As we travel south through Asia, we come across many different cultures, but most are infused with the same Eastern philosophy and beauty of expression we have already encountered. Of course, different cultures reflect their way of living through their language. It certainly says something about the local diet that the Hanunoo language of the Philippines has ninety different words for rice!
Also based on this commonly eaten foodstuff, the Indonesian idiom nasi sudah menjadi bubur literally translates as "the rice has already become porridge." Bubur is made by boiling rice to the point that it becomes mushy, like porridge. It is eaten with vegetables, various meat, and sauces. The concept is that once the rice has turned to porridge, there is no turning back. It is too late as the process cannot be reversed — the rice is now porridge. There is no crying over spilled milk in Indonesia! Here are some more words exploring the expression and ways of understanding specific to Southern and Southeast Asian cultures.
mai pen rai (Thai) [my pen rye] (idiom)
This is the most common Thai response to a difficulty — literally, "never mind," "no problem," or "it can't be helped." This is the verbal equivalent of an open-handed shoulder shrug, which has its basis in the Buddhist notion of karma. This will help any traveler to understand the sometimes laissez-faire attitude to delayed buses and other general day-today problems and inconveniences.
jung (Korean) [yung] (noun)
This word in Korean represents a special feeling or a relationship that one person has with another that is stronger than mere "love" and can only often be proved by having survived a huge argument with someone. It is a word that represents a feeling that can never die, and is unlike love in this way. It highlights the difference between the Korean concept of love and the Western romantic ideal of love.
gotong-royong (Indonesian) [got-ong-roi-ong] (noun)
Indonesians use royong to mean "mutual cooperation" or, more precisely, the relationship between a group of people who are committed to accomplish a task of mutual benefit. The word goes back to the days when small farmers worked together and used a common area in the center of the village or town for grazing their cattle. The word is almost always used in conjunction with gotong-royong, which means, "to carry a heavy burden together," and it has been co-opted by politicians and used to convey the sense that the common good is more important than the individual.
jai yen (Thai) [djye yen] (noun)
Thai people are quite reserved, but their language alerts us to their hidden emotional depths. Jai literally means "heart," but it may also mean "mind."There are hundreds of Thai phrases that use the wordj'ai to describe many kinds of emotional states and mental feelings. Jai yen translates literally as "cool heart" and is something everyone tries to maintain, an easy going calmness. Most Thai people hate raised voices, visible irritation, and confrontation of any kind. In many ways, this is part of the Buddhist philosophy that many Thai people follow. In Thai, your heart can be described in many ways, including hot, black, strange, or little.
nunchi (Korean) [noon-chee] (noun)
This word is bound up in the social niceties and customs of interaction that are second nature to the people of Asia. Nunchi refers to a sort of "sixth sense," an intrinsic understanding of the person with whom you are interacting, and is essential for evaluating another person's hidden feelings and staying one step ahead of offending them.
khian duay meu, lop duay thao (Thai) [kee-an doo-ey mer, lop doo-ey ta-u] (idiom)
Parts of the body have spiritual significance and hierarchy to Thai people. The head is the highest part of the body and it is rude to touch a Thai person's head. The feet are the lowest part of the body and it is similarly rude to point to things with your foot. This Thai idiom is steeped in this cultural understanding and literally means "write with the hand, erase with the foot." It refers to a person who wipes out a good deed by immediately following it with a bad one.
nop (Laotian) [norp] (noun)
Very similar to the Thai greeting wai, this word embodies the respectfulness and politeness that is second nature to the Southeast Asian community. It is accompanied by a prayer like palms-together greeting gesture. You should nop back to someone if they nop you in greeting, but you should refrain if a child does it to you.
ramai (Indonesian) [rahm-eye] (noun)
People on the island of Bali tend to do things in groups and this word ramai has been adopted into standard Indonesian from the original Balinese rame, meaning a "crowded, bustling, chaotic social environment." Remai encapsulates one of the main social values of Bali. Most activities, from fishing to fetching firewood and cooking, generally involve a big group of people, usually more than is strictly necessary, and lots of conversation, bustle, and noise.
sayang (Tagalog) [sye-yang] (noun)
The closest English translation for a word like sayang is an expression such as "what a waste!" but it has more feelings associated with the gravity of the loss than this evokes. It involves a deep sadness or longing for something lost, and feelings of love, compassion, and empathy all enter into this. In another context, the word infers these emotive aspects and it can be a term of endearment like "love," or "sweetheart," or "dear." Koreans have an equivalent for this word, han, which is similarly loaded with meaning.
talkin (Indonesian) [tahlk-in] (noun)
In Indonesia, a religious and spiritual speech called talkin refers to whispering instructions in the ear of the dying. Co-opted into the language from Arabic, traditionally these talkin are also read at the end of the funeral service to remind the deceased about the answers to give when questioned by the angels of death. In both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, there is a concentration on how to live in order to achieve a propitious incarnation. There is also a concentration on the transition and what can be said to the dying person to help make the experience a positive one.
ada udang di balik batu (Indonesian) [a-da oo-dang dee baa-lik baa-too] (idiom)
If an Indonesian person said to you ada udang di balik batu, you may get slightly confused as they have remarked, "There is a prawn under every rock." The general meaning of the phrase is "there's a hidden catch" or "there are hidden intentions behind what that person is saying."