

My Thai is fine however.

@Steve *********

and what you say now? Old, white man?

@Steve *********

you mean man farang. Very different in writing and pronouncing.

But maybe you believe Google translate more than me:

@Martin *********

I think Dr Seuse does. You appear a racist

@Martin *********

google covers all ends of knowlege spectrum. You ? Why would anyone believe you ?

@Martin *********

whats this ? a " my dogs bigger than......" Farang is not racial. However; you imply you are.

@Steve *********

so caucasian is not a race. Yeah man, you got it.

@William ****************

Yeah, the polarization in the US is unbelievable. I have felt many different things here and now it feels like home(been here most my life). Like I said, things change; I was on a pink cloud for 5-10 years then reality set in. Some say it is better for your sanity NOT to learn the language. If you are new and know your place, they tend to accept you more. Your place btw is not even on the bottom rung of the Thai hierarchical social ladder. Last week, I went to the bank to change my Nationality. When I got to the counter, I told the clerk that I wanted to change my nationality on my account. She was confused and asked her colleague in the adjoining booth. Then the customer there, an old Thai/Chinese woman, piped up that I could never become Thai. Her clerk agreed and then the customer in the booth 2 away shouted that farang can't change their nationality. The old woman started berating farang so I told her that I know many "Jek" who have become Thai, to which she replied that 'kon Jeen' can but they are still Chinese, farang can't and will always be farang. This is just one example of many over the years. What really annoys me is when Thais use the pronoun "มัน(mun)" when talking about farang. This is the pronoun used for dogs! Maybe you have heard the common saying - farang roo mak mai dee. What do you think this means?

@Steve ******

thats farang or guava

@Mike ********

yep, the nickname given to caucasians/white skinned people, ie farang.

@Andrew ********

sorry tagged you by mistake

@Marc *******

No probs

@Yeni ******

maybe they see you as white

@Yeni ******

I am mixed myself and I asked myself the same question many years ago.

@Steve ******

I know, but Thais use it too, esp to those who have lived abroad for some time. Don't mix it with farang kee NOK, which is an insult

@Tod ********

Why are you trolling. I knew it without checking, but I give you the wiki reference.

"During the Ayutthaya Kingdom period, the Iranian community in Thailand consisted primarily of merchants. They are recorded in some memoirs of their fellow merchants, the Dutch East India Company, as well as in the Safine-ye Solaymani ("Ship of Solayman"), an account of a Persian embassy to King Narai. Some descendants of Iranians from the Ayutthaya period converted to Buddhism, and continued to retain influence in Thai public life to the present day; one prominent example is the Bunnag family, whose ancestor "Shaykh Ahmad" is said to have come from Qom and arrived at Ayutthaya in 1602."

@RV ************

because you are a farang and you clearly look like one🤣

@Marc *******

right. Everyone call me Farang and I am American Latino. I don't look like a white guy. 🤣

@RV ************

but I agree as latino you are not a farang😉

@RV ************

well you look white to me on your pic. So when even me as a white guy myself see you as white then thai will certainly see you as farang🤷‍♂️😆

@Robert *******

my confusion is why anyone wanted to center POC who y’all are identifying as black or African within this conversation if you don’t identify as either ....why was that particular group of interest ?

@Essence ********

is a POC a farang? Can you answer that?

@Robert *******

Peace prosperity and abundance to you 🪴💐🌞✨

@Robert *******

not at all there is nothing wrong with being referred to as a Black Person or a Brown Person. If you don’t have a problem with being called a White Person then what is wrong with Black or Brown? Black is beautiful, Brown is beautiful and if it were offensive to you then you have some relearning to do. Also why the heck would people name a movement Black Lives Matter if it’s offensive!? It’s ok to be wrong. Nothing has ever impressed me more than a white person in all their white privilege admit they were wrong and learned something new. Khon dam literally translate to Black Person - if you think the term Black Person is derogatory you have a problem.

@Wanwisa **********

Not being white and having black British and black American friends we find it funny that some "ladies" will shag anything for money but discriminate against non white tourists when a lot of the white tourists are the absolute dregs of their societies.

@Andrew ********

kinda works both ways though. Guys who are routinely paying for sex because they can’t pull at home are generally the dregs of society no matter what colour..

@Tracy ************

thank you for popping up in my thread. I feel you have dived in on some of the hijacking where people have vented their perpetual victimhood and exercised there fake inclusive nature. The original post by me was to question if a black person is a farang that’s all. That’s the main topic of the original post ‘who is a farang?’ Before you try to educate me as some other seem to feel the need to let me explain that I lived in NW10 for 8 years, my ex-wife was Jamaican and her mum was a nurse for 43 years after arriving on the Windrush. I don’t need any education to tell you that foreign people here in Thailand are generally referred to in what you and I would consider unacceptable. I hope that helps.

