Taoyuan Nights

I’ve been looking over my website logs, and it appears there are tons of people hoping to find the meaning of the word ‘Suwadee’ on this site, thanks to Google. I recently used this word in one of my articles about Thai restaurants here in Taoyuan. I suspect “Suwadee” or “Sawadee” is a common name for Thai restaurants, and so there will probably be a “Suwadee” in most cities in Taiwan and around the world.

In case you’re one of the curious people, “Suwadee” is part of a Thai greeting. Suwadee means both Hello, or Goodbye depending on circumstance. It’s a little like how ‘ciao’ is used in Italy.

Normally, for men to politely greet each other, they would say “Suwadee krahb” (which actually sounds more like “sawadee krah” when Thai people say it). Remember that Thai has it’s own alphabet, so “Suwadee” or “Sawadee” is just a transliteration of a Thai word into an English form to make it easier for westerners to say.

As you meet and say it, place both your hands together (palms together, fingers straight) in front of your chest, as though you were praying. If you’re a girl, say “sawadee kaa” instead. It’s good to keep your hands high up your chest as a token of respect.

You can also say it when parting from a conversation politely.

You can learn more about this greeting here. Given the vast numbers of Thai people in Taoyuan (and Taiwan as a whole), it probably doesn’t hurt to memorise this phrase… =)

Suwadee Krahb!

Why anyone in Thailand would go to McD’s is beyond me…
(This picture is borrowed from betsygoestochina.com. Thanks!)