Farang.

[Admin_2]

Ok, let's get it going.

What does Farang mean to you?

A journal was posted about this recently, and I really believe that farang is completely neutral term.

Before I dive into this myself, how do you feel about the term and what do you believe the term "farang" means?

[missjira]

Farang is '' white'' people to me

thats it

[Admin_2]

Farang is '' white'' people to me

thats it

Even those Chiang Mai white people?

jk

[English_Bob]

Just white folks... no negative connotation unless paired with 'kee nok' etc

'kairk' on the other hand means 'guest', but it's also the word used to describe Indians, Arabs, Pakistanis and all those other dark skinned visitors.... that always feels pretty negative.

[Stramash]

as the word was probably brought to South and East Asia by Arabain traders, and there initially meant the Portuguese but later came to mean all White people and not just Western Europeans, I don't really think it is a negative expression. As with many words, it is how it is expressed than the actual word itself. From what I have read, in Thai it actually means 'white Europeans', which then raises the question what about white Americans, Aussies, Kiwis etc?

The similarities aross the world in the word used for Whites/White Europeans is startling;

In Arabic it is firinji,

Greek, frangos (meant Franks or Latin Catholics)

Turkish, ifrangi

Syriac, frang

Persian, ferang

Hindi, farenghi

Tamil, farengi

Malayalam, farangi

Cambodian Khmer - barang

Vietnamese - pha-rang

You can almost trace the development of the word from the Crusades on, as Frankish and other Europeans moved East, and as Arabian traders also moved East into Asia.

[Admin_2]

Where is twice_shy and digicat?

I need some opposing views here

[Stramash]

Where is twice_shy and digicat?

I need some opposing views here

but surely you started the forum thread to give credence to your supposition that the word was a neutral one, and dependant on how it was used could be either positive or negative.

feck me, you'd start and argument with yourself in an empty room...

[narak_mai]

I regard myself as a farang, and see no negative side to it. I guess if someone says it with attitude then it could carry offense, but that can apply to any other term.

My thai language teachers used the term, and it's in my thai dictionaries.

Should be more concerned when someone you don't know addresses you using gare, mung, I(name) or E(name)

[Katoom]

The same question could easily be asked in reference to 'gwielo' in Cantonese language.

To me it is neutral yet many locals I know often ask if I mind them refering to us as gwielo.

I have no feeling either way, farang or gwielo...

[PeeMarc]

The same question could easily be asked in reference to 'gwielo' in Cantonese language.

To me it is neutral yet many locals I know often ask if I mind them refering to us as gwielo.

I have no feeling either way, farang or gwielo...

the original gwelo comes from "white ghost" but I dont think anyone in Hongkong thinks this way anymore... like ang mo..."red hair" was once for the ginger haired soldiers and missionaries in china and Malaysia etc.

These days I think many these terms have somehow lost their original meaning as they become as generic as cornflakes and hoover (still waht a lot of english call vacuuming).

[maidai]

i always thougt Farang ment French, since Muang Farang means Country of France.

I saw it as a negative term, kinda like Khamen for Cambodians, Jek for Chinese, Geow for Vietnamese, and of course Farang for White ppl

when refering to white ppl in a more proper many, I go with Kon Kao, or just Kon with what ever nationality they are if it is known at the end.

[Stramash]

i always thougt Farang ment French, since Muang Farang means Country of France.

I saw it as a negative term, kinda like Khamen for Cambodians, Jek for Chinese, Geow for Vietnamese, and of course Farang for White ppl

when refering to white ppl in a more proper many, I go with Kon Kao, or just Kon what ever nationality they are if it is known.

can see where you get that from, but the original Arabic term was for Franks, but was often used to describe all Europeans. Just to confuse matters further, the Franks were actually a Germanic people!!!

[Admin_2]

Where is twice_shy and digicat?

I need some opposing views here

but surely you started the forum thread to give credence to your supposition that the word was a neutral one, and dependant on how it was used could be either positive or negative.

feck me, you'd start and argument with yourself in an empty room...

No, my friend! This started from a journal where those two guys completely disagreed with me. I felt like I was taking crazy pills (more than usual at least)!

