2007-01-15 13:34:34 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Thailand
I guess Thai means free but I've never heard of it until now.
I have to answer Pabs.
In English, we don't always call countries by the same name they call themselves. For example, what we call "Finland" the Finns themselves actually call "Suomi". "Thailand" is what we call the country in English. "Thai" is their word. "Land" is ours. In the Thai language, "Thailand" is referred to as "Muang Thai" or "Pratet Thai". Make sense?
2007-01-16 08:20:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
thai means free, thus thailand means land of the free. This is true cos thailand was never invaded or colonised. There were attempts from neighbouring countries such as Burma, but they were chased off at the borders always and even in World War 2, the revered Thai monarchy reached a agreement with the Japanese to let them use Thailand as a base for their military, thus avoiding invasion.
2007-01-15 14:24:08 · answer #2 · answered by chewhwee 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
'thai' in thailand means 'free'. So Thailand means land of the free as we've been free since the existing of thailand. That is we've never been colonized. I hope this is right. I learned this in Thai school in 3rd grade about 30 some years ago.
2007-01-15 13:47:31 · answer #3 · answered by PO@BWC 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I may not be answering your direct question, but from reading the answers you have gotten so far I have a new question based on yours.
The majority of the answers confirm that Thai means free in the 'Thai' language. And thus they conclude that Thailand means the land of the free. However, isn't it odd to have the name of that country composed of two syllables, the first one in the indigenous language (Thai) and the other in English (Land)? Unless 'Land' is also a 'Thai' word and it just happen to be similar in pronunciation to the word 'Land' in English.
Any idea?
2007-01-16 00:01:08 · answer #4 · answered by Pabs 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thai means "free" (Thailand means "Land of the free")
Thanks for the two points. Korp Kun Krup!
2007-01-15 15:37:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have been told that Thai means free.
2007-01-15 13:45:38 · answer #6 · answered by yellowstone 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unless you have that written in Thai not even a wild guess turns up anything.
2016-03-28 23:30:11 · answer #7 · answered by Beverly 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the word "thai" in thai actually means "free" or "freedom", not every thai know this lol
2007-01-15 15:33:46 · answer #8 · answered by Ganbatteru 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Free" so Thailand actually meant land of the free people.
2007-01-15 22:48:45 · answer #9 · answered by peanutz 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
land of the free
2007-01-15 20:39:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