Photo: YashiWong / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Body Words in Kham Mueang: From Head to Foot, with Idioms
Many Kham Mueang words for parts of the body are the same as in central Thai, such as hua (head), pak (mouth) and mue (hand). Others are so different that outsiders cannot guess them: the Khon Mueang call the nose hu dang (รูดังฯ, Kham Mueang reading hu dang), or simply dang. This lesson goes from head to foot through the Moradok Lanna dictionary, then ends with the idioms built from these words.
Head and face
| Kham Mueang | Lanna script | Meaning (from the dictionary) |
|---|---|---|
| hua | ห฿วฯ | head: the part of the body joined to the neck |
| khamom | ขห่มฯอฯม | the crown of the head, the part of the skull near the forehead |
| na phak | ห้นฯาผากฯ | forehead, above the eyebrows |
| kio | คิ้วฯ | eyebrow: the hair above the eye socket |
| ta | ตา | eye: the organ used to see |
| nuai ta | ห่นฯวฯฯตา | eyeball, the eye itself |
| hu | หู | ear: the organ used to hear |
| dang | ดังฯ | nose, e.g. khon dang = nose hair |
| pak | ปากฯ | mouth: used to eat and to speak |
| him pak | ริมฯปากฯ | lips |
| lin | ลิ้นฯ | tongue: the organ in the mouth that tastes |
| khiao | ข้ยฯว | tooth, teeth |
| kang | คาฯงฯ | chin: the part of the face below the mouth |
| na | ห้นฯา | face |
| phom | ผ฿มฯ | hair on the head |
The trunk
| Kham Mueang | Lanna script | Meaning (from the dictionary) |
|---|---|---|
| kho | ฅํอฯ | neck: joins the head to the body |
| ba | บ่าฯ | the part of the body between the neck and the shoulder |
| ok | อ฿กฯ | chest: between the neck and the belly |
| hae | แร้ | armpit (also kao hae) |
| tong | ท้อฯง | belly, stomach |
| sadue | สดื | navel: the hollow in the middle of the belly |
| aeo | แอวฯ | waist |
| lang | หัลฯง | back: the side of the body opposite the chest |
| kon | ก้฿นฯ | bottom: the lower or rear part of people, animals and things |
| nang | หันฯง | skin: what covers the flesh |
| khon | ข฿นฯ | hair on the body |
| khing | ฅิงฯ | the self, the body, e.g. khon khing luk = goosebumps |
Arms and hands
| Kham Mueang | Lanna script | Meaning (from the dictionary) |
|---|---|---|
| khaen | แขนฯ | arm: joined to each shoulder |
| ta sok | ตาสอฯก | elbow |
| ta mue | ตามื | the bones that stick out on both sides of the wrist |
| mue | มื | hand: at the end of the arm, used to hold |
| ngam mue | ง่ามื | the space between the thumb and the index finger |
| nio | นิ้วฯ | finger or toe: five on each hand and foot |
| nio koi | นิ้วฯก้อฯยฯ | little finger |
| lep | เลัปฯ | nail: the hard plate covering the fingertip |
Hands and nails are the heart of the fingernail dance (fon lep): the dancers wear long nails on every finger and move their hands slowly so the nails extend the line of the fingers, as in the photo at the top of this article.
Legs and feet
| Kham Mueang | Lanna script | Meaning (from the dictionary) |
|---|---|---|
| hua khao | ห฿วฯเขั่า | knee: the joint between the upper and lower leg |
| nong | น่อฯง | calf: the back of the lower leg |
| tin | ตีนฯ | foot: the lowest part, for standing and walking |
| son tin | ส้฿นฯตีนฯ | heel |
The dictionary notes that tin is also used for the lowest part of things, such as tin sin, the hem of a sin skirt, and tin doi, the foot of a hill.
