Depiction of farang as a stone guard at Wat Pho in Bangkok; circa 1824–1851
During the crusades, Frankish control was extended further in the Middle East. Unlike previous Franks, these Franks were almost all Christian as opposed to older Franks who were mixed groups of different religions.
Over time, the word began to be used more generically. In 12th century, the term Frank became associated with all of Western Europeans (including the French, Italians, and the Flemish) in the Muslim world. The term Frangistan (Persian: فرنگستان) was used by Thai and Muslims and was also used frequently by Persians. Muslim traders referred to all European traders as Farang and it entered much of the languages of South Asia and Southeast Asia as a term.
The word farang is from Persian word farang (فرنگ) or farangī (فرنگی), refers to Franks, the major Germanic tribe ruling Western Europe. Frangistan (Persian: فرنگستان) was a term used by Muslims and Persians in particular, during the Middle Ages and later periods, to refer to Western or Latin Europe. According to Rashid od-Din Fazl ol-Lāh-e Hamadāni, Arabic word Afranj comes from the Persianfarang.[1] This seems unlikely though, considering that the Arabic 'al-Faranj' or 'Afranj' has been attested since the 9th century, in the works of al-Jahiz and Ya'qubi, a century before 'Farang' was first used in an anonymous late 10th century Persian geography book,[2] suggesting that the Persian 'Farang' is a loan from Arabic. By the 11th cetury, Arabic texts were increasingly using the term 'Faransa' or 'al-Faransiyah', already attested in the work of Said al-Andalusi in the mid 11th century.
In Bangladesh and West Bengal, the modern meaning of firingi (ফিরিঙ্গি) refers to Anglo-Bengalis or Bengalis with European ancestry. Most firingis tend to be Bengali Christians. Descendants of firingis which married local Bengali women may also be referred to as Kalo Firingis (Black firingis) or Matio Firingis (Earth-coloured firingis).[3] Following the Portuguese settlement in Chittagong, the Portuguese fort and naval base came to be known as Firingi Bandar or the Foreigner's Port. There are also places such as Firingi Bazaar which exist in older parts of Dhaka and Chittagong. The descendants of these Portuguese traders in Chittagong continue to be referred to as Firingis.[4] The Indian biographical filmAntony Firingee was very popular in the mid 20th century and was based on Anthony Firingee - a Bengali folk singer of Portuguese origin. There is also a river in the Sundarbans called Firingi River.
In the Maldivesfaranji was the term used to refer to foreigners of European origin, especially the French. Until recently the lane next to the Bastion in the northern shore of Malé was called Faranji Kalō Gōlhi.[5]
Southeast Asia
The Royal Institute Dictionary 2011, the official dictionary of Thai words, defines the word as "a person of white race".[6] The term is also blended into everyday terms meaning "of/from the white race" such as: man farang (Thai: มันฝรั่ง; "farangyam") meaning potato, no mai farang (Thai: หน่อไม้ฝรั่ง; "farangshoot") meaning asparagus, and achan farang (Thai: อาจารย์ฝรั่ง; "farang professor") which is the nickname of the influential figure in Thai art history, Italian art professor Silpa Bhirasri.[6]
Edmund Roberts, US envoy in 1833, defined the term as "Frank (or European)".[7]Black people are called farang dam (Thai: ฝรั่งดำ; 'black farang') to distinguish them from whites. This began during the Vietnam War, when the United States military maintained bases in Thailand. The practice continues in present-day Bangkok.[8]
Farang khi nok (Thai: ฝรั่งขี้นก, lit. 'bird-droppings Farang'), also used in Lao, is slang commonly used as an insult to a person of white race, equivalent to white trash, as khi means feces and nok means bird, referring to the white color of bird-droppings.[10]
Varieties of food/produce that were introduced by Europeans are often called farang varieties. Hence, potatoes are man farang (Thai: มันฝรั่ง), whereas man (Thai: มัน) alone can be any tuber; culantro is called phak chi farang (Thai: ผักชีฝรั่ง, literally farang cilantro/coriander); and chewing gum is mak farang (Thai: หมากฝรั่ง). Mak (Thai: หมาก) is Thai for arecanut; chewing mak together with betel leaves(baiphlu) was a Thai custom.