@Andrew ********

I can't speak much for Thai women here as I myself am an outspoken, opinionated liberal Obama loving, American POC. I know for a fact, my super cute Thai babysitter prefers Latin men. 🤣

@Wanwisa **********

the problem which you constantly ignore is this. ‘A white person’ vs ‘The white person’.

@Robert *******

nope you are suggesting khon means “the" not what it literally means, it means "person". There is no argument in hell that could make "khon dam" out to be derogatory and if a Thai person wanted to be a racist jerk they would use a different term. Believe me I grew up with racist Thai immigrant parents in NYC - khon dam is NOT derogatory no matter how desperate you are to win this argument 😓

@Wanwisa **********

not suggesting any of the above or have any argument to win. 🤷‍♂️ the Thais have better pronouns to use should they wish to do so. They can also use a persons name if they care to learn it. Same same for people in the west.

@Robert *******

all I'm saying is, not ALL Thais are racist and the common word Khon Dam is a-ok and is what most people use. This group is really the last place to make an argument for political correctness anything 🤣 someone just tried to call me out on virtue signal - what in the actual f?

@Wanwisa **********

the n- word doesn't exist in the Thai language. Thai's refer to black, or brown persons as the dark, or black Falang ( farang). For Indians as guest.

@Edgar **************

you can add a derogatory term like "Ai" or "Ee" rather than use "khon" but yes there is no N word that is tied to salvery.

@Wanwisa **********

yes, correct.

Ai dam. Ive heard this too

@Edgar **************

yup my house growing up - in America, white supremacists and systematic racism perpetuated a war between Blacks and the model minority... Not proud that my parents used such derogatory terms (though not as bad as the N word by ANY means). I slipped and said it the other day and my 25 year old Thai nanny, eyes wide, corrected me like a proper woke millennial - it was a proud moment for me to see that the youth in Thailand are an inclusive and progressive bunch. I've never been so happy to be called out!

@Wanwisa **********

ROFL! you seriously think it's white people's fault that black people in the U.S. keep attacking Asians 5+

@Duncan ******

yes I do. Asians didn't invent the model minority. There is a lot you read up on. I also didn't say white people but white supremacy and systematic racism - those are very different than "white people." It's easy to be a cynic.

@Wanwisa **********

the real racist here is you because you presume that black people can't think for themselves or control their own actions. If I commit a crime it's on me, my decision as it on every single person who commits a crime. It might horrify you to learn that whitey is not to blame for a black person committing a crime - the person who commits the crime, irrespective of race is responsible for their own actions.

@Duncan ******

first off I never mentioned black crime but merely that my parents were somewhat racist because they were part of the Asian immigrant community that were fed stories to fear Blacks. They also liked reading conservative news papers like the New York Post... Which goes to show you who is in charge of making up narratives to pit race against race. I say nothing about Blacks and Blacks who commit crime or Black on Asian crime - you brought that up. I really don't give a flying f what you think of me 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Wanwisa **********

you're blaming white people for the attacks on Asians in the U.S. - horrible news for you that at least in the SF bay area they're black on Asian crimes and have NOTHING to do with white people. I would add that if it was white people attacking Asians I'd be just as angry about it as well. The attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee is one of the most appalling things I've ever watched a video of.

@Duncan ******

and what kind of special stupid are you - white supremacy and systematic racism is not the same at white people.

@Wanwisa **********

again- the real racist here is you. You blame whitey and "systematic racism" for black people attacking Asians when those who commit the awful crimes are the people you should be blaming.

@Duncan ******

first off it was TRUMP who was spewing all the Chinese virus and Kung flu crap (white supremacist) and second, do you even know who pushed the Thai man in SF?! Every news outlet I've read does not even mention the perpetrator's race! A LOT of the hate crime has been committed by Whites as well. It's racist to assume all the crimes were committed by Blacks! And I'm done with you because it's embarrassing how much time I'm wasting on you.

@Duncan ******

wtf dude you are bringing this crap up all on your own and I can believe in systematic racism and still think those attacks are f'd up. I'm from the Bay Area🙄

@Wanwisa **********

👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

@Edgar **************

no of course it does you replace khon (person) with a nasty pronoun is all

@Robert *******

who would say "the black?" And Thais don't speak that way either. It's the Black person.

@Robert *******

Blacks is a politically correct term not “the black” please don’t try to school an American POC on race and racism 🙄

@Wanwisa **********

what person of color have you personally spoken to that refers being called black as opposed to African American or simply just being called by their name

@Essence ********

I actually don't know! And I will ask! I am just simply stating that Black is not a derogatory term (just think about all the recent movements happening in liberal America). It also works with Brown and I refer to myself as a Brown person all the time. Obviously I would prefer my name but often times I do tell my children that I am proud to be brown and I love my skin color. How do you feel?

@Wanwisa **********

in Britain we refer to ourselves as Black as standard. I’ve always found it strange that White Americans are just called American even though they are not native and everyone else has to list their origin.

