YAI NIN x THAIPFACE
Through typographic form and motion design, Thaipface is a virtual sketchbook run by seven overseas Thai creatives exploring their relationship with the motherland through the lens of design.
We partnered with Thaipface to create a series of animated type explorations of the Thai language in our film. Click each animation for an English description of the Thai phrase. Posctards of this series are available at YAI NIN SHOP. All proceeds of the postcards will go towards COVID relief in Thailand.
ตายาย (Ta-Yai) means the parents of your parents, and in this case, your mother’s parents to be exact. Thai grandparents of our generation were usually too busy (bless their heart for their hard work, truly!) to provide proper emotional support for our moms as kids, so we are their golden second chance. ตายาย know best when it comes to spoiling us. They always have the best stories of our mother’s perfect shenanigans. We likely have learned from them that our moms were once reckless too, and that in a way, helped us see our mothers more as human. They also give the best snacks and the warmest hugs. Please don’t ever forget to tell your ตายาย you love them!
ตายาย (Ta-Yai)
ไหว้จ้าวตี้ (Wai-Jao-Tee) means to worship the guardian of the land. Thais believe that every house and every piece of land has a guardian angel/deity watching over them. To honor the angels, we build tiny houses for them to live in (ศาลพระภูมิ). Each household has their specific ไหว้จ้าวตี้ routine. On some special occasion, us Thais go all out with a boiled pig head as the main offering. We’re honestly not sure if the angels are actually fond of the boiled pig head or whether they really exist to have a say in any of this. But one thing for sure, this belief of the house spirit definitely makes people more mindful and reflective of their action; hence fostering a more harmonic living situation for all!
ไหว้จ้าวตี้ (Wai-Jao-Tee)
อารมณ์ดี (a-rom-dee) means to be in a good mood. Here’s the question of the day: what can put you ‘in a good mood’? Let’s make a list! First of all, we think it’s universal to say that food is the shining star in this category, so let’s just put THAT down. 😋 Well, if you’re Thai, or you’ve tried naem, and want it on the list. We wouldn’t mind, so just go ahead! 😉 No, no, don’t say coffee. Hunny, you know you deserve better than that. A trip to Chiang Mai? A THOUSAND YES! Oh, or how about something else that is safer and requires a lower budget under this pandemic, yet will still deliver a similar amount of dopamine? Alright, go get yourself a bag of popcorn and your fav blankie ‘cause WE ARE WATCHING THE YAININ DOC!” All jokes and shameless plugs aside, we believe that everybody deserves to have อารมณ์ดี. And no one can take care of your mood the way you can, so it’s really important that you know what make you feel good and what’s not!
อารมณ์ดี (a-rom-dee)
กระโดกกระดาก (kra-dok-krap-daak) is a Thai northern term (Kam-Mueang) means too loud, too confident, too comfortable with what you wear, too much personality, too little manners, hair too pink, eating too fast, simply too white washed; or in short, you are just not good enough for your Asian elders.
If you’ve spent any time abroad, being ‘กระโดกกระดาก’ is usually the first impression you get from your thai elders. To be fair, it’s really just the cultural difference. If you have been raised outside the traditional thai environment, there are no ways you can fulfill all the impossible traditional expectations around you. Our advice is to just be patient and open minded. Learn about their past and tell them about your present and future! Communicate! They usually— actually— love you too much to act against you for too long! Rock on my กระโดกกระดาก babies!
กระโดกกระดาก (kra-dok-krap-daak)
แหนม (Naem) means Sour Pork. It was another busy day at work, you glad it was over. On the way home, you walked past this small barbecue stall. It was smoky all over from the tiny but (very) efficient homemade grilling station in the back. Came with the smoke was a distinct and familiar smell that made you gasp. Upon seeing you, the owner smiled and asked, ‘boy do you want some grilled naem?’ You heard it all before. ‘Do you want some grilled naem?’ The same question that was often asked by your grandmother. She made the best naem in town. The fermented sausage that she knew you loved so much is made from pork, pork skins, and cooked sticky rice, flavoured with salt, sugar, fresh garlic and Thai chilies. She often reassured you how she always uses “the best quality pork!” Naem can be eaten raw, but you know you love it grilled! That crispy crust on the outside and juicy meat on the inside. You couldn’t get enough of it. ‘Eat some more, so you’ll grow faster,’ she’d say. ‘That’s 50 baht! Thank you! Thank you!’ said the lady owner as you were paying her for the two grilled naems. You took a bite right away and the taste brought back all the memories. ‘Almost perfect.’ You said to yourself. You missed home.
