Glossary
The Thai words and cultural concepts that come up again and again in stories about foreigners and Thai women — explained in plain terms, one at a time.
Baht
The baht (฿) is Thailand's official currency, subdivided into 100 satang and issued by the Bank of Thailand.
Bar Fine
A "bar fine" is the payment a customer makes to the bar itself, not to the woman, so she can leave for the night instead of continuing to work there.
Bar Girl
"Bar girl" is an informal label, used mostly within expat and tourist circles, for women who work in bars, clubs or nightlife venues in areas like Pattaya or Bangkok, often with the assumption that they're actively seeking a financial relationship with foreign customers.
Farang
Farang (ฝรั่ง) is the everyday Thai word for a foreign person of Western appearance.
Good Girl
"Good girl" is the informal term that, within the same expat circles that coined "bar girl," is used as its supposed opposite: a Thai woman with a conventional job, no ties to the nightlife industry, seen as a "safer" or "more serious" partner.
Isaan
Isaan (อีสาน) is the name of Thailand's northeastern region, the country's largest and most populous, and also historically its poorest and most rural.
Mia Noi
Mia noi (เมียน้อย), literally "minor wife," is the Thai term for a second partner or mistress a married man keeps in a more or less stable arrangement, separate from his official wife.
Sin Sod
Sin sod (สินสอด) is the dowry a groom traditionally gives to the bride's family before or during a wedding in Thailand.
Sponsor Relationship
A sponsor relationship is an ongoing monthly financial arrangement between a foreigner and a partner in Thailand, understood by both sides but rarely discussed outside the relationship itself.
Thai Dating
Dating in Thailand covers a far wider range than the image most foreigners arrive with: it spans dating apps and sites like TrueMatchAsia or Thai Friendly, bar encounters, Facebook groups, or introductions through mutual friends.
Thai Family
The traditional Thai family functions as an extensive, interdependent network, rather than the nuclear unit (parents and children) common across much of the West.
Thai Girlfriend
The term "Thai girlfriend" covers a much wider reality than the stereotype suggests: the stories on this site feature accountants, teachers, nurses, bar workers, and business owners, each with her own relationship to money, family, and commitment.
Thai Visa
A Thai visa is the legal permission any foreigner needs to stay in Thailand beyond a simple tourist visit.
Thai Wedding
A traditional Thai wedding combines a Buddhist merit-making ceremony in the morning, led by monks, with specific rites such as the sacred thread (sai sin) that symbolically joins the couple, and the handing over of sin sod to the bride's family.
Thai Wife
Becoming a Thai wife usually means much more than the wedding itself: it means fully entering an extended family network, often with financial responsibilities toward parents that don't disappear just because she's married to a foreigner.
Work Permit
A work permit is the legal document, separate from a visa, that any foreigner needs to work legally in Thailand, whether behind a desk, behind a bar, or in any other business.