@Tracy ************

it hits a nerve that there are so many white dudes here bitching about being called farang and how that’s derogatory etc etc seriously, cry me a river 🙄

@Tracy ************

I always felt as an Asian American - the “Asian” always made me an other and someone who didn’t belong. There’s a whole Padma series on Netflix about the immigrant experience and food in American and there is always this sense of exploitation... White America wants your uniqueness, your flavors but you will always be an outsider. And that is why the “Asian” and “African” and “Latin” in front of America... just so you are always made aware that you don’t truly belong.

@Wanwisa **********

who is it that wants to make you feel you don’t truly belong? The Irish Americans? The Italian Americans? Jews? Polish American? Who are the Americans? (Serious question so don’t try to flame me)

@Robert *******

it’s systematic racism that constructs those names. A White person is not asked “where are you from?” ... they can offer up “Italian or polish or Irish American” if they want - there is no sense of other or not belonging. No one ever asks a white person their ethnicity the way POC are constantly asked. Oftentimes I simply say I’m American and get a “no really, what are you?” There is A LOT that can be said about all of this and if you actually want to know, you can google it. It is not POC’s responsibility to educate on micro aggressions or systematic racism. There is a lot of work written on it available and easily found when googled. Hope you are actually on a path of learning!

@Wanwisa **********

you just couldn’t help yourself could you? Also, you can’t answer the question can you? Despite all of your educated reading and googling? You are the defensive aggressive one. No wonder you have strange encounters.

@Robert *******

I did give you an answer and I guess you weren’t really asking because you cared to learn anything new. And I wasn’t trying to be rude in my answer either so you are actually the defensive one reading more into my words when they are very factual. Just trying to prove a point - what point, I don’t even know. The world is changing and people with your view point are dying out. In fact this whole thread started because you made a terrible comment suggesting that Thais are generally racist towards Blacks and that is just not true.

@Wanwisa **********

what is my view? What view have I expressed that is dying out? You are just firing random shots for some reason. If you are not prepared to expand on things you post then just say so. Don’t hide behind make believe articles you have read.

@Robert *******

the view of someone who thinks bringing up terms like “Italian, Irish etc American” is a good argument for why terms like “Asian American” and “African American” are not meant to exclude Blacks and POC. 🙄 I’ll also randomly take a shot and call you out on attacking me, a woman and decidedly staying quiet while Michael Thai has way harsher things to say to you. 🙄 you are a waste of my time - peace ✌️

@Wanwisa **********

not seen anything from that person yet?? I just asked who makes you feel excluded that’s all. I was waiting for your opinion on who is American but guess you are not interested in answering. You are getting desperate now and accusing me of all sorts of things so what’s with the ‘peace’? You sound confused so best left alone.

@Wanwisa **********

that is exactly my point if you follow the thread. Here is LOS one can be referred to personally by colour or race. By some this is seen as culture 🤷‍♂️ not me.

@May ***********************

yeah, many people think my kids are แขกขาว(Arabs)

@Chris ******

ORIGIN OF THE WORD "FARANG"

A wide-spread belief in Thailand is that the word "farang"

(Caucasian) is derived from the French word "francais". This

derivation is implausible on phonetic and historical grounds. It is in

fact a popular misconception. It is true, however, that these words

have the same ultimate source.

The word is attested in various forms in languages in Europe,

Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. It is clear

that the word orginated as "Frank" in Europe and spread eastwards

along Muslim trade routes.

Thai most likely borrowed the word from influential Muslim Persian

or Indian traders in the 17th century or even earlier. The Persian

word was "farangg". The term probably was used to refer to early

Portuguese traders and subsequently to all Europeans (ie.,

non-Muslims).

It is possible that the Thai word "farangset" ("French") is a blend

of the word "farang" and the French word "francais", ie., "farangset"

is actually derived from "farang", not vice versa. Certainly, the word

"farang" existed prior to, and independently of, "farangset".

@Daniel ***********

I’m learning thai and that where I got the word

Thanks for the real explanation

Great post

@Daniel ***********

thanks for sharing. Good stuff

@Daniel ***********

this is far more plausible

Much like how the fruit 'orange' acquired it's name in English from the Spanish merchantman.

@Robert *******

most thais call you by name to your face when they use Farang there talking to each other about you and if you actually new what they were saying you would probably be really upset I think your to sensitive to live in Thailand time for you to man up

@Bob *********

So you speak for ‘most Thais’? How do you know my experience? I don’t need to man up I just call them terms they don’t understand and definitely wouldn’t like if they understood. You sound ‘uneducated’ and if you don’t understand that then time for you to man up.

You wanna try that post again in english

@Cha****

?

I thought you weren't gonna post drunk anymore, what happened?

@Bob *********

you wouldn't call here a Khmer Rouge; (which in thai is เขมรแดง kà-měen dɛɛng Red Khmer)