It’s very interested about words in languages that we speak, for instance words in English and Thai. For Thai people some words in English make them have some hidden smile in their faces if they can’t talk to the people around them. But if they are friends, family some words can make them laugh and as we know laught makes we have a good mental and physical health as well.

Joke in English, means something the we said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, something that is amusing or ridiculous, a matter that need not be taken very seriously, to speak or act in a playful or merry way or to say something in fun or teasing rather than earnest.

In Thai we use this word “Joke” in the same meaning as in English also, but another meaning that Thai use for this word is “a fine rice soup”. Soup that made from rice that has very small grain to make it easy to eat, don’t have to chew too much. So when we want to parallel something that looks like liquid, we say in Thai “เหลวเหมือนโจ๊ก” or “pulpy like a liquid”.

Jim in English means the fifth letter of Arabic alphabet or a male given name. In Thai there is a word that voice similar or almost the same as Jim also. This is a joke about Jim in Thailand. In one organization there are two women work there. One is big woman, another one is small woman. They both have nickname Jim. If anybody talks about them or one of them, or calls them. They have to say like as “Big Jim” or “Jim Yai”(จิ๋มใหญ่) for the big woman and “small Jim” or “Jim Lek” (จิ๋มเล็ก)for the small woman. What is the meaning of Jim in Thai.? Jim in Thai language means small or tiny. But most Thai people know or use this word as the nickname of woman’s private part or organ, same as vagina or pussy in English.

I used to see American restaurant names Jim Pit. I asked my friends, they said that restaurant sale food that made mostly from pork, or welknow about pork dishes. I understand about that, but at that time I thought about Jim in Thai, and Pit in Thai. I kept smile in my face, watched my friends and thought should I tell them about this? Pit in Thai means poison, toxin or venom. In this case if you say “Jim Pit”(จิ๋มพิษ) in Thai, you know what Thai think about? But one thing that we can say about this kind of word like as Jim, we talk or use as polite word not an impolite and when use in a group of friends and family it sounds like a cute word, not profanity at all.

You know what “fun” means? In Thai we have this word that the voice likes this also. Thai language writes this word like this “ฟัน”. So what it means? It means “teeth or tooth” if uses as noun, and when uses as verb this word means a lot like as hack, hew, hit, cut, chop, and mangle. Same word means different depends on how we use in sentence, as we call homograph not homosexual. So if someone say “He fun (ฟัน) her already”. That doesn’t mean that guy hit, hacked, hewed, cuted that girl, but it means that guy slept or had sex with that girl already. May be American slang ‘hit on” means similar like as "fun" (ฟัน) in Thai word.

In English Ruby means a red variety of corundum or gem, something made of this stone, a deep-red port wine. It sounds good and beautiful. In Thai Ruby comes from two words, one is”ru” and another one is “by”, in Thai may spell like as “be”. If you are a man name Ruby, it’s ok, and no problem. But if you are a woman name Ruby. It will be difficult for someone to call you “Miss Ruby”, because word “ru” in Thai means “hole” and “be” means “deformed or distorted”. So this name isn’t good for women.

How about men’s name? John is one of a feverite male given name. Some dictionary says John means the apostle John that believed to be the author of the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the book of Revelation, and also John the Baptist. By slang what “john” means? Yes a toilet or bathroom, a fellow: guy, or a prostitute’s customer. In Thai just “John” is ok to say, noone think too much about that. John or Jon in English pronounce like as “จ้อน” (Jon) in Thai, this word means sideboards. But if you this word pronounce shorter it means male sex’s organs or penis. So if Mr. John is ok, no problem in Thailand. But man whose name like as Johnson; some Thai’s joker will wonder how “son” he is? Because “son”(สั้น) in Thai language means “short”.  

Woman is word we use to identify the female human being distinguished from man. Woman means an adult female person, some use for a wife, a nature, characteristics, or feeling often attributed to women, or womanliness. Plural of this word is women. In Thai we split this word to two words; one is “wo” uses like as “wow”, another word is “men”. We know what “men” means in English?  We put the sign “men” in front of the door of men’s toilet or restroom. And put sign “women” in front of women’s restroom. So what is diiferent about men’s restroom and women’s restroom? Thai Joke says we can tell by walk pass the two restrooms. When we walk pass men’s restroom, it’s just “men”, but when we walk pass women’s restroom. We stop breating and say “wow! men”. Now I have to tell you, “men” (เหม็น) in Thai language means “stink” or “nasty”.