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"Kee" This and "Kee" That


gawguy

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Could someone spell "bon" as in "kee bon" in Thai, please.

 

I can sort of read Thai and it's usually clearer to me when I get it both ways. "kee bon" is especially interesting.

 

Thanks for all the responses. Most instructive as always!

 

GG

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"Does "kee" have a particular meaning on its own. (besides "feces" which I'm sure is spelled/pronouced differently.)"

 

Same spelling, same pronunciation.

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and even some more..

 

As stated these are adjectival phrases for people that show a propensity or inclination towards something..

 

kee-giat = lazy

kee-yah = drug-addicted

kee-sanook = pleasure-happy

kee-klahd = cowardly

kee-ooad = show-off, boastful.

kee-sao = sleepy-headed

kee-paa = being a bad loser

kee-songsai = suspicious..

kee-heung = jealous (but not envious..), as in relationship..

kee-leum = forgetful

 

There are many more, but these are among the most common ones heard. These are all adjective forms... there are many noun forms too with 'kee' as a pre-fix mostly pertaining to waste of one kind or another..

 

eg.

kee-mook = snot

kee-hoo = earwax

kee-dta = sleep from eyes..

kee-buri = cigarette ash.. (not to be confused with 'kia buri" which is the action of ashing a cigarette)

kee-fun = food particles stuck between your teeth.

 

FF

 

 

 

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A few weeks ago at our wat, one of the new monks was asking another about me (I was eating at a table in front of them, decked out in my riding gear), and the 2nd monk said, "kow bpen kee mo-to-sy"...

 

"kee" in this sense means to like or to be fond of doing something as, in my case, riding motorbikes.

 

Some others I've heard:

 

kee duuht - stingy b_stard (no, the term has nothing to do with the backside hehe)

kee go-hohk - lying sack of doo-doo (pun intended lol)

kee kwee - playful (talk) or to talk big

 

BTW, you're incorrect in assuming the word for feces is spelled/pronounced differently. In thai, kee to take a crap is the primary meaning of the word. The secretion and/or fondness for doing certain things are secondary. Each meaning is spelled the same, with the tone marker "mai-toh" off to the right above the "sa-ra-ee".

 

Since we're on language, this from Easy Thai, An Introduction to the Thai Language, by Gordon H. Allison,

 

"If you don't already know the reason why tones are necessary in Thai, it is of course mainly because there are so many monosyllabic words with the same sound (to western ears); the tones serve to distinguish clearly between the varying meanings of such words. In Thai, therefore, a tone is an integral part of a word, giving the word its unmistakable meaning (whether there is a written tone mark or not)."

 

 

 

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Says pjacktpa:

"kow bpen kee mo-to-sy"...

 

"kee" in this sense means to like or to be fond of doing something as, in my case, riding motorbikes.


I think you misheard there because the sentence doesn't make sense. I think the monk said "kow bpai kee motosy" -'he went riding motorcyles' The 'kee' in this sentence being the verb 'to ride'

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Yes, echoing Markle's comments..

Also the 'kee' in this example (¢Õè) is spelled and pronounced differently - with a low tone as opposed to a falling tone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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With all due respects, fellas...

 

My understanding of "kow bpai..." is the sense of "I'm going off to do this or that". In this situation, I had just settled down to a heaping bowl of gwee thee-oh and wasn't going anywhere.

 

My bad - I should've given you a better picture. The new monk was curious as to my colorful garb; a Spidi 1-piece riding suit that you never see except for on the track. I'm sure his question to the other monk was along the lines of. "Why is he dressed up like that?", hence the response of "bpen kee moto-sy", or, "the guy...he's crazy about bikes."

 

Although my back was to them, I nonetheless was only a few feet away from the table where the monks were sitting. I heard every word clear as a bell. And he definitely didn't say "kow bpai".

 

About the spelling and pronounciation, this is indeed strange. My 1,000 page language bible, A Junior Thai-English Dictionary, by Kh. Tianchai Iamworamate, shows "kee" being the word for both meanings. BUT, and I've heard the word used a zillion times, "kee" as in "bpai kee" is high and stretched out, while "bpen kee" this or that, the "kee" is said swftly in a mid or low tone.

 

Go figure. :dunno:

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