© Lonely Planet Publications 513
Language CONTENTS Khmer Lao Mandarin Chinese Thai Vietnamese
513 516 518 521 523
This language guide offers useful words and phrases for basic communication in the five main languages spoken in the regions covered by this book. For more comprehensive coverage of these languages we recommend Lonely Planet phrasebooks: the Southeast Asia Phrasebook for Khmer, Lao, Thai and Vietnamese, and the Mandarin Phrasebook for Chinese.
KHMER PRONUNCIATION The pronunciation guide below covers the trickier parts of the transliteration system used in this chapter. It uses the Roman alphabet to give the closest equivalent to the sounds of the Khmer language. The best way to improve your pronunciation is to listen carefully to native speakers. Vowels and diphthongs with an h at the end should be pronounced hard and aspirated (with a puff of air). aa a, ah i uh ii ei eu euh oh ow u uu
as the ‘a’ in ‘father’ shorter and harder than aa as in ‘kit’ as the ‘u’ in ‘but’ as the ‘ee’ in ‘feet’ a combination of uh and ii above like saying ‘oo’ while keeping the lips spread flat rather than rounded as eu above; pronounced short and hard as the ‘o’ in ‘hose’; pronounced short and hard as in ‘glow’ as the ‘u’ in ‘flute’; pronounced short and hard as the ‘oo’ in ‘zoo’
ohm am oam eah ih eh awh oah aw
The final ‘v’ is not pronounced. as the ‘ome’ in ‘home’ as the ‘um’ in ‘glum’ a combination of ‘o’ and ‘am’ combination of ‘e’ and ‘ah’; pronounced short and hard as the ‘ee’ in ‘teeth’; pronounced short and hard as the ‘a’ in ‘date’; pronounced short and hard as the ‘aw’ in ‘jaw’; pronounced short and hard a combination of ‘o’ and ‘ah’; pronounced short and hard as the ‘aw’ in ‘jaw’
Consonants Khmer uses some consonant combinations that may sound rather bizarre to Western ears and be equally difficult for Western tongues, eg ‘j-r’ in j’rook (pig), or ‘ch-ng’ in ch’ngain (delicious). For ease of pronunciation, in this guide these types of consonants are separated with an apostrophe. k kh ng
j ch ny t th
as the ‘g’ in ‘go’ as the ‘k’ in ‘kind’ as the ‘ng’ in ‘sing’; a difficult sound for Westerners to emulate. Practise by repeating ‘singingnging-nging-nging’ until you can say ‘nging’ clearly. as in ‘jump’ as in ‘cheese’ as in ‘canyon’ a hard, unaspirated ‘t’ sound with no direct equivalent in English. Similar to the ‘t’ in ‘stand’. as the ‘t’ in ‘two’, never as the ‘th’ in ‘thanks’
LANGUAGE
Vowels
ua as the ‘ou’ in ‘tour’ uah as ua above; pronounced short and hard aa-œ a tricky one that has no English equivalent; like a combination of aa and œ œ as ‘er’ in ‘her’, but more open eua combination of eu and a as ‘ee-ya’; like the ‘ee’ in ‘beer’ without the ‘r’ ia e as in ‘they’ ai as in ‘aisle’ ae as the ‘a’ in ‘cat’ ay as ai above, but slightly more nasal ey as in ‘prey’ ao as the ‘ow’ in ‘cow’ av no English equivalent; sounds like a very nasal ao. The final ‘v’ is not pronounced. euv no English equivalent; sounds like a very nasal eu.
514 K H M E R • • A c c o m m o d a t i o n
p ph r w
a hard, unaspirated ‘p’ sound, as the final ‘p’ in ‘puppy’ as the ‘p’ in ‘pond’, never as ‘f’ as in ‘rum’, but hard and rolling, with the tongue flapping against the palate. In rapid conversation it is often omitted entirely. as in ‘would’. Contrary to the common transliteration system, there is no equivalent to the English ‘v’ sound in Khmer.
sahnthaakia/ohtail (thaok) neuv ai naa?
sN½aKar/GUEtl(efak)enAäNa?
Do you have a room?
G~kmanbnÃb'TMeneT?
tM«lmYy«f©bu"nμan?
samruhp pii niak
with a bathroom dail mian bantohp tuhk
with a fan dail mian dawnghahl
with a window dail mian bawng-uit
te
Please. sohm
Thank you. xMƬsMubnÃb' ùùù
aw kohn
Excuse me/I’m sorry. sohm toh
sMrab'mYynak'
Hi. How are you?
sMrab'BIrnak'
I’m fine.
EdlmanbnÃb'Twk Edlmankgúar Edlmanbgíçc
CONVERSATION & ESSENTIALS Forms of Address
The Khmer language reflects the social standing of the speaker and subject through various personal pronouns and ‘politeness words’. These range from the simple baat for men and jaa for women, placed at the end of a sentence, meaning ‘yes’ or ‘I agree’, to the very formal and archaic Reachasahp or ‘Royal language’, a separate vocabulary reserved for addressing the King and very high officials. Many of the pronouns are determined on the basis of the subject’s age and sex in relation to the speaker. Foreigners are not expected to know all of these forms. The easiest and most general personal pronoun is niak (you), which may be used in most situations, with either sex. Men of your age or older may be called lowk (Mister). Women of your age or older can
niak sohk sabaay te? kh’nyohm sohk sabaay
Where are you going?
CMrabsYr/sYs¶I lasinehIy CYbK~a«f©e¨kay VT cas eT sUm GrKuN sMueTas G~ksuxsbºayeT? xMƬsuxsbºay
Does any one here speak English? tii nih mian niak jeh phiasaa awngle te?
TIenHmanG~kecHPasaGg'eKÂseT?
I don’t understand.
kh’nyohm muhn yuhl te/kh’nyohm s’dap muhn baan te
xMƬminyl'eT/xMƬs¶ab'minVneT
DIRECTIONS phleuv naa teuv ..?
Is it far? wia neuv ch’ngaay te?
Is it near here? wia neuv juht nih te?
Go straight ahead. teuv trawng
Turn left. bawt ch’weng
Turn right. bawt s’dam
K H M E R • • E m e r g e n c i e s 515
EMERGENCIES – KHMER Help!
juay kh’nyohm phawng! CYyxMƬpg!
