KUALA LUMPUR – Thailand’s Office of the Royal Society (ORST) has clarified that Bangkok can still be used to refer to the country’s capital city, instead of its local name Krung Thep Maha Nakhon.
In a Facebook post yesterday, the ORST said the new guide released on Tuesday was a stylistic change.
“Writing the capital city’s name with the Roman alphabet can be done as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and Bangkok.”
The ORST, which oversees academic and linguistic standards, on Tuesday caused a stir internationally after it announced a change in punctuation in the official guide, from “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon; Bangkok” to “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok)”. The amendment was also approved by the Thai cabinet.
Meanwhile, the change got tongues wagging as some assumed that the capital city’s name was revised.
However, the city is already known as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon in the Thai language, and usually referred to as Krung Thep.
It’s official name means “great city of angels”.
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon itself is a shortened version as the capital’s full name is – Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.
This has been awarded the Guinness World Record for “the longest city place-name in the world”. – The Vibes, February 18, 2022
