Officially Changed! This is the Reason Why the Spelling of Thailand Becomes Tailan in Indonesian

Illustration (Pixabay/@viarami)

YOGYAKARTA - The writing of the name of the country "Thailand" is now officially "Tailan" in the use of Indonesian. This change has sparked a variety of reactions from the public on social media, some consider this change unnecessary because the name of Thailand is in accordance with the international spelling and is very familiar.

This spelling change is not an instant or groundless decision, but has gone through a long process involving linguistic studies, coordination between state institutions, and adjustment to international standards. The goal is to align the spelling of foreign names with the rules of Indonesian writing and sound.

Basis of the Change in the Writing of Thailand to Tailan

The change in the writing of "Thailand" to "Tailan" is listed in an exonym document prepared by the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG). This document contains the official names of countries in the world which are compiled as a form of standardization of geographical naming to conform to Indonesian linguistic rules. All data have been registered with the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) in 2025.

UNGEGN is a group of experts under the United Nations tasked with standardizing geographical names internationally. With this registration, Indonesia officially adjusts the use of the country's name to be in line with global standards but still in accordance with the rules of the national language.

This spelling update is listed in an official document numbered GEGN.2/2025/122/CRP.122 which was submitted to the UNGEGN session in New York. This step is taken to avoid inconsistencies in the writing of geographical names in official documents, maps, and academic publications.

The Role and Collaboration of State Institutions

The determination of the standard spelling of foreign country names is the main authority of BIG. In its implementation, BIG does not work alone, but collaborates with the Language Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, universities, and linguistic experts. This collaboration ensures that the policy has a strong academic and administrative basis.

The Language Agency focuses on the development and development of the Indonesian language. One of its tasks is to enrich and update the Indonesian Language Dictionary (KBBI). After the name of the country is determined through UNGEGN, the term will then be included in the KBBI.

The spelling adjustment was made to be more in line with the phonology and orthography of the Indonesian language. In addition to Thailand becoming Tailan, changes also occurred in the names of other countries. For example, Paraguay became Paraguai and Switzerland became Swis.

The concept of exonyms in the spelling change of the name of the country

The concept of exonyms is the key to understanding this change in writing. According to the KBBI, an exonym is a foreign geographical name used in a certain language. This naming is different from the original or local name used in the country of origin.

UNGEGN defines an exonym as a geographical name used for a region outside the area of the language used. An example that has been known for a long time is "Egypt" for Egypt. In this framework, Tailan is positioned as an exonym of Thailand.

From a linguistic point of view, the writing of Tailan is considered more in line with the pattern of Indonesian language. This adjustment does not remove the use of "Thailand" in international or foreign language contexts. The writing of Tailan only applies in the official use of Indonesian.

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