Do Thais swear?

[a447a]

I heard on the radio today that some pubs in England have banned swearing. Anyone who transgresses is kicked out, and some pubs even close down for the night!

 

So that got me thinking; are there any swear words (as opposed to slang for sex related activities) in Thai?

 

People are surprised when I tell them that Japanese doesn't have any equivalent for, say, "Fuck!" when you hit your thumb with a hammer. So naturally, there is no way to say 'It's fucking hot today" in Japanese. Or, "I couldn't give a fuck."

 

Are there any Thai speakers out there who can enlighten me?

[ChristianPFC]

Absolutely there are! Be glad you don't know and understand them, for me it's a turn off when I hear a boy who is cute swear.

 

The equivalent to "fuck!" would be ไอ้เหี้ย âi hîa or ไอ้สัส âi sàt (correct spelling would be ไอ้สัตว์), as far as I can tell.

[a447a]

What about adjectives, as in "I'm fucking tired."?

[kokopelli]

Isn't the above usage an adverb? 

[kokopelli]

Here are a few:

 

http://swearcentral.com/thai/

[Alexx]

I'm a bit baffled that this question is coming from a frequent visitor. Next question coming up: Do Thais breathe?

[a447a]

As someone who doesn't speak Thai, I could visit 10 times a year and still not understand what they are saying. Kindly explain the connection between hearing a language and understanding it.

 

Not all languages have swear words. I've already given you an example. Plus, some native speakers are reluctant to tell you.

 

"Isn't the above usage an adverb? "

 

You're right. it's not an adjective. My mistake.

 

And thanks, koko, for the link. Are these words used commonly, like we drop "fuck" all the time in English? Is it part of the Thai culture to swear?

[vinapu]

 

Not all languages have swear words. 

I feel sorry for those people

[kokopelli]

 

And thanks, koko, for the link. Are these words used commonly, like we drop "fuck" all the time in English? Is it part of the Thai culture to swear?

 Yes, I do believe they swear much as Westerners. I hear my bf say things in Thai, when driving his car, that are surely swear words.  I did use that list to ask him the correct pronunciation but he won't respond, only says "not nice".

[Alexx]

As someone who doesn't speak Thai, I could visit 10 times a year and still not understand what they are saying. Kindly explain the connection between hearing a language and understanding it.

Not all languages have swear words.

First of all, I very much doubt that there's any language that doesn't have any swear words or doesn't include the concept of swearing. I'm not qualified to comment on Japanese myself, but after a quick search I will say that there are websites out there that seem to be at odds with what you've told us. Have a look at http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/insults.html and maybe you can let us know if that's all bollocks.

 

Even when I didn't understand any Thai yet, I could often tell from the situation that someone was swearing. Context is everything, lots of communication is nonverbal as you know. My first Thai boyfriend, for example, used to call his younger brother a buffalo, and although I didn't know that word yet, there was no mistaking of their exchange.

[Guest samebb]

An English pub with no swearing is not an English pub... how dull. Political correct horse shit.

 

I know how to say a number of unpleasant words in Thai now. Good times.

[faranglaw]

The Talking Thai English Thai phrasebook by Benjawan Poomsan Becker is a good dictionary app at a very reasonable price, with lots of swear words, including an indication of just how bad they are, from mildly impolite to vulgar/don't ever use. It's a resource I use almost every day. (For translation purposes, not JUST for swearing!)

[Guest samebb]

Here are a few:

 

http://swearcentral.com/thai/

Funny list. A couple seem wrong. It says whore is Dok. My understanding is whore / bitch ect is Edok. Maybe it's both. I am no expert.

 

I get a kick out of listening to boys at the bars talk to each other, swearing and insulting bad farangs in the area and often other boys. It's a funny reminder that gay boys can be bitchy the world over.

[Londoner]

"Swearing" in English, refers most accurately to "taking the name of God in vain"....for Christ's sake, for God's sake and so on. Of course Thais have words for sex and bodily functions that are impolite but do they swear in the name of Buddha? I'd be surprised if they do. But then I'm often surprised by Thai culture.

[a447a]

First of all, I very much doubt that there's any language that doesn't have any swear words or doesn't include the concept of swearing. I'm not qualified to comment on Japanese myself, but after a quick search I will say that there are websites out there that seem to be at odds with what you've told us. Have a look at http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/insults.html and maybe you can let us know if that's all bollocks.

