Sabaidee ja

[Coss]

In Thai I understand "Sabaidee ja" to be "I am well" and the "ja" to indicate friendship or amity.

 

Is this right?

 

Now, in Laos, am I right in thinking that "Sabaidee" is a greeting like "Hello"? And what is the significance of the "ja" in Laotian?

 

Any help and corrections greatfully received.

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[chuckwoww]

There may be other explanations but 'jao' is actually a way of saying 'you' in Lao and the Isaan dialect. It's become a commonly used suffix.

[Pescator]

Sabaidee Ja in central thai.

The Ja is the informal substitute for the more prevalent "polite particle" Kha. "Ja" indicating familiarity or as you suggest friendship.

 

Sabaidee in Lao can be used both as a greeting and as a farewell.

 

So your understanding was quite accurate.

The "Ja" as a polite particle is used in the same way as in thai, at least in Isan Lao.

Although you will hear "Deerr" used much more often.

Khrap/kha is not used in Lao language.

 

cheers

hua nguu

 

 

 

 

 

[YimSiam]

In Laos, at least to my recollection, they don't go in for all those suffixes, including 'ja'. 'Jao', however, is sometimes used in Lao in a similar way to kaa or khrap in Thai - polite language. Same-same northern Thai (remember the pop song of a couple years ago, 'Sawatdee Jao', by a Chiang Mai girl?). I guess I've just repeated what Chuckwow said...

 

YimSiam

[Coss]

thanks all

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[Flashermac]

Ja is a bug-eyed dark haired cartoon character in Thailand. Obviously, the speaker was mistaking you for him.

 

[preahko]

as far as I know Ja...which one response correctly noted is a more familiar/warmer alternative to khrap/khaa following sawatdee in Thai...does not exist in Lao at all. though it is often used by Isaan Lao speakers, as someone noted, and you could conceivably hear it in Laos since it's an affectation of "sophistication" to throw Thai words into your speech.

 

more likely I'll bet it was "jao," which in Lao is both "polite affirmative response particle" (similar to khrap/khaa) and "you" for those of relatively equal or slightly higher status than yourself.

 

preahko

[Pescator]

Thanks Preahko, cleared up some stuff for me too.

 

cheers

hn

 

[Coss]

Thanks Preahko,

 

though this was written rather than spoken as "Ja" I suppose that the limited English of the writer may have resulted in "Ja" rather than "Jao".

And I suppose "...conceivably hear it in Laos since it's an affectation of "sophistication" to throw Thai words into your speech."

 

Could be right too.

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[Flashermac]

My wife's first language is Kham Muang -- aka Northern Thai, though an educated Lao in Wiengchan told me they call it "Lao Boran". (Don't think the northerners would appreciate that.) Anyway, she uses Ja for me as an affectionate form of kha. Presumably, it is used in the north.