Jingjok
Puns are the engine of Thai slang
lam-yai
A lot of Thai internet slang is built on sound. ลำไย (longan) means 'annoying' because it sounds a little like รำคาญ. นก (bird) means striking out with a crush, from the idea of being left empty-handed. เท 'to pour' means to dump someone. Tone-shifted spellings are a game too: เทอ for เธอ, จุงเบย for จังเลย, and the laughing 555 (ห้า ห้า ห้า). Because so much depends on sound and fresh references, memes can be hard to decode even with a dictionary. Ask a Thai friend to explain one; they'll enjoy it, and you'll learn how Thai listeners hear their own language.
Try this today
Ask a Thai friend to explain their favourite slang word and where it comes from.
The words that carry it
Learn this in “Social media and slang” →
Your first 90 days of Thai
Culture cards in Jingjok are tied to the words that carry them, each ending in one thing to try today.
- WEEKS 1–2 · SURVIVEGreet anyone, pay, and order food and 7-Eleven exactly how you like it.
- WEEKS 3–6 · SETTLE INGet around by taxi, Grab and skytrain, find anything, and handle your landlord.
- WEEKS 7–12 · RUN YOUR LIFEPharmacy, bank, SIM and apps, how you feel, and a weekend away, all in Thai.
The first week is free.