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Episode Synopsis "Yuyu's Podcast"
If you’ve been to Thailand or have a Thai friend, you’ve certainly heard of the word “greng-jai”. It’s a Thai word meaning the feeling of not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings. It’s the feeling of consideration. And as far as I’ve studied the English language, I have yet to find a word that means the exact same way. I have always been curious about this, so I thought it’ll be nice to take my time today and discuss it along with you! The word “greng-jai” is tied in with the principal of honesty. Have you ever heard of the phrase “ Honesty is the best policy”? Well, it really is the best policy in the American culture. Articles or articles have talked about how Americans not only think that honesty is about telling the truth. They believe that it is about being real with yourself and others about who you truly are. Therefore, Americans are known to take pride in telling the truth. Now, there is a difference in the Thai culture. People here find importance in satisfying others rather than displaying their true feelings. That’s where the word “greng-jai” comes in. However, the word doesn’t always necessarily mean to satisfy others. It might mean that you don’t want to disturb the other person into doing something for you. Even if they were the ones who offered. Let’s say you’re at your friend’s house, and they offer you a cup of water, instead of saying “Oh, thank you!”, it’ll be a manner for you to say “It’s fine, I “greng-jai””. Now, we can now sort of see the reason behind the need of the word “greng-jai” in the Thai society. Where there is “greng-jai” there shall be “mai-pen-rai”, which means “It’s okay” in Thai. You’d probably hear this word slip off aThai person’s mouth about a hundred times a day. If you offer them help, you’d hear, “Mai-pen-rai, I greng-jai”. If you open the door and hit them right in their face, you’d hear “Mai-pen-rai”. If they bleed after that and you offer them a bandaid, you’d get: “Mai-pen-rai, I greng-jai”. This shows how good Thai people are at covering up their own feelings. To sum up, I’d like to say that, as a Thai person who has lived in Thailand my entire life, Thais are not thieves, cheaters, or liars. They’re just so good following what others want. Well, of course, there are Thai people who are not, just like how there are Americans who believe in the concept of “greng-jai” too. Cover art credit: Louise Zhang ( https://louisezhang.com/ )
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