แหนม (Naem)
สบายอกสบายใจ (Sabai-Og-Sabai-Jai) directly translates to having a comfort in the chest and a comfort in the heart. Because nobody wants a piece of me, they just want ‘a peace of mind’ (yes it rhymes and don’t pretend like you have no love for Ms. Britney #FreeBritney)! There is this intrinsic need as a Thai to maintain a sense of สบายอกสบายใจ on the daily, so much so that we (ironically) overdose on ละคร (soap-opera), and low-key construct our own dramas just so that we can overcome them and gain that sense of mental clarity. Our ที่รัก beloved Thai parents, aunties and uncles also love to tell us to ทำอะไรที่สบายใจเถอะลูก (do whatever brings comfort to your heart), when we are in a distress mode. Yes, contradicting popular stereotypes, these Thai elders actually (well secretly) do care about our mental wellbeing too you guys!
สบายอกสบายใจ (Sabai-Og-Sabai-Jai)
ละแต่บ่ทิ้ง (La-Tae-Bor-Ting) is a Thai Northern term (Kam-Mueang) directly translates to ‘let it be, but don’t let it go.’ Allow us to explain. Have you heard of the ‘circle of control’ theory? It’s kindna like that. There are things and matters in life that no matter how much you care about, you will only have so much control over it. For a peace of mind, all you can really do is to watch over it from a distance, while carefully acknowledging their existence, putting them in your thoughts and prayers, and letting them be. The main concept here is to give that precious thing room to grow in its own unique way. This could be in the context of your loved ones who live so so far away or it could also be the job applications you’ve been sending out the past months, or the melting ice cream cone in your hand as you are taking a walk in the hot Thai summer. You don’t have to let it go, but honni you just gotta let it be.
ละแต่บ่ทิ้ง (La-Tae-Bor-Ting)
ห่วง (Huang) means to care and/or to worry in an emotional context; and a ring, when the context is about shape and material.
And the language just makes sense, allow us to explain:
Let’s say you care about someone. You’d likely do a bunch of nice things for them. You will in return, radiate rays of positive light that will eventually turn into a gleaming halo above your body. Which is cute and all until you start caring a lil too much and you overwhelmed yourself with worries. That’s when the halo started to grow so big that it can no longer float over you. The ring would then fall down on you and cage your existence. Congrats, you have now successfully suffocated yourself with the emotional burdens you’ve created in the very first place.
We think the moral of this story is (1) to learn how to balance the fine line between caring and worrying, (2) a ring is a tricky shape, and (3) Thai language is awesome!
ห่วง (Huang)
ครอบครัว (Krob-Krua) means family. It can’t be a coincidence that the word ครัว (Krua), kitchen, is found in this word. A family feeds each other, grows together, feasts in celebration, and nurtures the weaker ones. Families are sometimes dysfunctional and fragile like porcelain. And regardless of their distance from us (culturally and geographically), it is a tie that is beyond bloodline.
ครอบครัว (Krob-Krua)
ความสุข (kwam-sook) means happiness. What is happiness? There’re so many models and theories. An old Thai wisdom’s take on the concept is that ‘happiness is the delight you feel from being fully present.’ We think there is truth to that. To us, happiness comes from embracing your inner power and truth (สติ) from being fully awake and present. The power of hope, knowing that no matter how bad life seems to be, you have the very ability to make it better. Could this be what Khun Yainin held on to when she lost her husband? We don’t know. We have never met Yainin in person, but we bet that if we were to ask her what makes her happy…she’d say something along the line of “seeing her loved ones happy makes her happy.”
ความสุข (kwam-sook)
ถูกใจแต้ (Thook-Chai-Tae) is a Thai Northern term (Kam-Mueang) means Me Likey, gawd I’m loving this, like seriously, I’m a big fan, it is perfect, this is WICKED, I adore it so much, this is so fantastic. it appeals to me and the greater mass, I can’t get enough of it, I’m crazy about it, this is SICK, I’m obsessed, I’m all about it, and I like it so much very much right now!…Or if this list is too long for you, just say it in the Thai way: “Cuz it is all totally ถูกใจแต้” nakaaaa.” We really can’t see the difference.
ถูกใจแต้ (Thook-Chai-Tae)
เป็นหนุ่มเป็นสาว (Pen-noom-pen-sow) is a Thai Northern term (Kam-Mueang) for adulthood. Upon seeing the once-a-small-curious-lil-bean turned a strong and purposeful individual, your elders would say to you: “เป็นหนุ่มสาวแล้ว!” Yes! You’re all grown up bb! This phrase is often used along with a set of emotions and narratives, including surprise, excitement, joyfulness, pride, relief, the ‘she finally folds her own underwear,’ the ‘when is he getting married,’ and the ‘I MUST help plan the wedding asap!’ It do be like that sometimes. For many elders, we have always been their lil tea cups, until one day, they asked: “when are you starting a family?” Wait what, grandmaaa (khun yaiiiiii)?!! Well, we can’t really blame them, because in their days, many of them went from childhood to adulthood by getting married. They don’t get to experience college, the whole Eat Pray Love fantasy, and the building a career phase of life. We suggest you just squeeze their hands three times, smile, and keep roaring in your forever 21 attitude!
เป็นหนุ่มเป็นสาว (Pen-noom-pen-sow)