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You are here: Home / Culture / Find Out What’s Behind a Thai Smile – All 13 of Them!

Find Out What’s Behind a Thai Smile – All 13 of Them!

Thailand is famous for its smiles, and over the years has proudly adopted the name Land of Smiles.

But how much do us foreign folk really understand about the Thai smile?

The answer is: pretty much nothing at all.

thai smile

And here's why…

Thais have a built an admirable reputation for making life fun and easy-going, and the smile is a key ingredient in keeping cool and ironing out life's creases.

But if you thought the Thai smile is simply used to show a liking of something or someone, you'd be very much mistaken.

The Thai smile is far more complicated than it first appears, so much so in fact, that even a seasoned expat may misinterpret one.

This can be forgiven, because unless you have intensively studied the many variations, it's almost impossible to decipher which smile is being used in a given situation.

A Common Mistake

Perhaps the most common case of smile misinterpretation is the male tourist who assumes that every coy-looking smile he gets from a Thai female means she'd like to sleep with him.

In fact, the majority of these smiles are likely to fall into the “Oh my god! it's a foreigner, I'll just smile politely” category.

The second biggest misinterpretation is assuming that the majority of smiles are disingenuous, or ill-intentioned.

You'll often hear remarks from disgruntled bar stool dwellers like, “Careful, the smiles ain't real mate”, or, “You gotta look behind the smile, geezer”.

Well, that last remark is quite true, but not necessarily because the smile has an evil intention behind it but because you need to learn the “smile code”, so to speak.

Once you do, you'll understand this aspect of Thai culture that little bit more, and be better placed to read situations correctly.

The Thai smile has some genius behind it, in that it allows one to express a range of emotions without physically or verbally taking action.

It's a form of communication capable of tempering confrontation, easing difficult situations and showing one's appreciation.

If you really want to know what's behind a Thai smile, there are 13 unofficially documented “yim” (smiles) to decipher:

The 13 Smiles Of Thailand

1. Yim yaw / ยิ้มเยาะ

This smile can be used in two ways: Firstly, when teasing someone, and secondly when wanting to express the words “I told you so”, without actually having to be so harsh.

2. Yim cheun chom / ยิ้มชื่นชม

This smile is a controlled yet beautiful smile that expresses the words, “I admire you”, or, I’m proud of you”.

3. Yim mai awk / ยิ้มไม่ออก

This is the smile used when concealing difficult emotion. It's the “I’m trying my best to smile but I'm struggling” smile. This might be used when someone is brokenhearted or physically hurt.

4. Yim mee lessanai / ยิ้มมีเลสนัย

This is a devious smile that masks bad intent. If you really upset your Thai partner, you should probably worry if you get this smile in return.

5. Yim chuead chuean / ยิ้มเชือดเฉือน

Similar to Yim mer lessanai, but more the “Mwhahaha” bad guy smile, this would be used by a person who has gotten the upper hand over someone.

6. Yim dor dhaan / ยิ้มต่อต้าน

This smile indicates that you disagree, but will entertain the idea or go along with the action regardless. It's the “You can go ahead, but you know I disagree and that your idea isn't a good one” smile.

7. Yim sao / ยิ้มเศร้า

This is the standard smile of sadness, one that indicates someone really isn't happy.

8. Yim haeng / ยิ้มแห้ง

 This is the dry smile, also known as the “I know I owe you the money but I don’t have it” smile.

9. Yim suu suu! / ยิ้มซื่อซื่อ

 This is the smile of encouragement, the  “You/I can do it” smile.

10. Yim yoh-yae / ยิ้มเหยาะแหยะ

This smile is the Thai equivalent to suggesting that it's not worth getting upset over something that seems pretty bad, but has happened and can't be changed.In essence, it's the “no point in crying over spilt milk” smile.

11. Yim thang nam daa / ยิ้มทั้งน้ำตา

This smile must be interpreted in context, as it can mean two different things. On one hand it can mean “I’m so happy I’m crying inside”, and on the other, given different circumstances, “I’m so sad inside, but I’m still smiling”.

 12. Fuoon Yim / ฝืนยิ้ม

This is the “mai jing jai” (literally translated as ‘not real heart') smile.  It's a stiff and somewhat fake smile. For example, “I should laugh at the joke, but it’s not funny, so I'll do this smile instead and help you move on”.

13. Yim taak thaai / ยิ้มทักทาย

This is the smile of convenience, a polite smile that enables you to acknowledge someone you don’t know that well, or someone you aren’t going to get into a long conversation with. It's pretty much the most common smile you'll get when out and about in Thailand.

** Taak thaai means ‘to say hello'.

Reference Source: Working With The Thais: A Guide to Managing in Thailand by Henry Holmes and Suchada Tangtongtavy.

