Pescator Posted September 24, 2001 Report Share Posted September 24, 2001 One of the first innovative concepts you come across in a Bar environment is the "Butterfly-thing". A I am not a native english speaker I do not know for sure - although I believe not - if the expression with this particular meaning is used outside of LOS? As far as I am aware the thai equivalent of butterfly "Pee Seua" is not used in the same way or am I wrong here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyfarang Posted September 25, 2001 Report Share Posted September 25, 2001 "Butterfly" is the way Thais will translate: JAO(f)-CHOO(h) which literally means something like "lord of the affair" or "prince of the affair". This has no direct translation but the meaning is very much like "ladies man" or "confirmed bachelor". It sometimes seems that every Thai knows this english word, just as they all know the word "buffalo", but none have ever heard the term "water buffalo" or "bison". PEE-SOOAH(f) is used only for "butterfly, the insect". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2001 Report Share Posted September 25, 2001 Interesting post luckyfarang. When I was first visiting Thailand in the late 70s, all the bar girls I meet used the word papillion, French for butterfly. I presumed that they only translated it to English after more exposure to the language. It was explained to me that it was because we flitted from flower to flower. Thai ladies do like to think of themselves as flowers. Unfortunately my Thai has never been, nor ever will be, sufficient to get a real explanation in Thai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2001 Report Share Posted September 25, 2001 I have used the term here and I was understood. Also if you watch mtv you will notice a song that is aired from time to time which features a beautiful asian girl and the band sings ... come my lady, come, come my lady, you're my butterfly, sugar, baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted September 26, 2001 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2001 quote: Originally posted by luckyfarang: "Butterfly" is the way Thais will translate: JAO(f)-CHOO(h) which literally means something like "lord of the affair" or "prince of the affair". This has no direct translation but the meaning is very much like "ladies man" or "confirmed bachelor". It sometimes seems that every Thai knows this english word, just as they all know the word "buffalo", but none have ever heard the term "water buffalo" or "bison". PEE-SOOAH(f) is used only for "butterfly, the insect". I am familiar with the word Jao Choo. However, this expression indicates that you are cheating on someone. Now I wouldn`t consider "flitting from flower to flower" in a BG environment for cheating, although some BG`s probably would. I agree with LaoHuli in that the national flower by many thais - and farangs alike - is considered to be the thai girls. That`s why I find it kind of peculiar that there isn`t a similar word in thai for "butterfly". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 26, 2001 Report Share Posted September 26, 2001 On my first trip to LOS I was called Butterfly numerous times. On one ocasion a girl I had spent some time with was not available 2 nights in a row but reapeared on the next night trying hard to regain my attention. I then called her a butterfly, to which she retorted and her and her friend laughed. "I not Butterfly, Me hellicopter, I always come back" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 27, 2001 Report Share Posted September 27, 2001 I would equate Butterfly with Jao Choo. To me they are one and the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyfarang Posted September 27, 2001 Report Share Posted September 27, 2001 Hua Nguu wrote: "this expression indicates that you are cheating on someone. Now I wouldn`t consider "flitting from flower to flower" in a BG environment for cheating, although some BG`s probably would." JAO CHOO(h) can mean that you are cheating on someone, or just a "ladies man" flitting from flower to flower. MEE CHOO(h) means you are having an affair, or cheating. There is another word you hear a lot less often, but does not have the cheating connotation: LAAI® JAI idiomatic, no direct translation, Literally "several heart" or "many heart". Used to mean "ladies man" or "the opposite of a one woman man". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted September 27, 2001 Report Share Posted September 27, 2001 jao choo is not necessarily related with cheating. it's the general expression for a womanizer; so also somebody who has not a steady relationship with a woman can be a jao choo. the word for cheating in this sense is nork jai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted October 1, 2001 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2001 quote: Originally posted by samak: jao choo is not necessarily related with cheating. it's the general expression for a womanizer; so also somebody who has not a steady relationship with a woman can be a jao choo. the word for cheating in this sense is nork jai Well, Nork Jai can hardly be a verb, so how can you translate cheating into Nork Jai? I once heard somebody use the expression "Nak Laeng Puu Ying" for womanizer though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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