You only have to stay in Thailand a short while before you start picking up an often heard word which is “farang”. In any other country it would be seen as a racial slur as it refers to white faced foreigners. People from India or Japan have other names. But, Thai people use it to group together a certain group of foreigners. They even refer to the language we speak as “passar farang” which of course is nonsense. We not only have very different cultures, but also many different languages too. They almost have a childlike innocence about this. They don’t see themselves as being racial nor do they see it as being derogatory. However, if I say to them that grouping us altogether is like us saying to them that they are Lao or Cambodian – which of course upsets them a lot.
It doesn’t really bother me much these days as there isn’t really much you can do about it. At my school, the students have been told that it is not respectful to refer to the foreign teachers as farang. They shouldn’t also use this word with visitors to our school. We teach them that there is a proper Thai word for foreigner which should be used instead. I do sometimes hear them using the proper word on t.v. but quite often the commentators resort to using farang instead. I just look at them as being uneducated which is quite often true. The people who use the word farang with me a lot are the Thais that haven’t traveled much, don’t understand about racial harmony and really do believe that out there, there is a place called “farangland”.
A few months back, the three year old son of my next door neighbour used to call out “farang, farang” whenever I passed or when he wanted to attract my attention. His parents know my real name but didn’t do anything to correct him. As I am a teacher it is not really respectful for a child to do like this. At the very least, he should say Khun Farang or Khru Farang. Then, when the child of the neighbours on the other side started going to kindergarten at my school things started to change. This four year old girl would greet me with a “wai” and always said “Khru Richard”. Her parents always insisted on that. Now the three year old boy is copying her example.
When I am walking around Paknam or taking pictures at local events I don’t hear anyone say farang. In fact, most people pretend not to take any notice of me. We are close enough to Bangkok that they want to be seen to be familiar with worldly events and with people from around the workd. But, as soon as I go to a province away from the tourist trail then things change. I don’t want to call them “hicks” but I do hear some really strange comments. The thing is, they talk about me right in front of my face. They obviously don’t realize that there is a growing number of foreigners who can speak, read and write Thai. Here are some of the comments I have heard:
“Don’t look now but there is a farang following behind us.”
“Look, look! A farang.”
“Why is that farang taking a picture?”
“Look at that farang’s shoes. His feet are so big.”
“What is that farang doing here? He must be lost.”
“What is he eating? Look, look, the farang is eating som tam.”
I never get angry when I hear some of their rather silly and stupid comments. I just turn around and give them a big smile. Some just say, “Look that farang is smiling at us.” Others realize I understood what they said and they then smile themselves in an embarrassed way. They then quickly whisper to their friends that the farang can speak Thai. Last week I was buying some ice cream from a roadside vendor at a local event. A young woman with her boyfriend looked at me and told him in a loud voice that the farang is buying an ice cream. So, I just turned to her and said, “What’s wrong, have you never seen a farang buy an ice cream before?” She of course was embarrassed. I just kept smiling at her.
On the radio station I was listening to this morning, they had a show called “Sawatdee Farang”. It is in English and is aimed at foreign expats. I usually just change the channel when I hear it come on. But, what is stranger is hearing foreigners refer to each other as farang. There was also a foreign owned magazine called “Farang” which thankfully folded. I know a lot of people who don’t mind the word farang. Like me, they have long realized that there isn’t much you can do about it. But, there are quite a few people who get upset. They argue that in many other countries you can get arrested for grouping people together in racial groups. But, then, this is Thailand and even if you were born here and speak fluent Thai, you will still be a farang if you have a white face.
Many Thais tell me that they don’t mean anything bad when they call foreigners farang. But, I am not sure how true that is. Not long ago, I had a letter from a Thai person who had gone to school in America. His letter was rather insulting and wanted to criticize me for some work that I had done. He used a lot of swear words in English but he also said “you whitey” very often. That was basically his translation of farang. And believe me, he wanted to insult me. He was trying to make it clear that I wasn’t Thai and that I would never understand Thai culture or the Thai way of life because I am just a farang.
