How to Remember Thai Names

Have you known that “Siri”, the one who responds to you on your iPhone is Thai? Yes, it was invented by a Thai engineer, so he names it as one of the typical Thai names. I know it is complicated to pronounce and remember names that are not in your first language. But don’t worry! If you can pronounce Siri, you can pronounce any of the Thai names. In this article, I will walk you through a 360 degrees journey about the logic behind those complicated names, pronunciation, and some cool tips to remember them.

When Thai people are born, they will be given not only the first name and last name but also a nickname. The first name is always a name that has a deep meaning in which the parents want to represent their core values and beliefs. The last name is a unique family name that every single family in Thailand has on their own. It is rare to have two people from different families to have the same or a similar one. Both first and last names are mostly for verification. However, a Thai nickname which is what Thai people go by in their daily life is always a tricky one. Nicknames are what Thai people want to be called and it could be “any” words, again any words that sound cool, and sometimes have a meaning behind it.

Nevertheless, “meaning” in the Thai perspective that parents are trying to portray in their kid’s nickname is always different from the English perspective. We always ignore English meaning when we name someone. That is why the foreigner sometimes doesn’t understand why Thai people have odd nicknames. Name after the month that they were born is one of the typical names as we have, for example, May, June, or April. In Thai, it has no meaning when you pronounce it, but it is different when using it in English. Another example is my nickname. My family named me “Earth” because I am “the world” to them, but when foreigners heard my name, the meaning in English is just the planet Earth.  

Thai pronunciation is very unique. We have our own style of tone and accent. However, the best tip to read them is to break it down into syllables. For example, My name is Kasemsuk, just break it down to Ka-sem-suk. Nipitpon will be Ni-pit-pon, or Thanyatorn will be Than-ya-torn. By doing this, the Thai name will be easier to pronounce.

Some cool tips to remember nicknames

1. Repeat the name of that person until you remember

The easiest way to help remember a name is to find a way to repeat it right after you first learn it. You should find a chance in conversation to say their name. For example, when you want to remember your student’s name, Bank, you should say something like “Nice to meet you, Bank” or Good job Bank, you did great in the class today. 

2. Focus on a particular feature on their faces

There is research proving that some people remember things based on a picture. Pick the most distinguishing feature on your student’s face to remember with the name. The outstanding feature that you noticed will be the easiest for you to recall when meeting them again.

 3. Connect Thai name with English meaning

Even though Thai names are always an odd name in English, you can use this unique part to remember them. Trying to connect the meaning with each student and remembering their name based on English could be another trick to remember them faster.

 4. Practice makes perfect

Do not be shy to ask for clarification when you are not sure how to pronounce their names. The more you ask, the more chance your brain gets to absorb the pronunciation.

Even though Thai nicknames have odd meanings in English, their origin is always deep and have sweet meaning behind them, like my name :) I hope this article helps you know a little bit more about Thai names. I am sure reading and remembering Thai names will be just a piece of cake from now on.

Cheers~