Read excerpts and sample sextalk expressions from:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9 In the Eye of the (Thai) Beholder
Excerpt

Sweetly beautiful
nâa wan (informal, adj.) หน้าหวาน (ปาก, ว.)
suay wan (informal, adj.) สวยหวาน (ปาก, ว.)
ngaam wan (informal, adj.) งามหวาน (ปาก, ว.)

A “sweetly beautiful face” is nâa wan. A “sweetly beautiful” kind of woman would be described as suay
wan or ngaam wan. Such beauty is characterized by a woman’s ultra-feminine features, beautiful face, and good disposition.

Dark and handsome
nâa khêm (informal, adj.) หน้าเข้ม (ปาก, ว.)
lÒO khêm (informal, adj.) หล่อเข้ม (ปาก, ว.)
khom khêm (adj.) คมเข้ม (ว.)

A sweet, feminine face (nâa waan) has its male counterpart in nâa khêm (lit. “dark and handsome face”), defined by shapely and thick dark eyebrows perfectly balanced on a handsome, square-jawed face. While it is important for a Thai woman to have a “white” face, a quintessential handsome Thai man is often dark-skinned. This expression may be used for a lighter-skinned man with attractively strong, well-defined masculine facial features. Common compliments for “dark and handsome” men are lÒO khêm and khom khêm.

Arresting
jàp jai (adj.) จับใจ (ว.)
bàat jai (v., adj.) บาดใจ (ก., ว.)

People with dazzling good looks may catch the eye, but only some will also “arrest the heart” (jàp jai). This is the kind of beauty that first catches, then arrests and detains your heart. The more you admire it, the deeper you are drawn to its power. You see and feel this unforgettable beauty in darkness and in light, in wakefulness and in dreams. This is what Thais call suay jàp jai (lit. “heart-arrestingly beautiful”) or lÒO jàp jai (“heart-arrestingly handsome”). Another expression for extreme beauty is bàat jai (lit. “heart-cutting”)—the kind of beauty that puts you in danger of falling in love.

Beauty Is (Sometimes) Only Skin Deep

It is hard not to discuss the issue of skin color when talking about beauty in Thai culture, given that one of the things that stands out most in the Thai concept of beauty is “white skin” (phw khaw). But first let me clarify that the so-called “white” color here is not the same as Caucasian “white,” but a light complexion preferred in most Asian cultures that is often described as “porcelain” by the Chinese and Japanese.

Fair complexion has historically been part of the Asian feminine beauty ideal, largely because it once—and still does in many cases—signified a woman from a higher social class. That is, having a light skin means she hasn’t had to work in the fields; she comes from a privileged family line, and is therefore desirable.

This preference for pale skin has recently been further reinforced by Western influence, evident in the popularity of light-skinned luuk-kruengs (sons and daughters of mixed Thai-Western parentage) who have begun to dominate Thai beauty peagentry, modeling, and the entertainment world over the last twenty years or so.

At the same time, with a new cultural resurgence of the East—notably from South Korea, which has joined the club of Asian cultural powerhouses like the Chinese and the Japanese—Thais are taking in more popular influences from East Asian neighbors. The “K-pop” and “J-pop” stars and Chinese cultural emissaries all naturally have fairer skin than Thais. Now, the Thai craze for “white” skin is more intense than ever, and skin-whitening products (some of which are very damaging to the skin) are all the rage.

Dark skin (phw dam), literally “black skin,” on the other hand, is not considered desirable. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all Thais think all dark-skinned people are ugly, but there is a strong cultural tendency to prefer fair skin to dark skin. For example, most Thais will acknowledge the striking beauty of Naomi Campbell and Denzel Washington, but they would think that Nicole Kidman and Keanu Reeves are more beautiful. The same preference applies in their view of beauty among Thais (though a dark skin poses almost no problem for a man, unless he is very dark or nearly black).

Beautiful “white” skin
khaw suay (informal, adj.) ขาวสวย (ปาก, ว.)
khaw phÒOng (adj.) ขาวผ่อง (ว.)
khaw phÒOng pen yOOng yai (idiom, adj.) ขาวผ่องเป็นยองใย (สำ, ว.)
khaw nuuan (adj.) ขาวนวล (ว.)

An attractive, fair-skinned woman is often admired as khaw suay (“beautifully white” or “white and beautiful”). There are also several other compliments for fair-skinned beauties. A very common one is khaw phÒOng (“radiant white”), also expressed in a longer phrase, khaw phÒOng pen yOOng yai (“so radiantly, glowingly and finely white”). There is no such term as dam phÒOng (“radiant black”)—no surprise there. Another common compliment is khaw nuuan (“creamy white”). The last term may be used with men.

Temple-worthy
phOO pai wát pai waa dâay (idiom, adj.) พอไปวัดไปวาได้ (สำ, ว.)

Thais have a wonderful and gentle expression for passable looks (male or female): phOO pai wát pai waa dâay, meaning “good enough to go to the temple.” Traditionally the temple was where most social activities took place and where young people could meet and potentially spot each other for courtship. So, a temple-worthy look was considered presentable enough not to be an embarrassment to oneself or one’s family. It is an expression that is still widely in use and perhaps indicates the lowest Thai threshold of attractiveness. Anything less is underwhelming.
It should be noted, however, that Thais are unlikely to use this phrase directly as a serious appraisal of someone’s looks. Thai people love to tease. So, they can call someone who is perfectly good-looking “temple worthy” as a gentle, friendly jab. As it is often the case in communication with Thais, it is the delivery and the tone that hints at the real meaning.

[Read more in the book.]

back to top