Why is Phuket not called Koh

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willyhilly
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Re: Why is Phuket not called Koh

Post by willyhilly »

Well apparently not, black mark to Richard for his lack on local knowledge on this. It is a conumdrum combrumdun condobum. Hotdigr is cooling the beer as we speak, from tomorrow four weeks and two days to the OAP.
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phuketrichard
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Re: Why is Phuket not called Koh

Post by phuketrichard »

General Mackevili wrote:Sooooo, does the island on which Phuket province is located have a name or not? :stir:

Phuket Island is IN Phuket province, the 2nd smallest Provence in Thailand

We call it Phuket Or as my brother says Fukit :beer3:
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Username Taken
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Re: Why is Phuket not called Koh

Post by Username Taken »

Phu means mountain in Thai.
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timmydownawell
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Re: Why is Phuket not called Koh

Post by timmydownawell »

phuketrichard wrote:
Phuket Island
...so you're now conceding it is Koh Phuket??? :D

It's a bit like calling Tasmania "Tasmania Island"
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ali baba
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Re: Why is Phuket not called Koh

Post by ali baba »

Maybe it used to be a peninsula and they kept the name going.
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sigmoid
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Re: Why is Phuket not called Koh

Post by sigmoid »

You guys are on the ball.
Phu means mountain in Thai.
Yes, ภูเขา = phu khao; ภูเก็ต = Phu Ket. The first part of each is identical.

Wikipedia has this to say, "The relatively recent name "Phuket" (of which the digraph ph represents an aspirated p) is apparently derived from the word bukit' in Malay which means "hill", as this is what the island appears like from a distance.

An alternative suggestion is that the name originates from two Thai words, 'phu' (mountain) and 'ket' (jewel), and this is said to be recorded in a Thai chronicle."
Maybe it used to be a peninsula and they kept the name going.
Wikipedia goes on to say, "Phuket was formerly known as Thalang (ถลาง Tha-Laang), derived from the old Malay "telong", which means "cape". The northern district of the province, which was the location of the old capital, still uses this name. In Western sources and navigation charts, it was known as Jung Ceylon (a corruption of the Malay Tanjung Salang, "Cape Salang")"
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Re: Why is Phuket not called Koh

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

Username Taken wrote:Yeah, you guys should meet up at Hotdigr's new place.
New? i was drinking there regularly for the few months before i left :beer3:
they do $2.50 Bruntys!
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