- Nearly every Thai person has a nickname, usually one short syllable, and it's the name people actually use.
- Nicknames are separate from official names. Someone called Ploy can have a long formal name with no link to it.
- They can be animals, fruit, colours, sizes, English words or almost anything else. หมู (pig), Bank and Ice are all normal.
- Use nicknames with พี่ or น้อง: พี่ต้น for someone older, น้องเมย์ for someone younger.
- If a Thai person introduces themselves by their nickname, use it. That's what it's for.
The short answer
A Thai nickname, ชื่อเล่นchʉ̂ʉ-lên, literally "play name", is a short name that parents give a child, often before the official name is even registered. Family, friends, classmates and colleagues use it for life. In one survey of 1,315 Thai nicknames, three in four had a single syllable.
Nicknames aren't registered anywhere. ID cards, passports and degree certificates show only the official name, but many Thais are known by their nickname at school and at work for their whole lives. Friends and co-workers sometimes don't even know each other's official names.
Nicknames also work as pronouns, which is why they're so useful. More on that in our guide to Thai pronouns.
Why formal names are long
For most of Thai history, people had one short name and no surname. In the Sukhothai era, children were often simply named by birth order. Names grew longer from the mid-19th century, when the royal court under Kings Rama IV and Rama V favoured long names built from Pali and Sanskrit. After 1932, ordinary Thais began to choose court-style names too.
Surnames arrived by law in 1913, when King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) required every family to register one, partly so officials could tell apart people with the same name. The law took full effect in 1915. The first surname he granted was สุขุม, on 30 May 1913, and he went on to grant more than 6,000 himself. Each surname had to be unique, so families whose first choice was taken had to invent another. That's one reason Thai surnames are long, especially in Thai-Chinese families. Today, new surnames are limited to ten consonant letters.
Given names are chosen for luck as much as meaning. Many parents pick letters that suit the day of the week the baby was born, or a name whose letters add up to a lucky number, and adults often change their given name after a run of bad luck. The result is names like ณัฏฐณิชาnát-tá-ní-chaa: beautiful and auspicious, but not something you shout across a playground. That's the job of the nickname.
How parents choose a nickname
A 2009 study at Kasetsart University collected 1,315 nicknames from Thais of all ages. It found that mothers usually choose the nickname, except in Muslim families, where fathers more often do, and that the mother's relatives have more say than the father's. Here are the usual reasons, starting with the two the study found most often:
- How the baby looked. Small, chubby, dark or fair: เล็ก, อ้วน, ดำ and ขาว are all traditional nicknames.
- How it sounds with the rest of the family. Brothers and sisters often get nicknames that start with the same sound or share a theme, like three fruits, or Bank, Benz and Boss.
- A good meaning. Gems, gold, stars and the sky are wishes for a bright, lucky life.
- Something from the parents' lives. A favourite food, a football club, the month or holiday of the birth, or a family member's job.
The most common nicknames in that survey were ต้น (tree, or beginning), หนึ่ง (one), หน่อย (a little), เจี๊ยบ (chick), จอย (Joy), อ้อม and เล็ก (small).
Kinds of nickname
Here are common nicknames by kind, with their everyday meanings. Most have a recording from the ThaiFlip dictionary you can play.
Nickname explorer
- หมูmǔupig
- ไก่gàichicken
- กบgòpfrog
- ปูbpuucrab
- แมวmɛɛocat
- เหมียวmǐiaokitty; "meow"
- นกnókbird
- หมีmǐibear
- ปลาbplaafish
- กุ้งgûngshrimp
- เจี๊ยบjíiapchick
Animal names were the most common kind in one survey of Thai nicknames, especially among older people. Once meant to keep spirits away, today they just sound cute.
A nickname's meaning isn't what people hear. To Thais, someone called หมู or กุ้ง is just Moo or Goong, the same way nobody thinks of flowers when they meet someone called Rose.
English names and new trends
Older Thais mostly have Thai nicknames. Younger ones increasingly have English ones. In the 2009 survey, 54% of nicknames came from Thai, 24% from English, 8% from Pali, 7% from Chinese and 3% from Arabic, which Muslim families use to mark their identity. The younger the group, the more English names and the fewer Chinese ones.
Ministry of Culture figures for babies born in 2006–2008 show how far this went: eight of the ten most popular boys' nicknames came from other languages, including Win, Ice, Boss and Best, and six of the top ten for girls, including Mind, Fern, Cream and Mint. A study of English nicknames found that parents want more than a label: a name like Bank, Benz or Boss is an image of modern, successful life. Many are chosen for how they sound, not for what they mean in English.