There was another incident that has happened to me a couple of times. Other people have reported the same thing. A couple of months ago I was on the back of a songtaew which is a local public bus. Sitting across from me was a mother and her one year old child on her lap who was crying. I didn’t really pay any attention and just sat there and minded my own business. But the the mother said to the child, “If you don’t stop crying, you can go over and sit with the farang.” It was like saying to your child, if you don’t behave, the bogeyman will come and get you! As this has happened several times, I cannot see much hope for future generations if parents are still teaching their children to be frightened of foreigners.
I guess things will gradually change as more and more foreigners come to live and work in Thailand. In particular, once more Thai people see them speaking Thai then that will only be beneficial for the rest of us. If you are out and about in Thailand then please try and not act like a “farang”. Act properly and have good manners. And, if you hear someone call out “You, you farang!” then just smile back and keep walking. They often don’t mean anything bad about it and are just trying to be friendly.
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Good one, Richard.
I am guilty too. To me, “farang” was just a name of for all races of Caucasians. It’s us versus them, really.
In the U.S., no one ever points to me and say, oh hi American girl. It’s always Oh hi, Asian girl. If you’re not white, it seems everyone else is whatever you are.
Reverse that and you have Thais and then everyone else.
To some people, “farang” and foreigners in general are still an enigma. All we know is that you’re from far, far away where there’s snow and people speaking a language we don’t understand.
Heck, I even got called out to be a “farang” once even though I”m not white but because I carried myself differently, they thought I wasn’t Thai. They were talking smack about me in Thai, calling me “Jae Farang”–sister foreigner.
I’m with you regarding the people you know should be more respectful especially the fact that you’re a teacher.
I remember a speech by HM the King (I forgot the occasion – sometime last year, probably before his birthday celebration) in which he repeatedly referred to us as “farangs”, and of course it wasn’t meant to be an insult. that was when I finally realised this word must be ok then, no more questions on my part.
our principal also refers to foreign staff as “ajarn farang”. we refer to ourselves as farangs – not racially, but to sum up the western point of view which is in sharp contrast to Thai ideas. after some hesitation, the Thais at my school started referring to a partially African-American teacher as farang!
at the moment, I have 11 luk kreungs in my class. some of them don’t look farang at all, you don’t see any foreign features. but two have a “white” face and features, almost blond hair, and only the eyes are Asian. they will grow up here and they are Thai through and through. I’m really wondering how often they will get remarks and how their identity will be shaped. luckily, Chiang Mai is now full of luk kreungs (must be thousands and thousands) and probably it won’t be a novelty anymore by the time it would be an issue for these kids. I really hope so.
My girlfriend told me that the black people are Farang too, but maybe the definition, of the word, is not so strict everywhere.
There was a while when I was VERY bothered by the phrase “Hey yuu!!”, but as I dont hear it so often nowadays, it passed.
I dont like the Thai way so much, but I dont know the way me and my friends are in northern Germany: we are very open to other cultures and will welcome everyone warmly, because it is interessting and “trendy” to have foreign friends, but I think it is a very long way to be accepted here for real.
This is a great report, but I wished I would not know so much about the word Farang, because as long I dont know I dont have to feel upset.
Ben
I think many Westerners are surprised, and sometimes upset, at the use of the word foreigner by most Thais. They forget that, despite it’s image, Thailand and Thai people are very insular, nationalistic, and (unfortunately) racist. It’s not a multi-cultural society with a history of integration.
In Japan, foreigners are referred to as “Gaijin” however, you would never hear that in public since the Japanese are very polite and considerate. They also don’t make the mistake of assuming that foreigners don’t understand Japanese.
I think the continued use of this description of Westerners in Thailand is a function of intense nationalism, racism and poor education. I work for a large French engineering company here in Bangkok which employs over 500 highly-qualified Thai staff who work alongside many expats. In two years I have never heard any of the Thai staff use the word “farang.”