Call a doctor!
juay hav kruu paet mao! CYyehA¨KUeBT´mk!
Call the police!
juay hav polih mao!
niak teuv naa? G~keTANa? (a very common question used when meeting people, even strangers; an exact answer isn’t necessary)
How can I get to ...?
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pÂèvNaeTA ùùù? vaenAq©ayeT? vaenACitenHeT? eTA¨tg' bt'eqÃg bt's¶S
Where are the toilets?
CYyehAb"UlIsmk!
bawngkohn neuv ai naa? bgðn'enAäNa?
pii bei buan bram bram muy bram pii/puhl bram bei bram buan dawp dawp muy dawp pii dawp bram muy m’phei m’phei muy saamsuhp saisuhp muy roy
muy lian
mYy
I’m looking for the ... kh’nyohm rohk ...
Where is a/the ... ... neuv ai naa?
bank th’niakia
market p’saa
police station poh polih/ s’thaanii nohkohbaal
post office praisuhnii
public telephone turasahp saathiaranah
public toilet bawngkohn saathiaranah
How much is it? nih th’lay pohnmaan?
That’s too much. th’lay pek
What time is it?
bYn
today
¨VMmYy
tomorrow
¨VMbI
Monday
¨VM
¨VMBIr
eileuv nih maong pohnmaan? th’ngay nih th’ngay s’aik
th’ngay jahn
¨VMbYn
Tuesday
db'mYy
Wednesday
db'¨VMmYy
Thursday
db'
db'BIr «m¸
«m¸mYy
samsib Essib mYyry
mYylan
xMƬrk ùùù ùùù enAäNa? FnaKar mnÃIreBT´ p§ar b"s‘b"UlIs/
sÄanIynKrVl «¨bsNIy TUrs&BÃsaFarNî bgðn'saFarNî
enH«fÂb"unμan? «fÂeBk
TIME & DAYS
BIr bI
mYyBan'
SHOPPING & SERVICES
mohntii paet
Khmers count in increments of five. Thus, after reaching the number five (bram), the cycle begins again with the addition of one, ie ‘five-one’ (bram muy), ‘five-two’ (bram pii) and so on to 10, which begins a new cycle. This system is a bit awkward at first (for example, 18, which has three parts: 10, five and three) but with practice it can be mastered. You may be confused by a colloquial form of counting that reverses the word order for numbers between 10 and 20 and separates the two words with duhn: pii duhn dawp for 12, bei duhn dawp for 13, bram buan duhn dawp for 19 and so on. This form is often used in markets, so listen keenly. muy
muy poan
1,000,000
hospital
NUMBERS & AMOUNTS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 16 20 21 30 40 100
1000
th’ngay ahngkia th’ngay poht th’ngay prohoah
Friday th’ngay sohk
Saturday th’ngay sav
Sunday th’ngay aatuht
²LèvenHem"agbu"nμan? «f©enH «f©Esík «f©cnà «f©Ggðar «f©BuF «f©¨Bhsºti_ «f©su¨k «f©esAr_ «f©GaTit´
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
juab kh’nia th’ngay krao-y
No.
damlay muy th’ngay pohnmaan?
for two people
See you later. baat (used by men) jaa (used by women)
How much is it per day?
samruhp muy niak
lia suhn hao-y
Yes.
niak mian bantohp tohmne te?
for one person
Hello. Goodbye.
Where is a (cheap) hotel?
kh’nyohm sohm bantohp ...
be called bawng srei (older sister) or for more formal situations, lowk srei (Madam). Bawng is a good informal, neutral pronoun for men or women who are (or appear to be) older than you. For third person, male or female, singular or plural, the respectful form is koat and the common form is ke. johm riab sua/sua s’dei
ACCOMMODATION
I’d like a room ...
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516 L A O • • P r o n u n c i a t i o n
TRANSPORT
Consonants
What time does the ... leave?
... jein maong pohnmaan? ùùù ecjem"agb"unμan?
boat
TÍk
duk
bus laan ch’nual
train roht plœng
plane yohn hawh/k’pal hawh
airport wial yohn hawh
bus station
LanQ~çl rfePÂIg yn¶ehê/kV"lehê valyn¶ehê
kuhnlaing laan ch’nual kEnÂgLanQ~çl
bus stop
jamnawt laan ch’nual
train station s’thaanii roht plœng
cMNtLanQ~çl sÄanIyrfePÂIg
LAO PRONUNCIATION as in ‘it’ as in ‘feet’ or ‘tea’ as in ‘aisle’ long ‘a’ as in ‘father’ half as long as aa above as the ‘a’ in ‘bad’ or ‘tab’ as the ‘a’ in ‘hate’ as the ‘u’ in ‘fur’ as the ‘i’ in ‘sir’ as in ‘flute’ as in ‘food’ as the ‘a’ in ‘father’ + the ‘i’ in ‘pipe’ as in ‘now’ or ‘cow’ as in ‘jaw’ as in ‘phone’ as in ‘toe’ diphthong of ‘eu’ and ‘a’ as the ‘i-a’ sound in ‘Ian’ as the ‘u-a’ sound in ‘tour’ ‘u-ay-ee’ ‘i-oo’ (as in ‘yew’) a triphthong of ‘ee-a-oo’ as the ‘a’ in ‘bad’ + ‘w’ as the ‘a’ in ‘care’ + ‘w’ same as ehw above, but shorter (not as in ‘yew’) ‘oe-i’ as the ‘oy’ in ‘boy’ ‘oh-i’
Transliterated consonants are mostly pronounced as per their English counterparts (the exceptions are listed below). An ‘aspirated’ consonant is produced with no audible puff of air. An ‘unvoiced’ or ‘voiceless’ consonant is produced with no vibration in the vocal chords. k kh ng j ny t th p ph
as the ‘k’ in ‘skin’; similar to the ‘g’ in ‘good’, but unaspirated and unvoiced as the ‘k’ in ‘kite’ as in ‘sing’; used as an initial consonant in Lao similar to ‘j’ in ‘join’ or more closely, the second ‘t’ in ‘stature’ or ‘literature’ (unaspirated and unvoiced) as in ‘canyon’; used as an initial consonant in Lao a hard ‘t’, unaspirated and unvoiced – a bit like ‘d’ as in ‘tip’ a hard ‘p’ (unaspirated and unvoiced) ‘p’ as in ‘put’, never as ‘f’
dįi (good) – low tone; produced at the relative bottom of your conversational tonal range – usually flat level het (do) – mid tone; flat like the low tone, but spoken at the relative middle of the speaker’s vocal range. No tone mark is used heúa (boat) – high tone; flat again, but at the relative top of your vocal range sǎam (three) – rising tone; begins a bit below the mid tone and rises to just at or above the high tone sâo (morning) – high falling tone; begins at or above the high tone and falls to the mid level khào (rice) – low falling tone; begins at about the mid level and falls to the level of the low tone
ACCOMMODATION ... yùu sǎi?
camping ground born dâng kêm
guesthouse héu-an pak
hotel hóhng háem
Help!
