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BoysLove: Thai and Korean names, terms, and social customs [1]
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Date: 2025-04-01
Boys’ Love series and movies are produced almost entirely in Asia and thus use (to us) foreign languages (Filipino BLs are the exception, as English is one of the official languages of the Philippines). Fortunately, most BLs quickly get subtitled in English, either by the production company or by the platform where they are shown.
But there is more to understanding than just reading words in English. Each country has its own unique culture and traditions and many things aren’t conveyed easily, if at all, solely by a few words on the screen. You may miss out on some key points of a drama without a bit more info than what you get by using that “CC” button on Youtube.
Never fear, we’re here to help!
Today we’ll take a quick look at subtitling in BLs and then move on to explore the fascinating cultural and language differences you will encounter in BLs. You will learn about key terms and concepts from Thailand — the 800-pound gorilla of BL production — and from South Korea, the world’s second largest producer of BLs.
Follow along with us below and what now seems exotic will soon be familiar when you dive into a gripping Korean drama or a charming Thai rom-com.
Subtitles
Subtitles are crucial for those of us who do not speak the language of the production. The quality of the subtitles can vary wildly.
Youtube usually does an okay job with its auto-translation tool (meaning that humans do not create or review the subtitles). I assume it’s tied into Google’s translation service — Google owns Youtube — which usually performs well when I use it.
Many BLs on Youtube, however, are subtitled by the company that produced or distributed the video. The quality of those is all over the place, ranging from excellent to “What language is this translation supposed to be because it sure doesn’t make sense in English?!?”
On the other end of the translation spectrum, Viki relies on teams of volunteers, many of whom are native speakers. Along with the dialog subtitling, Viki often inserts brief helpful notes about some words or cultural points. Viki’s subtitles are superb (and remember, you only need to create a free account in order to watch dozens and dozens of BLs at no charge on Viki).
IQiyi, which both streams BLs and produces their own BL series, usually has pretty good subtitles. I believe they use machine translation (AI or something similar) so it’s not as good as Viki’s translations … but still quite good most of the time. IQiyi doesn’t require you to create a free account in order to watch the many BLs that they offer to non-subscribers.
Thailand
“That language” written in Thai script
Thailand will likely be the country whose culture you see most frequently in BLs. After a while, you may very well find yourself nonchalantly tossing around Thai vocabulary in your mind just from having absorbed it while watching those boys in blue shorts living their ofttimes chaotic lives.
Thai names Names Thai proper names follow the Western style of the given name followed by the family name (surname). Surnames are a relatively modern invention, having been mandated by a Thai king in 1913. The royal decree specified that surnames must be unique to a family; consequently, they tend to be quite long and complicated, a difficult mouthful for Westerners (e.g., the veteran BL actor Chinnarat Siriphongchawalit). Given names are often bestowed on a child after consulting monks to find an auspicious name that will presumably bring the child good luck or success in the future. It is not at all uncommon for an adult to change his/her given name, simply as personal preference, to feel like he/she is making a fresh start, or — again — to better one’s future odds for success or luck. Nicknames With such complicated full names, it shouldn’t be surprising that Thais have an easier way to address friends and colleagues: nicknames. Many are words adopted from English; parents or the individual find a word that sounds pleasing to their ears or has a meaning that seems appropriate for the person. That becomes the name he/she will be known by almost everyone, all of the time. Many Thais don’t know or don’t remember the actual legal names of friends; they just know their nicknames (whether English-derived, Thai, or borrowed from another language). The lovely and multi-talented Offroad Kantapon, star of Love In Translation. Kantapon is his legal given name but the BL and T-pop worlds know him as Offroad Ease of use is not the only reason for nicknames; popular folk beliefs have contributed to their ubiquity. The idea is that evil spirits will be looking for a child under his/her real name; using the nickname will fool the spirits and keep the child safe. Common English nicknames include Bank, Boss, Air, Earth, and Win. Some of the more interesting are Donut, Intouch, Surprise, and Offroad. Some BL actors (and other Thai celebrities) become known solely by their nickname, much like Americans all know who Cher is (does anyone remember her last name? Sarkisian). It’s also quite common for actors to go by the combination of their nickname plus their given name, such as the brilliant star of Until We Meet Again, Fluke Natouch (whose surname is Siripongthon). Characters in BLs almost always have easy-to-remember nicknames of just one or two syllables. Spelling The Thai alphabet does not have a one-to-one correspondence with the Roman alphabet that we use. So, you may see variations in the spelling of the names of actors and characters. If you look closely and think about it a bit, you’ll figure out that two seemingly different names are just spelling variations.
Just like in English, honorifics (forms of address) are important when speaking to or of people. We use terms like “mister” and “professor” and “madam” when appropriate. Thai also uses similar terms to indicate relationships or show respect to another person.