Interesting to read this as I have come across its use by pretty well educated Thais and its never sounded quite right to me. Firstly I was told its the same as guailo in Cantonese, which is definetly an insult. Also heard that it dates back a long way to when the French (who wants to be called a french man! just joking 555) were doing their colonial thing in south east asia. Time to they kicked this word into touch I think, at least in the mainstream. Speak out all you people with Thai links here.
I’m Thai and now studying law in US for a while. I love to read your blog as it reminds me “home.” Normally I visit this blog just to read, but this time I think I need to correct some points that you may misunderstand.
The word “Farang” in any sense does not mean anything bad at all.
The word “Farang” is the direct translation of “guava.” Yes, I mean guava the tropical fruit. The Thai guava skin is green while the pulp is white. And that’s probably why Thais use the word Farang to reflect the white face/body people i.e. Caucasian.
In the old day, Thais love and also sometime scare of Farang. Why? Because many Caucasian people came here to either develop or take away our resources (and sometime parts of the country). The word Farang Thais use has no meaning about racism at all, but just to group up the Caucasian people as many of us cant tell different between people from Europe, USA, or Australia.
I strongly believe that most of Thais love Farang as you guys bring us massive investment to this country. However, most of Thais still cannot speak English (or pasa-farang). They always scare of saying something wrong to you and that makes them feel a bit awkward to communicate with white-face foreigner. Nevertheless, it is so weird that we dont have this kind of feeling with the other Asian-foreigners like Chinese, Japanese, Korea, etc. Well, maybe the feeling of similarity.
Actually I disagree because I’ve lived in Bangkok for the last 7 years and I have never once heard a Thai person talking that way. I’m always out and about and honestly, I’ve never been talked to that way. I speak and understand Thai so I would know if they said something like that in Thai. Now, that doesn’t mean they weren’t thinking it. LOL.
I have been called a farang before, just not in the way you have mentioned. Not been told big feet, why is he lost or any of that stuff.
I live in Singapore and we often use the word ‘ang moh’ (directly translated means red head) to refer to the Western people. We don’t have any ill intentions by using this word but it has already been a way of speech for us.
Many people, especially the older generations are ignorant to the fact that the American are different from the French, or the Dutch, etc due to the lack of contact. (Like how many think that Singapore is in China. haha)So, as long as one is white skinned, one is called ‘ang moh’. And even if they know the difference, I don’t think they really care (quite sad).
I think education plays a very important part in the understanding or even the recognizing of the different cultural backgrounds. Anyway since we are in the face of globalization, I believe that more and more people should eventually learn about each other’s culture. (:
Learning is fun!
Hi I’m Thai. I’m sorry that you sometimes find “Farang” insulting. To be honest, this word is used in both positive and negative ways.
When Thais refer to Farang’s countries and products. They refer to superiority, richness, and advanced quality.
It is almost impossible in the next 10 years to stop any Thai to say Farang when they see Farangs.
Great blog!
The word “farung” does not mean foreigner, but It describes people of Caucasian origins. It is not a derogatory word.
Somebody mentioned above that he didn’t hear the word “farung” with reference to the Japanese. This is only expected since farung does not describe the Japanese.
In the US, the Thais are classified as “Asians”, lumped together with all the rest of people from Asia. I haven’t heard anyone of Asian origin complain or get upset about that.
Wording aside, I do empathize with you Richard that some people make you feel like you’re being watched. Especially when they commented on your ordinary, every-day actions like buying an ice cream. It would annoy me too.
On the flip side, years ago I took a Thai friend and her brother for a neighborhood walk in a lily-white small town in the midwest. There were a few kids playing in the snow in the front yard of a house. As we approached, the kids all stopped dead on their tracks and stared at the Thais. Then they dropped all their toys and ran inside the house, the smallest girl crying as she ran. We laughed about it, but I sensed they were embarrassed as well.