... μøÈæ? ®Èº−ª˜¤À£˜´ À»õº−²ñ¡ »¤Á»´
§È¸¨Á©È!
suay dae!
Go away!
įÀ©š!
pąi dôe!
I’m lost.
¢Éº¨¹ìܤ꾤
khàwy lǒng tháang
Where are the toilets?
¹Éº¤¦É¸´μÈøæ?
hàwng sùam yuu sǎi?
Call a doctor! suay tąam hǎa mǎw hài dae! §È¸¨ª¾´¹¾Ï ðùÉÁ©È!
Call the police!
suay ôen tam-lùat dae! §È¸¨Àºš$ª¿¹ì¸©Á©È!
Do you have a ...? double room
Lao is a tonal language, whereby many identical phonemes are differentiated only by tone (changes in the pitch of a speaker’s voice). The word sao, for example, can mean ‘girl’, ‘morning’, ‘pillar’ or ‘twenty’, depending on the tone. Pitch variations are relative to the speaker’s, natural vocal range, so that one person’s low tone isn’t necessarily the same pitch as another person’s.
L A O • • E m e r g e n c i e s 517
EMERGENCIES – LAO
jôw míi ... wâhng baw?
Tones
Where’s a ...?
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hàwng náwn tǐang khuu
single room hàwng náwn tǐang diaw
How much is it per ...? ... thao dąi?
night khéun-la
person khón-la
bathroom hàwng nâm
toilet sùam
À¥í¾´ó ... ¹¸È¾¤®Ò? ¹Éº¤−º−ª¼¤£øÈ ¹Éº¤−º−ª¼¤©È¼¸ ... Àꉾé? £õ−ì½ £ö−ì½ ¹Éº¤$Õ ¦É¸´
CONVERSATION & ESSENTIALS Greetings/Hello. sábąai-dǐi
Goodbye. (general farewell) sábąai-dǐi
Goodbye. (person leaving) láa kawn pąi kawn Goodbye. (person staying) sǒhk dǐi (lit: good luck)
See you later. phop kąn mai
Thank you. khàwp jąi
Thank you very much. khàwp jąi lǎi lǎi
Excuse me. khǎw thǒht
¦½®¾¨©ó ¦½®¾¨©ó 쾡Ⱥ$į¡Èº$ ¦¡©ó °Ü®¡ñ$ÃÏÈ ¢º®Ã¥
How are you?
¦½®¾¨©ó®ð?
sábąai-dǐi baw?
I’m fine.
¦½®¾¨©ó
sábąai-dǐi
And you? jâo dêh?
Can you speak English? jâo pàak pháasǎa ąngkít dâi baw?
I don’t understand. baw khào jąi
À¥í¾À©É? À¥í¾¯¾¡²¾¦¾ºñ¤¡ò©Ä ©É®ƒ? ®ƒÀ¢í¾Ã¥
NUMBERS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 20 21 22 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 200 1000 10,000 100,000
¦ø$
sǔun
$‡¤
neung
¦º¤
sǎwng
¦¾´
sǎam
¦†
sii
¹É¾
hàa
¹Ü¡
hók
À¥ñ©
jét
Á¯©
pàet
À¡í¾
kâo
¦ò®
síp
¦ò®Àºñ©
síp-ét
¦ò®¦º¤
síp-sǎwng
§¾¸
sáo
§¾¸Àºñ©
sáo-ét
§¾¸¦º¤
sáo-sǎwng
¦¾´¦ò®
sǎam-síp
¦†¦ò®
sii-síp
¹É¾¦ò®
hàa-síp
¹Ü¡¦ò®
hók-síp
À¥ñ©¦ò®
jét-síp
Á¯©¦ò®
pàet-síp
À¡í¾¦ò®
kâo-síp
»Éº¨
hâwy
¦º¤»Éº¨
sǎwng hâwy
²ñ$
phán meun (síp-phán) sǎen (hâwy phán)
¢º®Ã¥¹ì¾¨Å
SHOPPING & SERVICES
¢ðÂê©
... yùu sǎi?
Where is the ...?
ψ$(¦ò®²ñ$)
Á¦$(»Éº¨²ñ$)
... μÈøæ?
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
Vowels i ii ai aa a ae eh oe eu u uu aai ao aw o oh eua ia ua uay iu iaw aew ehw ew oei awy ohy
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518 MA N D A R I N C H I N E S E • • P r o n u n c i a t i o n
I’m looking for (the) ... khàwy sâwk hǎa ...
bank thanáakháan
hospital hóhng mǎw
pharmacy hâan khǎai yąa
post office pąi-sá-níi (hóhng sǎai)
public toilet hòrng nâm să-ta-là-nà
telephone thóhlasáp
How much (for) ...? ... thao dąi?
The price is very high. láakháa pháeng lǎai
¢Éº¨§º¡¹¾ ... ê½$¾£¾$ »¤Ïð »É¾$¢¾¨μ¾ į¦½$ó (»¤¦¾¨) ¹Éº¤−Õ¦¾ê¾ì½−½ Âê콦ñ® ... Àꉾé? ì¾£¾Á²¤¹ì¾¨
wáir-láh ják móhng
At what time? dorn ják móhng
At ... dorn ...
today mêu nîi
tomorrow mêu eun
Monday wán jąn wán ąngkháan
Wednesday wán phut
Thursday wán phahát
Friday wán súk
Saturday wán sǎo
Sunday wán ąathit
héua
bus lot
héua bǐn
ìÜ©ªøÉ À»õº®òò$
What time (do we, does it, etc) arrive there? já pai hâwt phûn ják móhng?
