Thai smiles

Smiles in Thailand, based on "Working with the Thais" by Holmes and Tangtongtavy (1995), p.25

  1. ยิ้มทั้งน้ำตา - (yim thang nam dtaa) I'm so happy I'm crying. A tears of joy smile.
  2. ยิ้มทักทาย - (yim thak thaai) The polite smile for someone you barely know (smile of convenience, greeting smile). A polite smile.
  3. ยิ้มชื่นชม - (Yim cheun chom) An admiring smile.
  4. ฝืนยิ้ม - (Fuen yim) (ไม่จริงใจ) (ยิ้มแหยๆ) The "I should laugh at this joke but it is not funny". A stiff smile.
  5. ยิ้มมีเลสนัย - (yim mee lessanai) Smile which masks something wicked. An evil smile.
  6. ยิ้มเยาะ - (yim yaw) An "I told you so" smile. A teasing smile.
  7. ยิ้มแหยๆ (yim yae-yae) An "I know things look pretty bad but there's no point in crying over spilt milk" smile. A smile, for an awkward, embarassing situation. A wry smile.
  8. ยิ้มเศร้า - (yim sao) A smile while masking sadness. A sad smile.
  9. ยิ้มแห้ง - (yim haeng) The dry smile, aka "I know I owe you money but I don't have it". An apologetic smile.
  10. ยิ้มต่อต้าน - (yim dtau dtan) The "I disagree-with-you" smile, aka "You can go ahead and propose it but your idea's no good" smile. A mocking smile.
  11. ยิ้มเชือดเฉือน - (yim chuead chuean) The competitor's smile, the "I am the winner" smile given to losing competitor. A gloating smile.
  12. ยิ้มสู้ - (yim soo) Keep smiling in the face of an impossible struggle. The "it cannot get any worse therefore I better smile" smile. A forced smile.
  13. ยิ้มไม่ออก - (yim mai awk) (ฉันพยายามยิ้มให้มากที่สุด) I'm tring to smile but I can't. A difficult smile.
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