Dating a Thai man can be completely different than dating a western man and, for some western women it can be frustrating and confusing. If you’re dating a Thai man, think you might date a Thai man, or even end up with a Thai husband. let me tell you it isn’t actually as different as it might seem.
Just be aware of some of the cultural differences, and you’ll be fine.
Thai Men Are Polite – Thai men are usually more polite than western men. This is actually why they make good boyfriends. Most will treat you sweetly, always be complimentary (Thais call it having a “sweet mouth”) and will rarely be rude to you. When you date a Thai man, you end up feeling like a princess because they are always so polite.
Thai Men Take Care of You – Thai men love taking care of women and they do it well. If you date a Thai man long enough, you’ll find they’ll bring you lunch, they’ll pick you up and take you to work, run errands for you and your family, take you to the doctor if you’re sick and generally always make sure you’re fine.
If you’re a western woman too, Thai men take care of you even more because they want you to have a good impression of Thailand and Thai people.
Thai Men Carry Your Purse and Your Shopping – One thing I’ve always thought was funny about Thai men is they carry their girlfriend’s purse when they’re out shopping. In fact, you’ll often see otherwise quite masculine men trotting around the mall with their girlfriend’s purse over their shoulder.
At first, I used to think “I wonder if he’s gay!”, but now I see it as just sweet, as it shows they don’t ever want you to carry anything heavy. That’s why, when they go shopping, most girls in Thailand just hand their shopping bag to their Thai boyfriend and he will carry it for them. After all, there’s no point exhausting that delicate female body!
Thai Men Are Funny – Thai men like to laugh a lot and will joke with you often. If you can make a Thai guy laugh, they love being with you and will spend as much time with you as they can.
Even when things get upsetting or stressful, they will still laugh about it anyway, as that’s the Thai way, and far more pleasant than the screaming and sulkiness of a certain percentage of western men when they get in a snit.
Thai Men Are Sensitive – Thai men are more sensitive than western men or, at least, they show it more. It seems to be much easier to hurt a Thai man than it does a western man, so you do have to be careful about comments you make.
I tend to err on the side of complete kindness as, in the past, innocent little comments have cut my Thai guy to the quick. Remember, your Thai guy is probably sensitive so be even kinder to him than you’re used to being.
Thai Men Don’t Lose Their Temper Easily – Thai culture is centered on the idea of ‘jai yen’ (cool heart), but that doesn’t mean what it means in the west.
Being ‘jai yen’ means not getting upset about little things, not getting stressed and not showing anger over things you cannot control.Thai men, overall, tend to be very ‘jai yen’ but, there’s also a downside to that.
Because they don’t show a lot of anger, when they do eventually get angry, their anger can be much scarier than with a western men as they seem to lose all control.
Keep your Thai guy calm and relaxed most of the time and you shouldn’t have a problem. But get him riled up and upset and I’d recommend leaving him alone until he’s had time to calm down.
After all, let’s face it, having to put up with the red face, stomping around and screaming is more than a little annoying.
Thai Men Are Not Always Faithful – Built into Thai culture is the idea it’s okay for a Thai man to be unfaithful. This is why many Thai men will have several girlfriends at the same time before they’re married and, even when married, will sometimes have a wife and a ‘mia noi‘ or minor wife (sometimes, more than one).
This is why a some Thai women say they have no interest in dating Thai men or having a Thai husband. They know they’ll probably be sharing their boyfriend with a couple of other women at best.
Some western women say however, if you can keep your Thai guy happy and challenged, they tend not to stray. But, the minute you show him less than 100% attention and he’s likely to wander off in search of other stimulation. Be warned.
Dating Thai men, for most western women, is still a mostly positive experience. They are sweeter, kinder and more polite than almost any western man, and you’ll definitely be better taken care of.
Just make sure you also learn about Thai culture and don’t behave in a way that makes your Thai boyfriend ‘lose face’. Because, if that happens, it will be unlikely he’ll be around much longer after that.