Where is the ...? ... yùu sǎi?
airport doen bǐn
bus station sathǎanii lot pájąm tháang
bus stop bawn jàwt lot pájąm tháang
khàwy yàak pąi ...
Go straight ahead. pąi seu-seu
ªº−¥ñ¡Â´¤?
How far?
ªº− ...
near/not near
´œ$š
far/not far
´œºˆ$
kąi thao dąi? kâi/baw kâi kąi/baw kąi
Turn ... ¸ñ$¥ñ$ ¸ñ$ºñ¤£¾$ ¸ñ$²÷©
¥½Ä¯»º©²É÷$¥ñ¡Â´¤?
lîaw ...
left sâai
right
... μÈøæ? À©†$®ò$ ¦½ç¾$óìÜ©¯½¥¿ê¾¤ ®Èº$¥º©ìÜ©¯½¥¿ê¾¤
Wǒ yào zhǎo ...
áÉ/®ƒÃ¡É
hostel
Ä¡/®ƒÄ¡
lǚguǎn
tourist hotel
§É¾¨
youth hostel
ian ie o ou u ui uo yu/ü
ìÜ©
zhāodàisuǒ/lǚshè
Vowels
as the word ‘yen’ as the English word ‘yeah’ as in ‘or’, with no ‘r’ sound as the ‘oa’ in ‘boat’ as in ‘flute’ as the word ‘way’ like a ‘w’ followed by ‘o’ like ‘ee’ with lips pursed
Consonants as the ‘ts’ in ‘bits’ as in ‘chip’, but with the tongue curled up and back
青年旅舍 我想要... 一个床位
single room yìjiān dānrénfáng
一间单人房
bed for two shuāngrén chuáng
医生
yīshēng
the police 警察
jǐngchá
CONVERSATION & ESSENTIALS Hello.
Wǒ tīngbudǒng.
Please write it down. Qǐng xiěxiàlai.
我听不懂 请写下来
Yes & No There are no specific words in Mandarin that specifically mean ‘yes’ and ‘no’ when used in isolation. When a question is asked, the verb is repeated to indicate the affirmative. A response in the negative is formed by using the word bù (meaning ‘no’) before the verb. Nǐ qù shànghǎi ma? Qù. (‘go’)
...多少钱? 每天晚上 每个人
你好 您好 再见 请 谢谢 多谢 不客气 请问,... 对不起
Nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma? 你会说英语吗?
Yes.
per person měigerén
请叫...!
a doctor
双人房
per night měitiān wǎnshàng
Qǐng jiào ...!
Are you going to Shanghai?
How much is it ...? ... duōshǎo qián?
Call ... !
双人床
room with two beds shuāngrénfáng
厕所在哪儿?
I don’t understand.
bed yí ge chuángwèi
Cèsuǒ zài nǎr?
旅馆
I’d like (a) ... Wǒ xiǎng yào ...
别烦我!
Where are the toilets?
Do you speak English?
bīnguǎn/fàndiàn/jiǔdiàn 宾馆/饭店/酒店 qīngnián lǚshè
我迷路了
Wǒ mílùle.
Leave me alone!
招待所/旅社
露营地
hotel
ìɼ¸ ...
¸ñ$À¦Ü¾
c ch
bīngguān
救命啊!
Jiùmìng a!
I’m lost.
宾馆
我要找...
camping ground lùyìngdì
Help!
Nǐ hǎo. Nín hǎo. (pol) Goodbye. Zàijiàn. Please. Qǐng. Thank you. Xièxie. Many thanks. Duōxiè. You’re welcome. Búkèqi. Excuse me, ... Qǐng wèn, ... I’m sorry. Duìbùqǐ.
I’m looking for a ...
guesthouse
PRONUNCIATION
À»õº
mā (mother) – high tone má (hemp, numb) – rising tone mǎ (horse) – falling-rising tone mà (scold, swear) – falling tone
į§ˆÅ
¸ñ$¦÷¡
... ¥½ºº¡¥ñ¡Â´¤
Mandarin has four tones – high, rising, falling-rising and falling, plus a fifth ‘neutral’ tone which you can all but ignore. To illustrate the importance of getting tones right, look at the word ma, which has four different meanings according to tone:
Ä¡Àꉾé?
EMERGENCIES – MANDARIN
Bié fán wǒ!
ACCOMMODATION
MANDARIN CHINESE
¸ñ$º¾êò©
as the ‘ch’ in ‘cheese’ as the ‘s’ in ‘pleasure’ as in ‘ship’, but with the tongue curled up and back as in ‘ship’ as the ‘dz’ in ‘suds’ as the ‘j’ in ‘judge’, but with the tongue curled up and back
¢Éº¨μ¾¡Ä¯ ...
¢¸¾
khwǎa
q r sh x z zh
MA N D A R I N C H I N E S E • • A c c o m m o d a t i o n 519
Tones
¸ñ$²½¹ñ©
What time will the ... leave? boat
plane
I want to go to ... À¸-ì¾-¥ñ¡-´¤?
TRANSPORT
... já àwk ják móhng?
lot tûu
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No. Bú qù. (‘no go’)
No. Méi yǒu. (‘not have’)
No. Búshì. (‘not so’)
你去上海吗? 去 不去 没有 不是
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
Tuesday
minivan
Directions
TIME & DATES What time is it?
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520 MA N D A R I N C H I N E S E • • N u m b e r s
NUMBERS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 20 21 22 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1000 2000
零 一,幺 二,两 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 十一 十二 二十 二十一 二十二 三十 四十 五十 六十 七十 八十 九十 一百 一千 两千
líng yī, yāo èr, liǎng sān sì wǔ liù qī bā jiǔ shí shíyī shí’èr èrshí èrshíyī èrshíèr sānshí sìshí wǔshí liùshí qīshí bāshí jiǔshí yìbǎi yìqiān liǎngqiān
SHOPPING & SERVICES I’m looking for a/the ... Wǎ zài zhǎo ...
bank yínháng
chemist/pharmacy yàodiàn
market shìchǎng
police jǐngchá
post office yóujú
public toilet gōnggòng cèsuǒ
How much is it? Duōshǎo qián?
That’s too expensive. Tài guìle.
银行 药店 医院 市场 警察 邮局 公共厕所
Jǐ diǎn?
When? Shénme shíhòu?
