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This
is “sweetheart” in Thai. But
should one employ the endearment, one’s
spouse or lover may say that one is pàak
waan or sweet-mouthed. The chances
are very high it would be met with a laugh
and treated as a joke. It is used to tease
a friend: “Where’s your waan
jai? Why isn’t he with
you today?” Unless you are aware
of this cultural difference the joke may
be on you. The concept of waan is associated
with a gentle, soft-natured and innocent
person. But this heart phrase is thought
excessive and insincere.
Study
Another’s Heart
duu
jai (v.) ดูใจ
There
are a number of expressions for courtship
in Thai and one of the central ones is
duu
jai. During the courtship process
you study the heart of the other person
to determine how sincere he or she is
about the relationship. At the same time
your lover is studying your heart to determine
your sincerity. In this respect, all lovers
are students of the heart. The subject
of this study includes, in addition to
evidence of another person’s sincerity,
qualities such as loyalty, honesty, kindness,
compassion, and gentleness. While the
act of studying is an ongoing activity,
the term is rarely used between lovers.
This heart expression is more commonly
used by a friend who confesses that he
or she is studying the heart of his or
her lover. Duu
jai is used as a verb. There
is also a second meaning: when you see
for the last time the face of a dying
friend or relative.
You
have had a run-in with someone at the
office and feel angry or sore as a result
of the encounter. It is normally a trivial
event that causes the feeling of a grudge.
But the feelings are stronger and more
active than bàat maang jai
and rá khaang jai. The
grudge may have been caused by an argument,
or someone has double-crossed or betrayed
you, or the feeling may result from a
lingering sense of being wronged. The
bottom line is that someone has accumulated
a grudge against another. Two neighbors
who have known each other for years share
a common fence. Daeng picks a mango and
eats it. Her neighbor comes out and says,
“That is my mango! You shouldn’t
take it.” This makes Daeng’s
feelings for the neighbor suddenly change.
She feels phìt
jai. And thereafter she will
avoid the neighbor. This is a low-grade
grudge and unhappiness. Such a feeling
is written across the actions and words
of a person harboring “grudge heart.”
When two people have a grude against each
other they can be described as phìt
jai kan. Maang
jai is used similarly. |
Sample jai
phrases from hearttalk
Learn more