In the Isan Lao dialect, the guava is called mak sida (Thai: หมากสีดา), mak being a prefix for fruit names. Thus bak sida (Thai: บักสีดา), bak being a prefix when calling males, refers jokingly to a Westerner, by analogy to the Thai language where farang can mean both guava and Westerner.[11]
^Karl Jahn (ed.) Histoire Universelle de Rasid al-Din Fadl Allah Abul=Khair: I. Histoire des Francs (Texte Persan avec traduction et annotations), Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1951. (Source: M. Ashtiany)
^Dabashi, Hamid (16 January 2020). Reversing the Colonial Gaze: Persian Travelers Abroad. p. 68. ISBN9781108488129. The earliest source in which the word farang appears in Persian is actually by the anonymous author of Hudud al-'Alam/Boundaries of the World from the tenth century, and even before in Arabic in the works of Al-Jahiz (776–869), as in the expression "King of Farang" or the region of "Farang."
^Hasan Osmany, Shireen. "Chittagong City". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^Bangladesh Channel Services. "Explore the wonders of Chittagong in Bangladesh". Retrieved 11 July 2015.
^ ab [Royal Institute Dictionary 1999] (in Thai). Royal Institute of Thailand. 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2014-04-05. ฝรั่ง ๑ [ฝะหฺรั่ง] น. ชนชาติผิวขาว; คําประกอบชื่อสิ่งของบางอย่างที่มาจากต่างประเทศซึ่งมีลักษณะคล้ายของไทย เช่น ขนมฝรั่ง ละมุดฝรั่ง มันฝรั่ง ตะขบฝรั่ง ผักบุ้งฝรั่ง แตรฝรั่ง.
^Roberts, Edmund (1837) [First published in 1837]. "Chapter XIX 1833 Officers of Government". Embassy to the Eastern courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat : in the U. S. sloop-of-war Peacock ... during the years 1832-3-4 (Digital ed.). Harper & brothers. Retrieved March 29, 2012. Connected with this department is that of the Farang-khromma-tha," Frank (or European) commercial board
^Diana Ozemebhoy, Eromosele (26 May 2015). . The Root. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
^"Isaan Dialect". SiamSmile. Dec 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009. SEE-DA สีดา BAK-SEE-DA บักสีดา or MAHK-SEE-DA หมากสีดา. Guava fruit; Foreigner (white, Western.) BAK is ISAAN for mister; SEE-DA สีดา, BAK-SEE-DA and MAHK-SEE-DA are Isaan for the Guava fruit.
Further reading
Corness, Dr Iain (2009). Farang. Dunboyne: Maverick House Publishers. ISBN978-1-905379-42-2.
Marcinkowski, Dr Christoph (2005). From Isfahan to Ayutthaya: Contacts between Iran and Siam in the 17th Century. With a foreword by Professor Ehsan Yarshater, Columbia University, New York. Singapore: Pustaka Nasional. ISBN9971-77-491-7.
Kitiarsa, P. (2011). An ambiguous intimacy: Farang as Siamese occidentalism. In R. V. Harrison & P. A. Jackson (Eds.), The ambiguous allure of the West: Traces of the colonial in Thailand (pp. 57–74). Hong Kong Univ. Press; Silkworm Books.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Foreigners in Thailand.