THAI
EMERGENCIES – THAI
PRONUNCIATION
Help!
The ‘ph’ in a Thai word is always pronounced like an English ‘p’, not as an ‘f’.
I’m lost.
... hour ... minute now today tomorrow
... diǎn ... fēn xiànzài jīntiān míngtiān
...点 ...分 现在 今天 明天
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
xīngqīyī xīngqī’èr xīngqīsān xīngqīsì xīngqīwǔ xīngqīliù xīngqītiān
星期一 星期二 星期三 星期四 星期五 星期六 星期天
TRANSPORT What time does ... leave/arrive? ... jǐdiǎn kāi/dào?
...几点开/到?
boat chuán
船
intercity bus/coach chángtú qìchē
长途汽车
local/city bus gōnggòng qìchē
公共汽车
plane fēijī
飞机
train huǒchē
火车
airport fēijīchǎng
飞机场
long-distance bus station chángtú qìchē zhàn
train station huǒchē zhàn
火车站
... zài nǎr?
I want to go to ... Wǒ yào qù ...
我要去...
Go straight ahead. Yìzhí zǒu.
一直走
Turn left. Zuǒ zhuǎn.
太贵了
Yòu zhuǎn.
左转
什么时候?
近
far yuǎn
几点?
右转
near jìn
ACCOMMODATION
远
Could you show me (on the map)? Nǐ néng bunéng (zài dìtú shang) zhǐ gěi wǒ kàn? 你能不能(在地图上)指给我看?
pai sí!
rohng raem
[hkoryd! gdl^NgVklN Fi'ci} [hkogpk;(o }ushv';jk'ws}`
I’d like (a) ... tâwng kaan ...
^hv'dki... bed
g^up'ovo single room hâwng dìaw shv'gfÅp; room with two beds hâwng thîi mii tiang shv'mÅ}ug^up' sǎwng tua lv'^y; ordinary room (with fan) hâwng tham·má· shv'Tii}fk daa (mii pát lom) Z}uryf]}X tiang nawn
...gmjkwi` %no]t %o]t
CONVERSATION & ESSENTIALS When being polite, a male speaker ends his sentence with khráp and a female speaker says khâ; it’s also the common way to answer ‘yes’ to a question or show agreement.
laa kàwn
Do you have any rooms available? mii hâwng wâang mǎi?
giupd...sojvp mǎw s}v tam·rùat ^ei;&
How much is it ...? ... thâo rai? per night kheun lá per person khon lá
Goodbye.
z}!fbCyode]y'sk... hotel
rîak ... nàwy
a doctor the police
sà·wàt·dii (khráp/khâ)
phǒm/dì·chǎn kam·lang hǎa ...
kèt háo (‘guest house’)
Call ...!
Hello.
I’m looking for a ...
bâan yao·wá·chon ...在哪儿?
chǎn lǒng thaang
Go away!
bàat (baht – the Thai currency) – low tone; a flat pitch pronounced at the relative bottom of the vocal range dii (good) – level or mid tone; pronounced flat, at the relative middle of the vocal range, no tone mark is used mâi (no/not) – falling tone; pronounced as if emphasising a word, or calling someone’s name from afar máa (horse) – high tone; pronounced near the relative top of the vocal range, as level as possible sǎam (three) – rising tone; sounds like the inflection used by English speakers to imply a question
guesthouse
(j;pfh;p Cyos]'mk' wx:b
chûay dûay!
Thai is a tonal language, where changes in pitch can affect meaning. The range of all five tones is relative to each speaker’s vocal range, so there’s no fixed ‘pitch’ intrinsic to the language. The five tones of Thai:
youth hostel
Directions Where is (the) ...?
T HA I • • P r o n u n c i a t i o n 521
Tones
bâan phák/ 长途汽车站
Turn right. 多少钱?
TIME & DATES What’s the time?
lonelyplanet.com
Yes. châi
No. mâi châi
Please. kà·rú·naa
Thank you. khàwp khun
Excuse me. khǎw à-phai
Sorry. (forgive me) khǎw thôht
How are you? sa·bai dii rěu?
I’m fine, thanks. sa·bai dii
l;ylfuZ%iy[!%jtX ]kdjvo B(j w}jB(j di=Ik *v[%=I *vv#yp *vFmK l[kpfusinv` l[kpfu
NUMBERS 0 1 2 3 4 5
sǔun nèung sǎwng sǎam sìi hâa
L)opN soÃ' lv' lk} lÅ shk
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
hospital yīyuàn
我在找...
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6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 200 300 1000 2000 10,000 100,000
hòk jèt pàet kâo sìp sìp-èt sìp-sǎwng sìp-sǎam sìp-sìi sìp-hâa sìp-hòk sìp-jèt sìp-pàet sìp-kâo yîi-sìp yîi-sìp-èt yîi-sìp-sǎwng sǎam-sìp sìi-sìp hâa-sìp hòk-sìp jèt-sìp pàet-sìp kâo-sìp nèung ráwy sǎwng ráwy sǎam ráwy nèung phan sǎwng phan nèung mèun nèung sǎen
sd g&Hf cxf gdhk lb[ lb[gvHf lb[lv' lb[lk} lb[lÅ lb[shk lb[sd lb[g&Hf lb[cxf lb[gdhk pÅlb[ pÅlb[gvHf pÅlb[lv' lk}lb[ lÅlb[ shklb[ sdlb[ g&Hflb[ cxflb[ gdhklb[ soÃ'ihvp lv'ihvp lk}ihvp soÃ'ryo lv'ryo soÃ's}Æo soÃ'clo
SHOPPING & SERVICES I’m looking for ... phǒm/dì·chǎn hǎa ...
a bank thá·naa·khaan
the market ta·làat
the post office prai·sà·nii
a public toilet hâwng nám sǎa·thaa·rá·ná
z}!fbCyosk... Tok%ki ^]kf wxiKIupN shv'oμklkTkiIt
the telephone centre sǔun thoh·rá·sàp
L)opNFmiLyrmN
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the tourist office sǎm·nák ngaan thâwng thîaw
leoyd'komjv'gmÅp;
lonelyplanet.com
V I E T N A M E S E • • T o n e s & P r o n u n c i a t i o n 523
Directions Where is (the)...? ... yùu thîi nǎi?