Even when I didn't understand any Thai yet, I could often tell from the situation that someone was swearing. Context is everything, lots of communication is nonverbal as you know. My first Thai boyfriend, for example, used to call his younger brother a buffalo, and although I didn't know that word yet, there was no mistaking of their exchange.

Many of those words are very much in use in Japanese, but only when you are having an argument. Others are just an impolite way of talking. E.g. "busu" is a not very nice way of describing an ugly girl, but it hardly classifies as swearing.

 

Also, that list contains many mis-translations. "Kono yarou!" simple means 'this guy", "chikusho" means "beast" not "Oh shit." There are lots more.

 

There's a big difference between socially unacceptable words and swearing /cursing.

 

So I ask the question again : Is there a way to say "it's fucking hot!"??

 

That's the kind of swearing I'm referring to. And that's the type of swearing that doesn't exist in Japanese.

[ChristianPFC]

As far as I can tell, the meaning of "fucking" as an adverb would be adding สัส sàt (deliberate misspelling of สัตว์ sàt which is a common language word for "animal" ) to the end of a word or sentence in Thai. One of my Thai friends on facebook swears a lot, I will read his posts looking out for "fucking" as adverb in Thai.

[rollingstone]

People are surprised when I tell them that Japanese doesn't have any equivalent for, say, "Fuck!" when you hit your thumb with a hammer. So naturally, there is no way to say 'It's fucking hot today" in Japanese. Or, "I couldn't give a fuck."

Yeah I am surprised. But surely Japanese do have some swear words? Can't believe Japanese is so 'civilized' and for so many years.

[a447a]

They have lots of sexually explicit words, but that's not swearing.

[kokopelli]

As far as I can tell, the meaning of "fucking" as an adverb would be adding สัส sàt (deliberate misspelling of สัตว์ sàt which is a common language word for "animal" ) to the end of a word or sentence in Thai. One of my Thai friends on facebook swears a lot, I will read his posts looking out for "fucking" as adverb in Thai.

It's fucking hot, as used by a447a would be an adjective, would it not? Here now in USA I hear the fuck word used in every conceivable manner; very fucking distressful. 55555

[a447a]

It's fucking hot, as used by a447a would be an adjective, would it not? Here now in USA I hear the fuck word used in every conceivable manner; very fucking distressful. 55555

An adjective? Hang on, isn't that what I originally wrote?

 

So it's not an adverb?

 

I'm so confused.

[santosh108]

For those interested in the variety of the use of the word fuck in English, check this out:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAvt9GwW-bo

 

Does Thai or any other languages have so much versatility with this one word?

[steveboy]

An adjective? Hang on, isn't that what I originally wrote?

 

So it's not an adverb?

 

I'm so confused.

 

It can also be a transitive form of the verb, like

 

"I am fucking <while being > tired after fucking ten boys in a row"

[kokopelli]

So am I.  

 

“Fuck” can be used as a verb, adverb, adjective, command, interjection, noun, and can logically be used as virtually any word in a sentence (e.g., “Fuck the fucking fuckers”). Moreover, it is one of the few words in the English language which could be applied as an infix (e.g., “Am I sexy? Absofuckinglutely!”; “Bullfuckingshit!”). It has various metaphorical meanings. The verb “to be fucked” can mean “to be cheated” (e.g., “I got fucked by a scam artist”), or alternatively, to be sexually penetrated. As a noun “a fuck” or “a fucker” may describe a contemptible person. “A fuck” may mean an act of copulation. The word can be used as an interjection, and its participle is sometimes used as a strong emphatic. The verb to fuck may be used transitively or intransitively, and it appears in compounds, including fuck off, fuck up, “fuck you”, and fuck with. In less explicit usages (but still regarded as vulgar), fuck or fuck with can mean to mess around, or to deal with unfairly or harshly. In a phrase such as “don’t give a fuck”, the word is the equivalent of “damn”, in the sense of something having little value. In “what the fuck!”, it serves merely as an intensive. If something is very abnormal or annoying “this is fucked up!” may be said.

Source

(Source: did-you-kno)

[a447a]

Speaking of "bad" words (not swear words) in one of my early group wanking sessions with my Japanese high school mates I was asked what the word for "masu" was in English. I didn't know.

 

It wasn't till years later that I discovered this most pleasant pastime was called "wanking" in English.

[ChristianPFC]

I read somewhere that fuck is the abbreviation of "fornication under the consent of the king", and in medieval times, married couples had a plate "fuck" hanging over their door (whereas unmarried people were not supposed to fornicate for religious and other reasons).