Thai forms of address P’ or Phi Pronounced like “pee.” This is a gender-neutral form used to address a person older than the speaker. So a Thai guy or gal aged 20 would address their 21-year old acquaintance, Mix, as P’ Mix. Nong This is the opposite term, used to address or refer to a person of any gender that is younger than the speaker. It is often omitted, however. So P’ Mix above would refer to his younger sister or brother as Nong Book or just Book. Khun Also gender neutral, this is a more formal term of respect, not necessarily reflecting an age difference. Think of it as similar to our “mister” or “ma’am” or “sir.” Our Mix above would use it when referring to an older, experienced person or a superior at work, either with the person’s nickname or just by itself: Khun or Khun Peach. Hia Nong Kuea (Nunew Chawarin) and Hia Lian (Zee Pruk) in Cutie Pie. Hia would walk through towering flames for his nong Hia means “elder brother” and is borrowed from Chinese. It is generally used with older males whose ancestry is Chinese (Thais are quite adept at determining ancestry at a glance). Technically, it is used much like P’ but in the world of BL it has its own meaning: “OMG, you are my hunky lover-to-be!” Yes, when a lucky lad encounters a somewhat older (three to ten years) guy, who appears even slightly Chinese, who is handsome, and who clearly is wealthy or successful, and our nong addresses this stud as Hia, his fate is sealed: he’s going to fall head over heels for his hia and eventually become his devoted love-puppy (after lots of resistance and drama, of course!). Naturally, his hia, in turn, will be equally besotted and will be protective and nurturing of his beloved nong (for whom he had to work so hard to win his heart). Ai A rude term that should never be used with strangers unless you want to provoke a fight or deliver an insult. However, it is used between friends, much like many of us (guys, especially) might say “Come on, a**hole, let’s go get a beer.” It can be used alone or combined with the nickname, like Ai Mix. Titles It is common to use professional titles with the person’s nickname, such as Teacher Mike or Doctor April
Thailand has an abundance of other forms of address and tweaks to words that indicate relationships and respect. However, for Western audiences, the above terms should be enough to figure out how characters are relating to each other.
South Korea
“Hangeul” written in the Korean native script Hangul
Korean dramas are popular around the world now for good reasons: high-quality productions and compelling character-driven stories. South Korea’s BLs follow the standards set by K-drama and we often see many of the same actors cross between straight dramas and BLs. Another happy plus is the crossover we often see now between Korean BLs and K-pop: idols appear as BL actors and perform the original soundtracks (OSTs) for BL series and movies.
Korean Names Family names (surnames) Family names in Thailand and Korea are polar opposites. In Thailand, surnames are legally required to be unique. In Korea, there are just a few hundred surnames … but nearly half of all Koreans share just three of those names (Lee, Park, and Kim). If they still printed phone books, I would love to open the Seoul directory and see how they manage to organize thousands and thousands of people whose names are the same. Full names Again, Thai and Korean names are opposites. In South Korea, the family name (surname) comes first and is followed by the given name. For example, one of the stars of Choco Milk Shake is Lee Jae Bin; Lee is his surname and Jae Bin is his given name. Given names The adorable Lee Jae Bin, star of Choco Milk Shake Or perhaps I should have said “Jaebin” (as a single word) is his given name. Korean given names generally have two syllables and when they are transcribed into the Roman alphabet, they may be split into two words or written as one. I’ve not found any rhyme or reason for joining or splitting the given name so I guess it just depends on the favored style of the person transcribing the name. Spelling Again, transcribers have differing styles of Westernizing names. Lee may be spelled Li. Jun Woo might be Jun Wu, Junwoo, or even Jungwoo. It can be confusing so just try to keep your mind flexible so that when you encounter the same actor or character listed with apparently two different names, you will realize they’re just different spellings.
Ji Woong of the K-pop group Zerobaseone — and BL star — has said that he prefers that his bandmates address him as Hyung to remind him that he is the eldest and thus must be serious and take responsibility for the group’s success
Like Thai, Korean has forms of address that indicate social status, age, and relationship.
Some are not only specific in regard to the gender of the person being spoken to but also are restricted by the gender of the person speaking. For example, a female speaking to a male uses a different form of “elder brother” than her brother would when speaking to the same male.
I have no idea how Koreans deal with issues of being non-binary or gender-fluid. Anyone out there have a clue?
Because Korean uses the Hangul alphabet instead of our familiar Roman alphabet, the spelling of honorifics is just as capricious in translations as are names. So you might see hyung, hyeong, or other variations of the same term.
Korean Forms of Address Oppa “Elder brother,” used by females to address older males Unni “Elder sister,” used by females to address older females Hyung “Elder brother,” used by males to address older males Nuna “Elder sister,” used by males to address older females Sunbae Used to refer to someone with more status or experience; think of it as meaning “senior” Hubae Counterpart of sunbae, used for someone with less status or experience; think of it as “junior” Chingu Familiar term of address used between friends of the same age Nim/Shi Gender-neutral and can be thought of as “Mr.” or “Ms.” Shi is used with persons of similar age and status; Nim is more formal
The order of names and honorifics is surname-given name-title, so Lee Jaebin Shi would be roughly equivalent to our “Mr. Jaebin Lee.” Koreans do not use the form of just the title and surname but rather the title and given name, so Jaebin Shi would be correct but Lee Shi would not; in other words, the equivalent of “Mr. Jaebin” is used instead of “Mr. Lee.”
Sunbae (senior) and hubae (junior) can either be added to the given name or used alone, as in “Sunbae, when is the report due?”
There are many other terms of address and complexities about just who uses which term with whom under what circumstances … but this should get you through most Korean BLs without being too befuddled.
Before I say sawasdee krub/ka and annyeonghi gyeseyo
Note that I am not a Thai or Korean speaker; I have gleaned information from watching BLs and looking up terms and words. So, if you are a native speaker, or have more knowledge and experience than I do, please offer your advice in the comments below!
Start watching some Thai and Korean BLs now that you know most of the lingo that you will hear. And keep your eyes open for your own hia in real life; you never know when you might get lucky (and if he has a twin brother, give him my number!).
Sawasdee krub/ka!
Annyeonghi gyeseyo!
Goodbye!
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