...vpj)mÅwso`
Can you show me (on the map)? I’d like to buy ... yàak jà séu ...
How much is it? thâo rai?
It’s too expensive. phaeng koen pai
vpkd&t:³v... gmjkwi` cr'gdbowx
hâi duu (nai phǎen thîi) dâi mǎi?
(Go) Straight ahead. trong pai
Turn left. líaw sáai
TIME & DAYS
Turn right.
What time is it?
far
kìi mohng láew?
It’s (8 o’clock). pàet mohng láew
today tomorrow Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
líaw khwǎa
dÅF}'c]h;` cxfF}'c]h; wan níi ;yoo² phrûng níi rij='o² wan jan ;yo&yomiN wan ang·khaan ;yovy'%ki wan phút ;yor=T wan phá·réu·hàt ;yor+sylO wan sùk ;yoL=diN wan sǎo ;yoglkiN wan aa·thít ;yovkmb^pN
TRANSPORT What time does the ... leave? ... jà àwk kìi mohng?
...&tvvddÅF}'`
klai
near/not far klâi/mâi klai
Bshf)ZBoczomÅX wfhws}` ^i'wx g]²p;:hkp g]²p;*;k wd] Bd]h!w}jwd]
VIETNAMESE There are differences between the Vietnamese of the north and the Vietnamese of the south; where different forms are used in this guide, they are indicated by ‘N’ for the north and ‘S’ for the south.
TONES & PRONUNCIATION To help you make sense of what is (for nonVietnamese) a very tricky writing system, the words and phrases in this language guide include pronunciations that use a written form more familiar to English speakers. The symbols used for marking the tones are the same as those used in standard written Vietnamese.
What time does the ... arrive? ... jà thěung kìi mohng?
...&t$@'dÅF}'` boat bus (city) bus (intercity) plane train
reua rót meh rót thua khrêuang bin rót fai
airport sa·nǎam bin
bus station sa·thǎa·nii khǒn sòng
bus stop pâai rót meh
train station sa·thǎa·nii rót fai
ginv i$g}]N i$my;iN g%iÆv'[bo i$wa
lok}[bo l$kou*ol•' xhkpi$g}]N l$koui$wa
EMERGENCIES – VIETNAMESE Help!
Cứu tôi!
ğuhr·oó doy!
I’m lost.
Tôi bị lạc đường.
doi beẹ laạk đuhr·èrng
Leave me alone! Thôi!
toy!
Where’s the toilet? Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu?
nyaà vẹ sing ẻr doh?
Please call ... Làm ơn gọi ...
laàm ern gọy ...
a doctor bác sĩ
baák seẽ
the police công an
ğawm aan
There are six tones in spoken Vietnamese. Thus, every syllable in Vietnamese can be pronounced six different ways. For example, depending on the tones, the word ma can be read to mean ‘phantom’, ‘but’, ‘mother’, ‘rice seedling’, ‘tomb’ or ‘horse’. The six tones are represented by five diacritical marks in the written language (the first tone is left unmarked). ma mà mả mã mạ
(ghost) – middle of the vocal range (which) – begins low and falls lower (tomb) – begins low, dips and then rises to higher pitch (horse) – begins high, dips slightly, then rises sharply (rice seedling) – begins low, falls to a lower level, then stops má (mother) – begins high and rises sharply
SYMBOL & PRONUNCIATION
ACCOMMODATION
c, k đ d
Đâu có ... (rẻ tiền)?
gikhngnhphr s trthx -ch -ng -nh
ğ đ z/y
an unaspirated ‘k’ (with crossbar) as in ‘do’ (without crossbar) as the ‘z’ in ‘zoo’ (N); as the ‘y’ in ‘yes’ (S) z/y as a ‘z’ (N); as a ‘y’ (S) ch as the ‘ch’ in German buch ng as the ‘-nga-’ sound in ‘long ago’ ny as the ‘ny’ in ‘canyon’ f as in ‘farm’ z/r as ‘z’ (N); as ‘r’ (S) s/sh as ‘s’ (N); as ‘sh’ (S) ch/tr as ‘ch’ (N); as ‘tr’ (S) t a strongly aspirated ‘t’ s like an ‘s’ k like a ‘k’ ng as the ‘ng’ in ‘long’ but with the lips closed; sounds like English ‘m’ ng as in ‘singing’
Where is there a (cheap) ...? camping ground
nơi cắm trại
guesthouse
nhà khách
hotel
khách sạn
air-conditioning máy lạnh
bathroom
phòng tắm
hot water
nước nóng
toilet
nhà vệ sinh
đoh ğó ... (zả đee·ùhn)? ner·ee ğúhm chại nyaà kaák kaák saạn máy laạng fòm dúhm nuhr·érk nóm nyaà vẹ sing
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
522 T HA I • • S h o p p i n g & S e r v i c e s
524 V I E T N A M E S E • • C o n v e r s a t i o n & E s s e n t i a l s
I’d like (a) ... Tôi muốn ...
doy moo·úhn ...
single room
phòng đơn
fòm dern
double-bed
giường đôi
zuhr·èrng đoy
room with two beds
phòng gồm hai giường ngủ
How much is it ...? Giá bao nhiêu ...?
per night một đêm
fòm gàwm hai zuhr·èrng ngoỏ zaá bow nyee·oo ...? mạwt đem
per person một ngừơi
mạwt nguhr·eè
CONVERSATION & ESSENTIALS There are many different forms of address in Vietnamese. The safest way to address people is: ông (to a man of any status), anh (to a young man), bà (to a middle-aged or older woman), cô (to a young woman) and em (to a child). Hello.
Xin chào.
Goodbye.
Tạm biệt.
Please.
Làm ơn.
Thank you. Cảm ơn.
No.
Không. Có khỏe không?
Fine, thank you. Khỏe, cám ơn.
Do you speak English? Bạn có nói được tiếng Anh không?
I (don’t) understand. Tôi (không) hiểu.
NUMBERS 1 2 3
Tôi tìm ...
dụm bee·ẹt
nhà thương
làm ern
chợ
the hospital the market the post office
bưu điện
a public phone
phòng điện thoại
a public toilet
phòng vệ sinh
tourist office
văn phòng hướng dẫn du lịch
kom
How are you?
I’m looking for ... a bank
vang yạ
káw kwảir kom?
How much is this?
kwảir kảm ern
It’s too expensive.
