Thailand culture

Thailand has a long history with long and refined cultures and traditions. It is known as a country of grace and pride. Thailand's leaders have worked to make sure that the unique way of living, Thai personality, Thai language and Thai tradition will continue to hold value in the hearts of its citizens.

Thailand culture & The way of living.

Thailand is a male-dominated society. Males are the leaders of the household and expect to do all outdoor jobs and heavy tasks while a woman most often tends to chores and the children.

Thailand culture & Thai Personality

Thai people are generally shy, curious and do not like to show their feelings. You will never come across a more tolerant race. Thais are known to wear a permanent smile on their face.

However, there are some aspects of the Thai personality that are sure to catch any foreigner off-guard. Although Thai people generally avoid personal conflict and are people pleasers, Thai people are very open when discussing a person's physical characteristics. Thais have no problem telling foreigners they are ‘beautiful' or ‘fat', have a pimple or a nice nose. Some foreigners are easily offended by such comments, but remember to take everything with a grain of salt. If you come to Thailand and don't get told you are fat (whether you are or not!), then you haven't had the full Thai experience!

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Thailand culture & Culture shock

All of the above explanations could provide some idea about Thailand's culture. When you travel here, you must bear in mind that the local people are different from you. It is normal if you see differences on your trip, starting from the spoken language, and body language.

Although Thailand has its own language ( Click to see about Thai language ) , more of the new generation can now speak English as their second language. Be patient, and remember that of course they can never speak like native speakers. There are some alphabets which are used in English but not in Thai, e.g. L, R, SH, CH, TH. For example, if your name is Ryan, you will most likely often be referred to as “Lyan” or if it is Shauna, you may be known as “Chauna”. Therefore, it is better to speak slowly with a smile in order to make the conversation go smoothly.

Body Language is another aspect to consider when discussing Thailand's culture. As for body language, you have to be cautious. Calling someone by hand gesture or pointing fingers at someone is socially taboo. You can study about the Do's and don'ts or you can ask your tour guide to highlight some of the key differences in culture to avoid the culture shock.

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