The physical differences between folks will forever remain.
While ignorance may be bliss to the lazy person, it’s just another chance to learn for those seeking knowledge.
Years ago, in Old Patong, I caught my pal “Sam” laughing as she listened to the red-neck expats talking about “different people in different places”, I asked Sam, “what do you call people from Malaysia”?
She said a word, something describing a simian… but from her laugh it seemed possible that it wasn’t a compliment.
Ever village, town, city, state, country I’ve ever visited often refer to their “neighbors” as not having enough since to pour urine out of a boot even if the directions were printed on the heal”! So be it.
When locals would refer to me as “you”, I’ve just grin, ask them what their name was [in Thai]and then introduce myself. Usually they called me by my name after that, if…we met again. They didn’t forget the farang they’d met before.
A Thai friend told me when he lived abroad, some of the locals would refer to him as “chink”[chinese], he’d say, “I’m not from China, I’m from Thailand”…naturally didn’t have a clue where Thailand is.
Even close relatives would say “Hey Gary, when you going back to Taiwan”?..
Some things never change, but…don’t sweat the small stuff…but try learning, it’s the key to success in interpersonal communications or…life.
i am half American-Thai borned and raised in northeast thailand.my cousins alway call me farang but in the good way.in the school,people scared to come up to say hi because i look like farang.sometimes they did say bad things.
love your blogs!
hmmm…
Im A kiwi and i grew up in both japan and have visted thailand several times (dads a lecturer in bangkok)
Firstly, It is definatly true that people in the western world have about as much a clue about Asia as some Thais have about Germany,Serbia and America!
Im half phillipino (and damn proud of it i might add!)
My younger 16 year old brother attends a small school in rural waikato only around 480 students and most have never even left…they’ve got a nickname for him which is ‘chinks’ now my brother is well liked but when he explains hes from New Zealand and only lived in Japan for 8 years they laugh and say “nah your still chinese” and when he protests further they say “well its all the same!”
Now I can understand some Thais not having a clue after being greated with the attitude over here but Im not saying it doesnt make it any better. Furthermore I can see how the word “farang” can be annoying after a while but one learns to live with it. I do believe that Thai people are a hell of alot more accepting of us “Farangs” then kiwis over here are of “those bloody Asians” as they put it (and believe me they do!)
p.s
Dont mind my terrible grammar and shoddy comment, im studying like crazy for exams and this is the only relief i get from it!
Farang is misinterpreted as a racial slur but as a Thai, it is not. We never insult each other by saying “eww, you FARANG!” No not at all… Please understand that a word “farang” is just an etymology from the word “foreign”. Thai people in the past always developed some certain English words and pronounced them in a Thai way. Like the word, “Captain”, old Thai people said “Ka-Pi-Tan” because it sounds like an existing Thai word. Farang means a kind of fruit that was being very popular during the very first arrival of foreigners. Thai people found it hard to pronounce exactly how you do, Thai adapted it instead. I’m not saying that this is a right thing but do know you that most Thai people tend to hate Thais who try to speak English like the way foreigners do? They will get bashed for overdoing it. I don’t know why but I personally think this is silly. The last time I spoke English on BTS, I got eyes on me from everywhere. I don’t know why!! but they gave me a strange eye but I didn’t really care (I quite speak good English).
Anyways, during my last trip to NYC, I got lost in the subway and in that station there were only 4 people. My friend and I and other two Asian girls whom I didn’t know. I started gossiping that they were really cute and beautiful. The minutes later, they came to us and asked “Are you Thai?” and I was like “damn, I’m so busted” and really wanted to jump into the rail and kill myself at the spot! Anyways, they were really nice and helped me get out of the friggin subway and returned to our hotel. I swear that they look like Chinese or something. LOL
Hello everybody.
