Thailand: The Land of Smiles decoded

Known as the Land of Smiles, Thailand is world-famous for its culture which includes spicy foods, amazing hospitality and exotic practices. But, upon arriving in the kingdom, you may notice that smiles are handed out for almost every situation. If you are thinking that the average person cannot just be that happy about everything, you may be right.

A Thai smile is a subtle form of interpersonal messaging. Hence, it is just more than a smile on someone’s face. In fact, there are at least 13 different smiles that a Thai person may use, with each one having a specific meaning. So, the next time you see a Thai person branding that famously beautiful smile, think again about the context of the situation.

The 13 Thai smiles:

1. The “I am proud of you” smile or yim cheun chom in Thai
2. The “polite” smile for someone you don’t know very well or yim thak thaai in Thai
3. The “I’m so happy I’m crying” smile or yim thang nam taa in Thai
4. The smile which masks something wicked, such as bad intentions or yim mee lessanai in Thai
5. The teasing or “I told you so” smile or yim yaw in Thai
6. The sad smile or yim sao in Thai
7. The “I am the winner” smile, which is given to one’s competitor who has lost or yim cheuad-cheuan in Thai
8. The “I know it is bad, but there is no point in crying” smile or yim yae-yae in Thai
9. The “I disagree with you” smile or yim thak thaan in Thai
10. The “smiling in the face of an impossible struggle” smile or yim soo in Thai
11. The “I’m trying to smile but cannot” smile or yim mai awk in Thai
12. The dry smile, known as the “I owe you money but I don’t have it” smile or yim haeng in Thai
13. The stiff smile, known as the “I should laugh even though it is not funny” smile or fuen yim in Thai

As “yim” means smile in Thai, you may be intimidated after reading through the 13 different types of smiles. And, it is true that it can be quite difficult to decipher which smile is meant for every social situation. As the majority of the smiles that foreigners see flashed at them usually fall into the polite category, remember that each smile was carefully crafted throughout Thai history as a way to diffuse situations and temper confrontation.

Remember that not all smiles are disingenuous or ill-intentioned, rather they are used in almost every situation. This stark contrast to many Western countries may make it feel like Thai smiles are fake, but they are just really that good at choosing the right smile. As Thailand’s culture strives to be one of a “jai yen” or cool heart, the genius behind a Thai smile is evident in that it allows one to express a range of emotions without showing negativity.

Such an attitude towards keeping the peace is quite admirable, and something many ex-pats may choose to adopt even when travelling back to their home countries.