Baạn ğó nóy đuhr·ẹrk díng aang kawm?
TIME & DAYS
doy (kawm) heẻ·oo mạwt hai baa
doy dìm ... nguhn haàng nyaà tuhr·erng
today
hôm nay
tomorrow ngày mai
Monday thứ hai
Tuesday thứ ba
Wednesday thứ tư
Thursday thứ năm
Friday
thứ sáu
Saturday thứ bảy
Sunday
chủ nhật
hawm nay ngày mai túhr hai
xe buýt
sa lủhr·uh
Directions Where is ...? ở đâu ...?
ẻr đoh ...?
túhr duhr
Go straight ahead.
túhr nuhm
Can you show me (on the map)?
túhr sóh
Tôi muốn đi ...
Thẳng tới trước.
Xin chỉ giùm (trên bản đồ này)?
túhr bảy
Turn left.
jỏo nhụht
Turn right.
Sang trái.
Sang phải.
at the corner
Chuyến ... (sớm nhất) chạy lúc mấy giờ? jwee·úhn ... (sérm nyúht) jạy lúp máy zèr? tàu/thuyền
xe lửa
máy bay
I want to go to ...
What time does the (first)... leave/arrive?
bus
train
túhr baa
TRANSPORT
boat
plane
máy bay
dòw/twee·ùhn sa beét
ở góc đường
at the traffic lights tại đèn giao tawm
far
xa
near (to) gần
doy moo·úhn đee ... tủhng der·eé chuhr·érk sin jeẻ zùm (chen baản đàw này)?
saang chaí saang faỉ ẻr góp đuhr·èrng dại đèn zow thông saa gùhn
jẹr buhr·oo đee·ụhn fòm đee·ụhn twaị fòm vẹ sing vuhn fòm huhr·érng zũhn zoo lịk
Cái này giá bao nhiêu? ğaí này zaá bow nyee·oo? Cái này quá mắc.
What time is it? Mấy giờ rồi?
It’s ... o’clock. một hai ba
báwn nuhm sóh bảy dúhm jín muhr·eè muhr·eè mọt muhr·eè jín hai muhr·ee hai muhr·ee máwt hai muhr·ee hai ba muhr·ee jín muhr·ee mạwt chuhm hai chuhm jín chuhm mạwt ngyìn mọt ngaàn muhr·eè ngyìn muhr·eè ngaàn
SHOPPING & SERVICES ngân hàng
sin lõ·ee
Vâng. (N) Dạ. (S)
10,000
bốn năm sáu bảy tám chín mười mười một muời chín hai mươi hai mươi mốt hai mươi hai ba mươi chín mươi một trăm hai trăm chín trăm một nghìn (N) một ngàn (S) mười nghìn (N) mười ngàn (S)
© Lonely Planet Publications V I E T N A M E S E • • T r a n s p o r t 525
lonelyplanet.com
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
Xin lỗi.
Yes.
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 19 20 21 22 30 90 100 200 900 1000
sin jòw
kảm ern
Excuse me.
lonelyplanet.com
Bây giờ là ... giờ.
now
bây giờ
ğaí này gwaá múhk
máy zèr zòy? bay zèr laà ... zèr bay zèr
Also available from Lonely Planet: Southeast Asia and Mandarin Phrasebooks
© Lonely Planet Publications 526
G L O S S A R Y 527
Glossary For food and drink terms, see Eat Your Words, p94. ABBREVIATIONS
C – Cambodia L – Laos T – Thailand V – Vietnam Y – Yúnnán province (China)
American War (V) – Vietnamese name for what is also known as the ‘Vietnam War’ ao dai (V) – traditional Vietnamese tunic and trousers APEC – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation apsara (C) – heavenly nymphs or angelic dancers Asean – Association of Southeast Asian Nations asura (C) – demon
bâan (T) – house, village; also written as ‘ban’ bąasǐi (L) – sometimes written as ‘basi’ or ‘baci’; a ceremony in which the 32 khwǎn are symbolically bound to the participant for health and safety baht (T) – the Thai unit of currency báijiǔ (Y) – literally ‘white alcohol’, a type of facenumbing rice wine barang (C) – foreigner baray (C) – ancient reservoir BCEL (L) – Banque pour le Commerce Extérieur Lao; in English, Lao Foreign Trade Bank BE (L, T) – Buddhist Era boeng (C) – lake bówùguǎn (Y) – museum Brahman – pertaining to Brahmanism, an ancient religious tradition in India and the predecessor of Hinduism; not to be confused with ‘Brahmin’, the priestly class in India’s caste system BTS (T) – Bangkok Transit System (Skytrain); Thai: rót fai fáa bun (L) – festival buu dien (V) – post office
chnnang (C) – pot Chunchiet (C) – ethnolinguistic minority CITS (Y) – China International Travel Service; deals with foreign tourists in China CPP (C) – Cambodian People’s Party cūn (Y) – village cyclo (C, V) – pedicab
deva (C) – god devaraja (C) – god king DMZ (V) – the misnamed Demilitarised Zone, a strip of land that once separated North and South Vietnam doi moi (V) – economic restructuring or reform dong (V) – the Vietnamese unit of currency duong (V) – road, street; abbreviated as ‘Ð’
Ecpat – End Child Prostitution & Trafficking falang (L) – Western, Westerner; foreigner fānchuán (Y)– pirate-sized junks with bamboo-battened canvas sails faràng (T) – Western, Westerner; foreigner feng shui – literally, ‘wind water’; used to describe geomancy Funan (C, V) – first Khmer kingdom, located in Mekong Delta area Funcinpec (C) – National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful & Cooperative Cambodia
gōng (Y) – temple gōngyuán (Y) – park gopura (C) – entrance pavilion in traditional Hindu architecture
háang thíen (L) – candle rail Han (Y) – China’s main ethnic group hǎw wái (L) – prayer hall HCMC (V) – Ho Chi Minh City héua hang nyáo (L) – long-tail boat héua phai (L) – rowboat héua wái (L) – speedboat Hinayana – literally, Lesser Vehicle; the school of Bud-
Champa, a Hindu kingdom dating from the 2nd century BC
chedi (T) – see stupa Chenla (C, L, V) – Pre-Angkorian Khmer kingdom covering parts of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Trail (V) – route used by the North Vietnamese to move supplies to guerrillas in the South Hoa (V) – ethnic Chinese, the largest single minority group in Vietnam Honda om (V) – motorbike taxi hú (Y) – lake
moto (C) – motorcycle taxi Mt Meru – the mythical dwelling place of the Hindu
colony of Indochine; the name derives from Indian and Chinese influences Isan (T) – general term used for northeastern Thailand
gods, symbolised by the Himalayas múan (L) – fun, which the Lao believe should be present in all activities muay thai (T) – Thai boxing
jataka (C, L, T) – stories of the Buddha’s past lives, often enacted in dance-drama jumbo (L) – a motorised three-wheeled taxi, sometimes called a túk-túk