Few hundred years ago french people came to Thailand…In french we say “français” (=french people), with thaï accent it is farangset…Then “farang” became the word to call caucasien people.
Farang dam for the black people.
Thanks Coucou.
While I know that France is know as Faranset, it never occurs to me that the French created this lasting word.
France and Thailand have a long hate/love relationship. Even the flag has similar French color.
Let’s hope the current political crisis can be resolve in the spirit of Liberté, égalité, fraternité
Michael, maybe you aren’t fluent in Thai as much as you think. Like richard, I have had Thai people talk right in front of me as if I wasn’t there. You really have to be thick-skinned to ignore some of their comments sometimes. Though of course they give nice comments too!
It’s very doubtful that the word Farang originated from the word France (farangset). The French didn’t start arriving in Thailand in significant numbers until the mid/late 17th century. Remember, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive, well before the French, in 1511.
Most scholars/historians agree that the word Farang is Arabian in origin, a derivation of the word ‘Frank’ (as in the Franks). The first ‘Westerners’ to settle in Thailand in huge masses were the Persian merchants during the mid 16th century.
In fact, Muslims in the middle-east have been calling white Europeans ‘Franks’ ever since the first Crusades a thousand years back. Derivations of the word Frank for white European can be found all over Middle-east Asia and even Africa. They are ‘Farangyi, Farangi, Barang etc….
Actually, the word “farang” with the meaning of “foreigner” is also common in India, at least if I’m allowed to count the movie “Monsoon Wedding” as a reference for Indian languages.
Of all the Indian dialog in that movie, the word “farang” (subtitled to mean “foreigner”) got my attention, as the word have burned in to my head on my trips in Thailand, as it probably have for many others. (I’ve never heard it in a negative connotation, however.)
I read somewhere some speculation on the linguistic origins of the word, where it is said to being related to the word for the French, farang-sen, but now I just don’t know.
The use of “farang” rarely bothers me. You can normally tell if it’s being used as an insult by the tone of voice. Sure, out in the sticks, the hicks will still be surprised to see a farang, and eating som tam, wow!
You know in the UK, people use “Asian” as a blanket term for anyone from around India/Pakistan/Bangladesh.. or “Arab” for anyone from Iran/Saudi/Yemen/UAE… etc.. you get the picture. Insulting?
I lived and traveled in Central America/Mexico for a couple of years and was also rarely bothered by “Gringo”.
Well, I am glad you are addressing the issue, and in terms of your own personal viewpoint on it, I think you’re halfway there to looking at it in the proper perspective. You said, “They don’t see themselves as being racial nor do they see it as being derogatory.” And, for the most part, they don’t…and I think they are right. It’s a different way of saying things with little or no “attitude” about it. I can’t tell you the number of times I have had Thai strangers come up to me and say, “You’re fat,” and then proceed to have an extended friendly conversation with me. Well, I am (a little) fat. It’s just a fact…not good or bad…from their perspective. Or, “You’re bald.” Once again, true. Just a fact. Or, “What is your salary?” Frankly, I often see these statements as their attempts at ice breakers. When I’m upcountry, I often hear children yelling, “Farang, farang,” and then they rush out to talk to me all excited. Instead of us farang looking at it in a negative way, perhaps we should look at it from the Thai perspective…especially if we are in Thailand. As Dean Martin used to say, “It’s Frank’s (Sinatra) world; we’re just living in it.”
for me if you call me asian I’m fine with it as long as it wasn’t chinese lao or cambodian. so if I didn’t call you farangset you shouldn’t be bother too you know just farang not farangset it’s a big different you know ?
sawasdee,
I have just spent a total of 7 months in Thailand, From Bangkok(Witch is actually more like”Krungtep” Samui, lam plai mat and Omnoy,
I am a French Canadian, and everything put together makes sense about: Farung, foreigner, farangset and last but not least FALUNG because Thai rarely pronounce their R’s
For a true unique experience, try going at a school with gazillion little grass hopper running around you and screaming Falung Falung…
I went a few time, to visit my wife 10 year old daughter, and it is a sour feeling at first… But the joy in the kids face of you visiting their school is worth the visit…
On the other side, when my Thai wife call our 4 months old daughter falang baby because she is crying, i could just stuff her throat with som tam & Nam prik… Ha!Ha!Ha! not..
