How to say "Big white guy" in 25 languages
Er...well...Seven languages so far... One of my goals is to learn how to
say "Big [foreign] white guy" in every language I interact with while traveling.
See examples below. In many cases, the phrases have been written in an
English transliteration, so pronunciation may not be obvious/correct. On
a side note, this page was inspired by one of my "world-traveling" friends, Joy.
(Check out her blog here.)
She spent some time in Fiji, and gave me the nickname "tagane levu."
Which means big guy in Fijian. Quite appropriate, as nicknames go, don't
you think?
|
Country |
Language |
Phrase |
|
Thailand |
Thai |
farang yak (literally "foreigner giant") |
|
Thailand |
Karen Hill Tribe |
gola pado |
|
Vietnam |
Vietnamese |
I have it written down...I'll write it as soon as I understand it. |
|
Japan |
Japanese |
Gai Jin (foreigner...I'm working on the "Big" part of the equation) |
|
Malaysia |
Bahasa Malay |
orang putih besar (Literally "human white big") |
|
Malaysia |
Bahasa Malay |
mat saleh besar (More of a slang/derogatory version of the previous example) |
|
China (Hong Kong SAR) |
Cantonese |
dai kwai lo (Not necessarily friendly...literally means "Ghost Man." |
|
China (Hong Kong SAR) |
Mandarin |
yuen qui zi (Similar in meaning to the Cantonese phrase above) |
|
Taiwan |
Taiwanese dialect of Mandarin (I think?) |
Ghaou Tow Dta Ma (Literally, tall headed big horse) |
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