Farang in the Concise Oxford Dictionary
German language bi-monthly magazine, published by Der Farang, Pattaya, Thailand
The Thai word "Farang", its variations in other languages, and its Arabic origin
February 15, 2023
farang, village, iran, iran, redirects, here, 1964, pakistani, film, film, confused, with, barang, parang, folangji, redirects, here, also, known, folangji, ming, china, breech, loading, swivel, persian, فرنگ, persian, southeast, asian, word, that, originally,. For the village in Iran see Farang Iran Farangi redirects here For the 1964 Pakistani film see Farangi film Not to be confused with barang or parang Folangji redirects here For the gun also known as folangji in Ming China see Breech loading swivel gun Farang Persian فرنگ is a Persian and Southeast Asian word that originally referred to the Franks the major Germanic tribe and later came to refer to White Europeans in general The word Farang is a cognate and originates from Old French franc Depiction of farang as a stone guard at Wat Pho in Bangkok circa 1824 1851 During the crusades Frankish control was extended further in the Middle East Unlike previous Franks these Franks were almost all Christian as opposed to older Franks who were mixed groups of different religions Over time the word began to be used more generically In 12th century the term Frank became associated with all of Western Europeans including the French Italians and the Flemish in the Muslim world The term Frangistan Persian فرنگستان was used by Thai and Muslims and was also used frequently by Persians Muslim traders referred to all European traders as Farang and it entered much of the languages of South Asia and Southeast Asia as a term Contents 1 Name 2 Other uses 2 1 South Asia 2 2 Southeast Asia 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksName EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message The word farang is from Persian word farang فرنگ or farangi فرنگی refers to Franks the major Germanic tribe ruling Western Europe Frangistan Persian فرنگستان was a term used by Muslims and Persians in particular during the Middle Ages and later periods to refer to Western or Latin Europe According to Rashid od Din Fazl ol Lah e Hamadani Arabic word Afranj comes from the Persian farang 1 This seems unlikely though considering that the Arabic al Faranj or Afranj has been attested since the 9th century in the works of al Jahiz and Ya qubi a century before Farang was first used in an anonymous late 10th century Persian geography book 2 suggesting that the Persian Farang is a loan from Arabic By the 11th cetury Arabic texts were increasingly using the term Faransa or al Faransiyah already attested in the work of Said al Andalusi in the mid 11th century In the languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea faranj or ferenj in most contexts still means distant foreigner generally used to describe Europeans or European descendant white people in certain contexts within the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora the term faranj or ferenj has taken on a slightly alternative meaning that closely resembles the term Westerner or Westernized people even though it still mostly applies to European descendants White People it can be applied to African Americans and other Westernized People of Color During the Muslim Mughal Empire when the Europeans arrived in South Asia the Persian word Farang was used to refer to foreigners of European descent The words also added to local languages such as Hindi as firangi Devanagari फ र ग and Bengali as firingi ফ র ঙ গ The word was pronounced paranki പറങ ക in Malayalam parangiar in Tamil entered Khmer as barang and Malay as ferenggi citation needed From there the term spread into China as folangji 佛郎機 which was used to refer to the Portuguese and their breech loading swivel guns when they first arrived in China Other uses EditSouth Asia Edit In Bangladesh and West Bengal the modern meaning of firingi ফ র ঙ গ refers to Anglo Bengalis or Bengalis with European ancestry Most firingis tend to be Bengali Christians Descendants of firingis which married local Bengali women may also be referred to as Kalo Firingis Black firingis or Matio Firingis Earth coloured firingis 3 Following the Portuguese settlement in Chittagong the Portuguese fort and naval base came to be known as Firingi Bandar or the Foreigner s Port There are also places such as Firingi Bazaar which exist in older parts of Dhaka and Chittagong The descendants of these Portuguese traders in Chittagong continue to be referred to as Firingis 4 The Indian biographical film Antony Firingee was very popular in the mid 20th century and was based on Anthony Firingee a Bengali folk singer of Portuguese origin There is also a river in the Sundarbans called Firingi River In the Maldives faranji was the term used to refer to foreigners of European origin especially the French Until recently the lane next to the Bastion in the northern shore of Male was called Faranji Kalō Gōlhi 5 Southeast Asia Edit The Royal Institute Dictionary 2011 the official dictionary of Thai words defines the word as a person of white race 6 The term is also blended into everyday terms meaning of from