Thai catch phases that created a buzz in 2023

– Cham

Cham is a Thai word that literally means very juicy or very saturated with water or liquid. It has been used by Thai netizens to mean “a lot” or very high or abundant. WiseSight (Thailand) said the term had received over 68 million engagements in 2023.

– Cha Thai

“Cha Thai”, or Thai tea, has become a popular term among Thai netizens this year because the orange and sweet drink has become popular worldwide and there have been feuds over copyrights over certain recipes or glass design for the drinks.

– “Chai Thrae”

Chai Thrae was coined as a play on the sound of the Thai words “Chai Thae”, or real men. The second word has been tweaked to carry a negative meaning about men who look down on other sexes and who speak and treat others with selfishness and a self-centred attitude.

– Choc Mint

It is a transliteration from mint chocolate, which is a favourite drink of Pheu Thai leader Paetongta Shinawatra, and became the drink of her party. The term was widely mentioned and used during the process of government formation after the May 14 general election.

– Short feel

It is a transliteration from short-circuit and feelings. It is used by netizens to mean an action of disrupting someone speaking or doing something, and thus hurting badly his or her feelings.

– Soft power

Soft power is an English term and it has been used as transliteration widely after the Pheu Thai announced its policy to boost Thai soft power with the slogan of “one family one soft power”.

– Third crown coming

A Thai phrase “mong sam ma nae” (the third crown is definitely coming) was widely used during the Miss Universe pageant. Thai netizens expected Miss Universe Thailand Anntonia Porsild to win the Miss Universe crown so they kept posting “mong sam ma nae”.

– Whose fortune?

The term “whose fortune” in Thai was widely used by netizens to express admiration for the stars of idols. Or when they see posts of pictures of good-looking people, they will compliment by saying “whose fortune is this?”

– “I told Phrae Mae Laxmi about you”

This phase has been a popular tag, using English words “I told …. about you”, with a reference to goddess Laxmi in the middle of the tag. Laxmi is the goddess of love and those who want to meet their love destiny often pray to Laxmi. The tag has been used to court someone the person making the post likes.

– Woke

Thai netizens have been using the past tense of wake or “woke” to express their disillusionment about certain issues, especially those pertaining to politics.