Inside the body
| Kham Mueang | Lanna script | Meaning (from the dictionary) |
|---|---|---|
| chai · hua chai | ไจ · ห฿วฯไจ | the heart, and that which knows, feels, thinks |
| tap | ตับฯฯ | liver |
| pot | ปอฯด | lungs |
| maem | แม้มฯ | spleen |
| ba kaeo | บ่าฯแควฯ | kidney (also tai) |
| sai | ไส้ | intestines, between the stomach and the anus |
| kaduk | ระฯกดูก | bone (also khaduk) |
| lueat | เลิอฯด | blood |
| huea | เหิ่อฯอ | sweat |
| nam ta | นาฯตา | tears |
| nam lai | นาฯลายฯ | saliva |
| khi muk | ขี้มูก | nasal mucus |
The cards above collect the words that differ most from central Thai. Try covering the bottom line and guessing the Kham Mueang word.
Idioms from the body
The Khon Mueang describe character in fine detail through the body, especially chai (heart), the mouth, the ears, the eyes and the hands. Every meaning in these tables is from the dictionary.
| Idiom | Lanna script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| chai di | ไจดี | kind-hearted, generous, merciful, slow to anger |
| chai yen | ไจเอยฯันฯ | calm, steady, not quick to lose one's temper |
| chai hon | ไจร้อฯร | hot-tempered, impatient, eager to get things |
| chai noi | ไจห้นฯอฯย | faint-hearted, cowardly |
| chai hoi | ไจห้อฯยฯ | missing someone, longing for them |
| chai sue chai sai | ไจซื่ไจไส | sincere, straightforward, honest |
| Idiom | Lanna script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pak muan | ปากฯม่วฯร | speaks pleasantly, speaks well |
| pak nak | ปากฯหันฯก | says little, does not like to talk |
| pak dai | ปากฯได้ | talks a lot, never stops (also pak dai sai yao) |
| pak wan kon som | ปากฯหวฯานฯก้฿นฯส้฿มฯ | "sweet mouth, sour bottom": words and heart do not match; speaks nicely but thinks the opposite |
| Idiom | Lanna script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hu bao | หู | "light ears": believes easily, without thinking |
| hu phueng | หูผึ่งฯ | ears pricked up: listening with great interest |
| hu na ta muen | หูหนฯาตาหึมฯร | pretends not to know or see, stays indifferent |
| hu woei ta woei | หูเวิยฯตาเวิยฯ | quick ears, quick eyes: keeps up with what is going on |
| ta di | ตาดี | sharp-eyed |
| ta suak | ตาสวฯก | fierce-eyed: eyes that look intimidating |
| Idiom | Lanna script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mue yen | มืเอยฯนฯ | "cool hands": someone whose plants grow well |
| mue yao | มืยาวฯ | "long hands": light-fingered, a thief |
| mue put tin put | มืปุดตีนฯปุด | "hands cut off, feet cut off": nothing left, ruined |
| mue hang tin hang | มืห่างฯตีนฯห่างฯ | clumsy, careless, wasteful |
| mue muean nguang chang noi | มืเหิมฯอฯรงวฯงช้างฯห้นฯอฯ | "hands like a baby elephant's trunk": fidgety hands that touch everything |
The easiest idiom to remember is probably mue yen. The dictionary explains that someone whose plants grow well is called khon mue yen, and someone whose plants rarely thrive is called the opposite, mue hon ("hot hands").
Summary
- Many body words are the same as central Thai, but some are very different: dang/hu dang (nose), kang (chin), khiao (tooth), ta sok (elbow), hae (armpit).
- Internal organs have their own Kham Mueang names, such as maem (spleen) and ba kaeo (kidney).
- Beware of look-alikes with different meanings, such as khaeng (to tease) and sapok (gunpowder).
- Chai, the mouth, ears, eyes and hands make many idioms about character, such as chai hoi, pak wan kon som, hu bao and mue yen.
Look up more body words in the Moradok Lanna dictionary (in Thai), learn family words next in Kham Mueang family and address words, or read about the dancers' hand movements in Lanna dance.
See the whole set of dictionary vocabulary articles at Vocabulary from the dictionary (in Thai).
