While travellers visiting Bangkok, Thailand will always call the city ‘Bangkok’, locals actually call it Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. Apparently, the Office of Royal Society drafted an announcement for changing the name from Bangkok to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, and the Thai cabinet approved it on 15 Februrary.
However, the name change still needs to be vetted by a committee in charge of drafting bills, and will only be official once it has been completed. Thankfully, for those who cannot pronounce the new name change, ‘Bangkok’ will still be recognised, but it will appear in parenthesis.
Food for thought, Bangkok’s name in Thai is actually dubbed as the longest name of a city in the world, Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit. So ‘Krung Thep Maha Nakhon’ is merely a shortened version of the name.
What are your thoughts on this?