the white race such as man farang Thai mnfrng farang yam meaning potato no mai farang Thai hnximfrng farang shoot meaning asparagus and achan farang Thai xacaryfrng farang professor which is the nickname of the influential figure in Thai art history Italian art professor Silpa Bhirasri 6 Edmund Roberts US envoy in 1833 defined the term as Frank or European 7 Black people are called farang dam Thai frngda black farang to distinguish them from whites This began during the Vietnam War when the United States military maintained bases in Thailand The practice continues in present day Bangkok 8 Farang is also the Thai word for the guava fruit introduced by Portuguese traders over 400 years ago 9 Farang khi nok Thai frngkhink lit bird droppings Farang also used in Lao is slang commonly used as an insult to a person of white race equivalent to white trash as khi means feces and nok means bird referring to the white color of bird droppings 10 Varieties of food produce that were introduced by Europeans are often called farang varieties Hence potatoes are man farang Thai mnfrng whereas man Thai mn alone can be any tuber culantro is called phak chi farang Thai phkchifrng literally farang cilantro coriander and chewing gum is mak farang Thai hmakfrng Mak Thai hmak is Thai for arecanut chewing mak together with betel leaves baiphlu was a Thai custom In the Isan Lao dialect the guava is called mak sida Thai hmaksida mak being a prefix for fruit names Thus bak sida Thai bksida bak being a prefix when calling males refers jokingly to a Westerner by analogy to the Thai language where farang can mean both guava and Westerner 11 See also EditAng Mo Malaysia and Singapore Barang Cambodia Buckra Bule Indonesia Cracker Ferengi a fictional species in Star Trek Firangi India and Pakistan Firingi Bazar bn Bangladesh Frank used in the time of Marco Polo for a western foreigner Mat Salleh Malaysia Brunei Singapore Southern Thailand West Indonesia Gringo Latin America Gweilo Southern China Hong Kong Honky Huanna Luk khrueng WhiteyReferences Edit Karl Jahn ed Histoire Universelle de Rasid al Din Fadl Allah Abul Khair I Histoire des Francs Texte Persan avec traduction et annotations Leiden E J Brill 1951 Source M Ashtiany Dabashi Hamid 16 January 2020 Reversing the Colonial Gaze Persian Travelers Abroad p 68 ISBN 9781108488129 The earliest source in which the word farang appears in Persian is actually by the anonymous author of Hudud al Alam Boundaries of the World from the tenth century and even before in Arabic in the works of Al Jahiz 776 869 as in the expression King of Farang or the region of Farang Hasan Osmany Shireen Chittagong City Banglapedia National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Bangladesh Channel Services Explore the wonders of Chittagong in Bangladesh Retrieved 11 July 2015 Royal House of Hilaaly Huraa a b phcnanukrm chbbrachbnthitysthan ph s 2542 Royal Institute Dictionary 1999 in Thai Royal Institute of Thailand 2007 Archived from the original on 2009 03 03 Retrieved 2014 04 05 frng 1 fah rng n chnchatiphiwkhaw khaprakxbchuxsingkhxngbangxyangthimacaktangpraethssungmilksnakhlaykhxngithy echn khnmfrng lamudfrng mnfrng takhbfrng phkbungfrng aetrfrng Roberts Edmund 1837 First published in 1837 Chapter XIX 1833 Officers of Government Embassy to the Eastern courts of Cochin China Siam and Muscat in the U S sloop of war Peacock during the years 1832 3 4 Digital ed Harper amp brothers Retrieved March 29 2012 Connected with this department is that of the Farang khromma tha Frank or European commercial board Diana Ozemebhoy Eromosele 26 May 2015 Being Black in Thailand We re Treated Better Than Africans and Boy Do We Hate It The Root pp 1 2 Archived from the original on 29 May 2015 Retrieved 26 May 2015 frng khuxxair aeplphasa aeplwa hmaythung phcnanukrmithy ithy x epluxng n nkhr dictionary sanook com Retrieved 2018 12 15 frngkhink khuxxair aeplphasa aeplwa hmaythung phcnanukrmithy ithy rachbnthitysthan dictionary sanook com Retrieved 2018 12 15 Isaan Dialect SiamSmile Dec 2009 Retrieved 28 December 2009 SEE DA sida BAK SEE DA bksida or MAHK SEE DA hmaksida Guava fruit Foreigner white Western BAK is ISAAN for mister SEE DA sida BAK SEE DA and MAHK SEE DA are Isaan for the Guava fruit Further reading EditCorness Dr Iain 2009 Farang Dunboyne Maverick House Publishers ISBN 978 1 905379 42 2 Marcinkowski Dr Christoph 2005 From Isfahan to Ayutthaya Contacts between Iran and Siam in the 17th Century With a foreword by Professor Ehsan Yarshater Columbia University New York Singapore Pustaka Nasional ISBN 9971 77 491 7 Kitiarsa P 2011 An ambiguous intimacy Farang as Siamese occidentalism In R V Harrison amp P A Jackson Eds The ambiguous allure of the West Traces of the colonial in Thailand pp 57 74 Hong Kong Univ Press Silkworm Books External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Foreigners in Thailand Farang in the Concise Oxford Dictionary German language bi monthly magazine published by Der Farang Pattaya Thailand The Thai word Farang its variations in other languages and its Arabic origin Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Farang amp oldid 1107028277, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
