Why do Thais call Indians “Khaek”?

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Transcript

00:00In Thailand, the term Khak is often used to refer to the people of Indian descent.

00:05But why do Thais call Indians Khak?

00:08Thailand has many unique names for different groups of foreigners.

00:11For instance, Farang is a term used to describe Westerners,

00:15while the term Jek originally referred to Chinese people in Thailand.

00:19But over time, it gained a negative tone in some contexts.

00:23However, in the case of Indians, Khak has a respectful meaning.

00:27According to Karuna Kusalasai, an expert in Hindi, Sanskrit, and Indian studies,

00:32has explained this in the Thai magazine Silapa Watthanatham,

00:36saying that Thai people historically hail India in high regard,

00:40as it's the birthplace of the Buddha.

00:42Indians visiting Thailand were considered honored guests,

00:46as the word Khak actually means guest in Thai.

00:49Are you also one of those we call Khak?