Why Thai people called foreigners''FA- RANG''?

Question

Why Thai people called foreigners''FA- RANG''?is it the name of fruit ''Guava''?Why they called foreigners'' fa-rang''?

Answer 1

May I correct him a little bit. No, French not the 1st westerner came to Thailand, I recall that it is the dutch. But one of the French had a significant and powerful politcal role, a minister level during Ayudhya period. Lot of french missionaries were in Thailand during that period.

Anyway, he's right that the Thai had a bad time trying to pronounce Francaise when they had to refer these white people from abroad to their friends. Their ears were not familiar with this strange accent. The word referring them were gradually changed to Farang and it has been used since then to refer all cuacasian with white skin from abroad.

Answer 2

Hi. I am not Thai but have lived in Thailand for about 12 years.

I have heard many versions of the origins for the word farang and now doubt if it has much to do with Thai's being unable to pronounce "french".

I found the following on wikipedia.com

Farang (in Thai: ฝรั่ง), sometimes pronounced falang, is the generic Thai word for a white foreigner. It is closely related to the Khmer word Barang.

Africans or African-Americans will be occasionally referred to as farang dam (black farang, in Thai: ฝรั่งดำ). While generally farang is a neutral word, it can be used as an insult depending on its context.

For instance, the expression "farang ta nam khao" (in Thai: ฝรั่งตาน้ำข้าว, which literally means farang with rice-milk-colored iris) would be considered an insult.

Farang is also the Thai word for the guava fruit, which of course can lead to "farang eating farang" (ฝรั่งกินฝรั่ง) jokes from Thai people when foreigners are seen eating a guava in Thailand. Stingy or unruly foreigners can therefore also be referred to as kee nok (bird ****, in Thai: ขี้นก), which is the name of a particular variety of guava.

Varieties of food/produce which were introduced by Europeans are often called 'farang' varieties. Hence, potatoes are man farang (in Thai: มันฝรั่ง), whereas man (มัน) alone can be any variety tuber; parsley is called phak chii farang (ผักชีฝรั่ง, literally farang cilantro); and chewing gum is maak farang (หมากฝรั่ง). Maak (หมาก) is Thai for betel, which many rural Thais chew for the buzz it gives. When chewing gum was introduced, it was thus labeled farang betel, maak farang.

In the Isan language, the guava is called mak seeda, which can thus also be used to refer to a farang.

One explanation for the origin of this word is that it is borrowed from the Persian word farang which means Frankish.

Another explanation is that it derives from farangset, which is the Thai pronunciation of français, the French word for 'French' or 'Frenchman'.

France was one of the first European nations to establish cultural ties with Thailand in the 17th century, so to Thais at that time, 'white man' and 'Frenchman' were synonymous.

Others say that in the Ayutthaya period, land was given to the Portuguese merchants to conduct their business at "Baan Farang" (Guava Village).

Answer 3

Hi Noot - Well, the answers above are more scholarly - but quite simply - - Farang is me. A white guy. It is considered insulting in most Western cultures to be classified by the color of your skin, but I don't let it bother me and take no offense at this. I use it as a joke and when with family and friends, I refer to myself as the farang - the farang is going shopping etc..

What was actually a little more difficult to get used to was my wife calling me "moo ooun" - fat pig - - yes, a term of endearment here.. not in the West where it is an insult..

Answer 4

The first white guys coming to Thailand were french, farangset in thai, that's where comes the name farang

Answer 5

The first Westerners that came to Thailand were the French. "Farang" comes from the word "Francaise".

BTW, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Black, the Middle Easterners are not called farang.