Personally I can’t stand being called a “farang”. I’m an Australian, or if you know me, you can call me by my name.
Recently I was at my wife’s parent’s house. My wife’s great aunt, who I first met five years ago, was there. As I was eating lunch with everyone else, she asked my wife “Can the farang eat Som Tam?” When we were later invited to her house for a meal I declared that I had just eaten and couldn’t share in the meal, as my return snub. I expect anyone who has known me for five years, Thai or not, to know my name.
Having said that, I think there is room for the word “farang” to be used in the pejorative sense, which is how I take it. It can be used to describe the guy who has lived in Thailand for ten years and can’t speak a word of the language, or the tourist that hires a motorcycle and rides it in the town at 100km/h, or the guy who walks around Bangkok without a shirt because it’s hot. I hope there are some intelligent Thais around who will start using the word to describe the offensive farang, rather than lumping all foreigners into some imaginary country. Perhaps they could even tell my wife’s great aunt that farangs have names.
The Spanish word for black is negra which Europeans in America corrupted to nigger. The word was not an insult but a way of describing a section of society. The insult comes from the person receiving not just the person using the word. Even if most Thai people use the word as purely descriptive some Thais use the word as an insult otherwise it would not be used with Ee and Ai in front of it so often. Many foreigners find the word insulting. Try calling an African American nigger and see if it is an insult or not.
Like Graham, I have enormous problems with being called ‘farang’. To me it is the equivalent of me calling Thais ‘gooks’.
A definition of the word ‘farang’ would be ‘large, stupid, boorish and smelly person with no understanding of Thai culture and language’.
The most irritating part of it is that they use the word as if I am not there, or am too much of a clod to be able to understand that I am being talked about.
There are perfectly good Thai phrases such as ‘khon dtaang chaat’ (person from different country) but I guess we have to accept that we are and always will be ‘farang’ to most Thais, and we have to stop being so precious. Even the newspapers use the word, so there is little hope of altering the situation.
PS: Can we please forget this nonsensical cop-out that the word ‘farang’ derives from the word for a guava. As several non-Thai posters have noted, it is derived from a Persian word ‘feringhi’ which I would guess carries a pejorative meaning.
Rick,
Thais are not gooks. Vietnamese are gooks. There is no comparably handy pejorative for Thai people that I’m aware of, though calling someone an ignorant buffalo, monitor lizard, or comparing their face to a part of a woman’s anatomy most often kept fully clothed, is sure to get the blood boiling nicely.
Someone mentioned the word “nigger.”
This is one of the most offensive and taboo words in the English language, but it seems to have started out as an innocent shortening of the Spanish word “negro,” which simply means “black.”
However, this formerly innocent word turned ugly when criminals used it while committing evil actions against people they labeled with this new word.
This is nowhere near the case in Thailand with the word “farang.”
I have only experienced kindness and generosity from Thai people, both in my visits to their country and in my attempts to learn their language.
So if they smile when they see me eating guava for breakfast, it’s fine by me.
When you consider that as soon as they can talk Thai children are taught to chant what’s below (and this happens in the schools too) then you’ll realise that the only way to enlightenment is through education:
Thai people are special, Thailand is special, we are special people.
Thai people are very fortunate to have a King who is like our father, and a Queen who is like our mother.
Our King and Queen are the greatest royal couple in the whole wide world.
We, the Thai people, are the greatest in the world also.
In our water, there are abundancy of fish and in our field, there are golden rice paddies.
There is no other country on this earth that can compare with our beloved Thailand.
We love our King and Queen, we love our Country and we love our religion;
Rob