Same Same But Different

"Same same, but different" is a very famous tourist catchphrase in Thailand. This phrase, usually which means similar, is very well known among the locals as well as the tourists. And this catchphrase vibe has jumped, hopped and spread to travellers from Southeast Asia and far. Though it is a funny phrase and is not taken so seriously and has joined the family of ting tong and love you a long time, same same but different has cultural origins.

Origin:

This Thai-English phrase is said to be originated when the locals of Thailand who were learning English tried to communicate with the tourists and travellers. In today's world, this expression flows like free air in and around Thailand. This iconic caption is even printed on T-shirts and souvenirs.

Same same but different in Thai language:

The Thai grammar mostly concentrates on the context and the meaning. Thereby the language allows to omit pronouns, articles and all that are considered necessary. Adding to that, there is no differentiation between singular and plural. So, the nouns maybe repeated twice consecutively to be plural. The adjectives work in the similar way. Thus, same follows same!

Worry-free:

The Thai people mostly have the mai bpen rai attitude which means dont worry about it. They usually avoid most of the confrontation and avert awkward situations. Often in that country, some may knock off the other's drink accidentally, some people may be late by half an hour for a really important meeting and they are most likely to face the mai bpen rai attitude. This attitude defuses all the heat in the situation.

And like this attitude, "same same but different" also works magically. For example, buying a Prada bag? Why worry if it's real or duplicate when you can cool your heart by presumably close "same same" and go to the next shop.

And the "but different" part? It is just used for fluency and to complete the phrase. It has a sense of humor along with its compelling nature.

After all, mai bpen rai!