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A
frequently heard phrase, khâw
jai, translates as to understand
what someone else has said or meant by
what they have said. This literally means
that what the other person has said has
“entered” your heart and that
you have the understanding in the heart.
This is not limited to understanding the
expression of emotions but any source
of information that has been communicated,
from understanding a technical manual
on operating a computer to whether a person
has properly filled out a bank form. This
is a state of understanding what has been
said, demonstrated or written. If you
want to ask someone if they understand
what you have said, you can ask, “Khâw
jai mái kráp?”
(for a male speaker) or “Khâw
jai mái khá?”
(for a female speaker).
The
second phrase khâw
jai is slang. There is important
tonal difference here. When pronounced
with a middle tone (khâw jai), the
verb is innocuous and is used in both
statements and questions. When pronounced
with a rising tone, it is slang and is
always a question. For example, two young
gangsters have a discussion: “I
told my mother that I am going to the
wat, but don’t tell her that we
are going to rob a gold shop. You have
to tell my mother that we are going to
the wat, khâw
jai?” |
Sample jai
phrases from hearttalk
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