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Last Updated on November 23, 2020

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Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

  1. Gina Vinci says

    April 5, 2022 at 9:13 pm

    My nephew’s wife is Thai. She has a beautiful face and smile. I always thought she was really well adjusted and positive but after reading this article I will pay more attention to what may be in her feelings, beneath those smiles.
    Reply

    Apr 05, 2022 at 9:13 pm

    • Abc says

      April 9, 2022 at 2:47 pm

      Haha you should know by now there is a lot behind someones smile.

      My mother always you to say watch out for that smiles the most!
      Reply

      Apr 09, 2022 at 2:47 pm

  2. dennis says

    February 6, 2022 at 2:53 pm

    article "like so many" is correct. however if there is no graphic of what each of the 13 smiles looks like there is no way for a foreigner to know one smile from the other. is good to name each on both in Thai and English but really requires some photos for context.
    Reply

    Feb 06, 2022 at 2:53 pm

  3. George Ross says

    May 22, 2019 at 4:23 am

    I lived in Thailand for eight years (2011 to 2019). Most of those years were spent in intimate relations with Thai people. One of the questions I always carried around with me was this: Since Thai is a tonal language, that is, a language where tones (five) indicate meaning, not emotions, how do Thais indicate emotions? What I learned from observation was that Thais express complex emotions through physical, mainly facial, gestures, as well as special sounds at the end of sentences. As you show, the Thai smile is an ingenious cultural invention "engineered" precisely to convey subtle emotional meaning.
    Reply

    May 22, 2019 at 4:23 am

  4. jerod bolder says

    September 29, 2016 at 4:20 am

    set yet krap ?

    sai na kah.

    pai chip hi
    Reply

    Sep 29, 2016 at 4:20 am

  5. Amber says

    March 17, 2016 at 10:24 am

    Some words are still not accurately spelled both Thai and English e.g. yim cheua-cheua is supposed to be yim chuead chuean เชือดเฉือน
    Reply

    Mar 17, 2016 at 10:24 am

    • TheThailandLife says

      March 17, 2016 at 2:35 pm

      Thanks Amber. It's always difficult to get the English version spelling correct as there are always many different interpretations.
      Reply

      Mar 17, 2016 at 2:35 pm

  6. Kim says

    January 19, 2015 at 11:17 pm

    Thailand the land of smiles lol !!..
    Reply

    Jan 19, 2015 at 11:17 pm

  7. TheThailandLife says

    June 18, 2014 at 11:09 pm

    A photo book would be great, with an accompanying page about each smile, and a forward with some extensive research on the subject. Perhaps this could be a project for you?
    Reply

    Jun 18, 2014 at 11:09 pm

  8. LA-Trader says

    June 18, 2014 at 9:37 am

    Peter, a few minutes after I finished reading this latest post I realized all of the smiles you just described are pretty much present in every society. In fact, I see many of these smiles on a daily basis here in Los Angeles. The same subtle differences that anyone with a pair of unclouded eyes can see that carry distinctly different emotional and psychological freight. It is interesting though how legend of the complex, deeply layered Thai smile has evolved. I think it may just be that here in the West, and perhaps other societies, the emotional-psychological meaning behind the smile usually doesn't just stop at the lips . . . but soon shifts to action or spoken word. As a result, the original emotion contained in the smile is extended, or drawn out over the action that follows. The dramatic weight held in that first smile is lost in all the noise that follows. Thais, however, often begin it . . . and end it with just that simple flicker of silent expression.
    Reply

    Jun 18, 2014 at 9:37 am

    • TheThailandLife says

      June 18, 2014 at 10:50 am

      I agree, but the difference being that the smiles aren't defined in any sort of system/code, or engrained in culture in any way like they are here. There are other smiles too, but I'm told the meanings are not so well defined and are more situation dependent.What I find interesting about this topic is that foreigners often assume social interaction to be quite simplistic in Thailand, yet this shows that this isn't necessarily the case, and often it's what isn't said - portrayed by a smile or body language - that must be read correctly to fully understand a situation.
      Reply

      Jun 18, 2014 at 10:50 am

      • LA-Trader says

        June 18, 2014 at 10:47 pm

        Another thing I was thinking regarding this topic of the thai smile, is that it would be very interesting if one were able to find a very sharp photographer with a good ability to capture the moment and then combine those high quality photos capturing the many different aspects of the thai smile along with short, but well written essays of each photo that attempt to describe that specific "smile" . . and the situation and emotional content behind it . . . I think that would be a very interesting photo/essay book indeed.
        Reply

        Jun 18, 2014 at 10:47 pm

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