Not everyone was pleased. In 2007, after reports of children nicknamed Mafia and Seven (as in 7-Eleven), the Ministry of Culture planned a handbook of thousands of traditional Thai nicknames to win parents back. English names kept spreading anyway.
Today's nicknames are longer and more personal. Children under ten in the 2009 study averaged 1.75 syllables, against 1.28 overall. Recent lists of nicknames that parents shared online include ก๋วยเตี๋ยว (noodle soup), เชลซี (after the football club), นิวเยียร์ (born on New Year's Day) and เอไอ (AI, after a relative's job).
How to use a nickname
- With a family word. Put พี่ before the nickname of someone older and น้อง before someone younger: พี่ต้น, น้องเมย์. Between friends of the same age, the nickname alone is normal.
- Instead of "you". Thais often use a name where English uses "you": น้ำไปไหนมา (náam bpai-nǎi-maa), "Nam, where have you been?", or simply "Where has Nam been?".
- Instead of "I". Many people, especially women and children, use their own nickname to mean "I": น้ำหิวแล้ว (náam hǐu lɛ́ɛo), "Nam's hungry", means "I'm hungry".
- At work. Colleagues and even bosses use nicknames, and some companies print them on name badges. A study of Thai nicknames notes they turn up in classrooms and even on election posters.
- In the news. Actors are billed with their nickname first, and politicians are known by theirs: former prime ministers Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Yingluck Shinawatra are อุ๊งอิ๊ง (Ung Ing) and ปู (crab, Pu).
In formal settings, Thais use the given name with คุณ, never the surname: Somchai Saengsawang is คุณสมชาย, not "Mr Saengsawang". At banks, hospitals and government offices you'll be called by your given name too.
Words for names
These are the words you'll need to ask about names and talk about them, each with a real recording and an example.
To ask someone's nickname, say ชื่อเล่นอะไรchʉ̂ʉ-lên à-rai. To tell people what to call you, say เรียกผมว่า… (rîak pŏm wâa…, men) or เรียกฉันว่า… (rîak chăn wâa…, women), "call me…".
Etiquette for foreigners
- Use the name you're given. If a Thai person introduces themselves by their nickname, use it. Asking for their "real name" instead can feel oddly formal.
- Expect the official name first from strangers. In the 2009 study, most Thai university students said they prefer their nickname but give their official name when they first meet someone. Once you know each other, ask for the nickname.
- Don't laugh at the meaning. A nickname that sounds funny in English was usually chosen for its sound or its Thai meaning. Treat it like any other name.
- Don't make up nicknames from looks. อ้วน (chubby) and ดำ (dark) are fine as names parents chose, but calling someone that yourself is a remark about their looks, not a nickname.
- Say it the Thai way. If your colleague is บอล, it's bon, with a Thai final sound, not the English "ball".
Learn the words behind the names.
Many Thai nicknames are everyday words. ThaiFlip's dictionary has recordings and example sentences for words like these, so you'll know that your friend ต้น is also a tree.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Thai nickname called?
ชื่อเล่น (chʉ̂ʉ-lên), literally "play name". It's a short, informal name, usually given by the parents in childhood, and it's separate from the official name, ชื่อจริง (chʉ̂ʉ-jing).
Why do Thai people have nicknames?
Official Thai names are long and formal, often built from Pali and Sanskrit and chosen for luck. A one-syllable nickname is easier for everyday life. An older belief also played a part: plain or unflattering names were thought to keep spirits from noticing a baby.
Does every Thai person have a nickname?
Nearly everyone. Thais who don't have one are usually called by a shortened form of their given name. Many people are known by their nickname at school and at work for their whole lives.
Is it rude to call a Thai person by their nickname?
No. If someone tells you their nickname, they expect you to use it. Add พี่ for someone older, น้อง for someone younger, or คุณ to be polite with someone you don't know well.
Why do so many Thais have English nicknames?
Since the late 20th century, many parents have picked English words that sound modern or lucky, like Bank, Benz or Ice. In one survey, about a quarter of nicknames came from English, and the share was higher among younger people.
Is a Thai nickname related to the person's real name?
Usually not. Parents choose the two separately, so someone called Ploy or Bank can have a long formal name with no link to it. Some nicknames are short forms of the given name, but that's less common among younger Thais.
Can a foreigner get a Thai nickname?
Yes. Thai friends, teachers or colleagues sometimes give one, often a Thai word that sounds like your name. If you'd like one, ask a Thai friend, and check what it means before you use it.
Recordings and example sentences come from the ThaiFlip dictionary. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll check it.