nâa (T) – face nâam (L, T) – water, river naga (C, L, T) – mythical serpent-being nákhon (T) – city nǎng (T) – shadow play nha-rong (C, T, V) – Jarai communal house NPA (L) – National Protected Area NTAL (L) – Lao National Tourism Administration NVA (V) – North Vietnamese Army
karst – limestone peaks with caves, underground streams and potholes káthoey (T) – transvestite, transsexual khaen (L) – panpipe khao (T) – hill, mountain khlong (T) – canal Khmer (C) – ethnic Cambodians; Cambodian language Khmer Rouge (C) – literally Red Khmers, the commonly used name for the Cambodian communist movement responsible for genocide in the 1970s khwǎn (L) – guardian spirits of the body Kinh (V) – the Vietnamese language kip (L) – the Lao unit of currency ko (T) – island koh (C) – island krama (C) – chequered scarf Kuomintang (Y) – Nationalist Party, also known as KMT; the KMT controlled China between 1925 and 1949 until defeated by the communists lákhon (C, T) – classical Thai dance-drama lǎowài (Y) – foreigners liǎng (Y) – see tael lí-keh (T) – Thai folk dance-drama linga (C, L, T, V) – phallic symbol luóhàn (Y) – arhat or noble one mâe chii (T) – Buddhist nun mae nam (L, T) – river mah jong (Y) – popular Chinese card game for four people, played with engraved tiles
Pali – ancient Indian language that, along with Sanskrit, is the root of Khmer, Lao and Thai
Pathet Lao (L) – literally, ‘Country of Laos’; both a general term for the country and the common name for the Lao communist military during the civil war PDA (T) – Population & Community Development Association Ph (C) – abbreviation for phlauv phansǎa (T) – Buddhist lent phlauv (C) – road, street; abbreviated as ‘Ph’ phleng phêua chii-wít (T) – songs for life, modern Thai folk songs phnom (C) – mountain phu (L) – hill or mountain Pinyin (Y) – the official system for transliterating Chinese script into Roman characters ponglang (T) – northeastern Thai marimba (percussion instrument) made of short logs POW – prisoner of war praang (C, T) – Khmer-style tower structure, found in temples; see also stupa prasat (C, T) – tower, temple PRC (Y) – People’s Republic of China psar (C) – market PSB (Y) – Public Security Bureau
Mahayana – literally, Great Vehicle; a school of Buddhism that extended the early Buddhist teachings; see also Theravada mát-mìi (T) – cloth made of tie-dyed silk or cotton thread; also written as ‘mat-mii’ meuang (L, T) – city MIA (C, L, V) – missing in action, usually referring to US personnel mondòp (T) – small square, spired building in a wat Montagnards (V) – highlanders, mountain people; specifically the ethnic minorities inhabiting remote areas of Vietnam
quan (V) – urban district quoc ngu (V) – Vietnamese alphabet Ramakian (T) – Thai version of the Ramayana Ramayana – Indian epic story of Rama’s battle with demons
Reamker (C) – Khmer version of the Ramayana remorque-moto (C) – motorcycle-pulled trailer riel (C) – the Cambodian unit of currency roi nuoc (V) – water puppetry rót fai fáa (T) – Skytrain; BTS
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY
dhism correctly known as Theravada
cāntīng (Y) – restaurant Cao Daism (V) – Vietnamese religious sect Cham (C, V) – ethnic minority descended from the people of
IDP – International Driving Permit Indochina – Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, the French
© Lonely Planet Publications 528 G L O S S A R Y
sǎamláw (T) – three-wheeled pedicab; also written as ‘samlor’
sâiyasaat (L) – folk magic, officially banned in Laos sampot (C) – the national saronglike garment, usually worn at important occasions Sanskrit – ancient Hindu language that, along with Pali, is the root of Khmer, Lao and Thai sànùk (T) – fun sǎwngthǎew (L, T) – small pick-up truck with two benches in the back; also written as ‘songthaew’ shān (Y) – mountain sĭm (L) – chapel sima (L) – ordination stones soi (L, T) – lane, small street song (L, V) – river Songkran (T) – Thai New Year, held in mid-April SRV (V) – Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam’s official name) stung (C) – small river stupa – religious monument, often containing Buddha relics
GLOSSARY
tael (Y) – unit of weight; one tael (liǎng) equals 37.5g; used throughout the Mekong for weighing gold and precious stones talat (L) – market Tam Giao (V) – literally, ‘triple religion’; Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism fused over time with popular Chinese beliefs and ancient Vietnamese animism Tao (V) – the Way; the essence of which all things are made
TAT (T) – Tourism Authority of Thailand tat (L) – waterfall Tet (V) – lunar New Year Th (L, T) – abbreviation for thànǒn thâat (L) – Buddhist stupa, reliquary; also written as ‘that’ thànǒn (L, T) – road, street, avenue; abbreviated as ‘Th’ Theravada – a school of Buddhism found in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand; this school confined itself to the early Buddhist teachings unlike Mahayana tonlé (C) – major river tripitaka (T) – Buddhist scriptures túk-túk (L, T) – motorised sǎamláw; written as ‘tuk-tuk’ in Cambodia tuóchá (Y) – smoked green tea
UNDP – UN Development Programme UXO (C, L) – unexploded ordnance VC (V) – Viet Cong or Vietnamese Communists vihara (C) – temple sanctuary vipassana (L, T) – insight awareness meditation wâi (L, T) – palms-together greeting wat (C, L, T) – Buddhist temple-monastery wíhǎan (T) – sanctuary, hall, dwelling xe om (V) – see Honda om yuán (Y) – the Chinese unit of currency
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