Jingjok
Slang has a shelf life
sàp wai-rûn
Thai slang moves fast, and using it marks your age as clearly as your clothes. Words like จุงเบย and ชิมิ were everywhere around 2010 and now sound like a parent trying too hard. ปัง has lasted; จึ้ง and ฉ่ำ belong to the early 2020s and may already be fading. Using fresh slang with Thai friends your age is fun and shows you're listening. Using it with your landlord, your boss or an older neighbour can seem odd or disrespectful. A safe rule: understand everything, but use slang only after you've heard your friends use it, with the same people.
Try this today
Next time a Thai friend uses a slang word, ask: ยังฮิตอยู่ไหม (is it still cool)?
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.