[Neo]

i always thougt Farang ment French, since Muang Farang means Country of France.

huh? isn't that Muang Farangset? :eh:

[MichaelMyers]

The similarities aross the world in the word used for Whites/White Europeans is startling;

Turkish, ifrangi

You can almost trace the development of the word from the Crusades on, as Frankish and other Europeans moved East, and as Arabian traders also moved East into Asia.

As a Turk, i can say we don't have the word "ifrangi" in our language.We have "frenk" and its used for people from western europe, especially french.We also have the word "frengi" it means syphilis, because its also known as the "french disease"

[Treborz]

The same question could easily be asked in reference to 'gwielo' in Cantonese language.

To me it is neutral yet many locals I know often ask if I mind them refering to us as gwielo.

I have no feeling either way, farang or gwielo...

the original gwelo comes from "white ghost" but I dont think anyone in Hongkong thinks this way anymore... like ang mo..."red hair" was once for the ginger haired soldiers and missionaries in china and Malaysia etc.

These days I think many these terms have somehow lost their original meaning as they become as generic as cornflakes and hoover (still waht a lot of english call vacuuming).

So i guess i'm an ang mo farang :?

[Crustyjuggler]

the original gwelo comes from "white ghost" but I dont think anyone in Hongkong thinks this way anymore...

you mean anyone under 40

[digitalcat]

To me the F word is the same as the N word for African Americans.

The term in itself is harmless but to me it means:

It's that person from that place... whether it be Ukraine, Spain, Israel or America.

Its closely associated with:

1 sex tourist.

2 that drunk white guy at kaw-sarn

3 walking atm that you try to sell a 300 baht shoe for 900.

There are words in Thai for Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and any of the asian countries.

Whenever I hear it, its just used to describe an inanimate object that has the potential for profit. If you want to refer to me call me Kon Russian, or Kon Americaaaa. Or Vee.

You may find this odd, but I grew up in an asian neighborhood... and the Koreans would get very offended if you called them Chinese... much more so if you called them a gook.

Me and my friend have been have a lot of fun making our own versions of slang using the word Farng.

Yo my farang hows it hanging? Me and this ill farang John-Noi were hanging and this other shady farang from soi ha comes around and tries to sell us some O. I told that raggady ass farang to go screw a katoy...

[pandorea]

i always thougt Farang ment French, since Muang Farang means Country of France.

huh? isn't that Muang Farangset? :eh:

You're right Neo. Muang Farangset = France. Muang Farang could mean any country from USA to England.

[condotown]

As long as they keep treating me so well, I don't mind what Thais call me.

[SweetieBabie]

To me the F word is the same as the N word for African Americans.

The term in itself is harmless but to me it means:

It's that person from that place... whether it be Ukraine, Spain, Israel or America.

Its closely associated with:

1 sex tourist.

2 that drunk white guy at kaw-sarn

3 walking atm that you try to sell a 300 baht shoe for 900.

There are words in Thai for Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and any of the asian terms.

Disagree.

It is nothing like N word for Black, G word for Korean or K word for jews.

Farang is only just a word, using to represent Caucasians or if you look like one, without any negative connotation. It is not name calling.

BUT When you add adjective to the word, meaning change, like Kee-nok (adj.) <bird ****> then it becomes condescending. Jai-dee (adj) <kind heart> it becomes complimenting.

I hope that makes sense, Don't read to much into it na ka.

[LasseDK]

I dont know enough about it yet, but has been told numorous times that its not negative, thats just what we are called.

But my impression of the word is negative, i cant help to think that its as DigitalCat said, similar to the "N" word in USA even though its said with a huge smile.

Not that i get offended by it, but gut-feeling is just that its not good, and that it basically means im stupid or something.

[bobbyboy112003]

I don't mind one way or the other really.

What I have always wondered about is where does the "White" people come in? I mean, isn't a black person from say England or Germany etc a Farang too?

Or is there a different term for that?

[pandorea]

Farang is a neutral word. The word farang? also add after some other word, such as Potatoes = Maan farang, chewing gum = maak farang.

As long as we don?t call you ?Farang kee nok? you shouldn?t be offended.

[pandorea]

I don't mind one way or the other really.

What I have always wondered about is where does the "White" people come in? I mean, isn't a black person from say England or Germany etc a Farang too?

Or is there a different term for that?

Yes, a black person from England or Germany is a Farang too. We add the word, Dum at the end. They will be Farang Dum. The words are neutral also. Nothing racism in it.