Have you ever heard an elder say, " Just wait for the time it takes to chew betel nut until it's bland" or " It's as far as the time to chew betel nut until it's bland" and wondered how many minutes 'the time it takes to chew betel nut until it's bland' actually means, and why this Thai phrase has been passed down until today?
Although nowadays Thai people no longer follow the betel nut chewing tradition, this phrase still appears in books, literature, and speech among elders in many areas, reflecting the time-keeping wisdom of Thai people before clocks were common.
The Royal Institute of Thailand explains that " Chua Kieow Mak Jued" is an expression used to indicate time, comparing it to the duration of chewing one betel nut—starting from the beginning of chewing until the betel nut loses its flavor.
People in the past estimated time by the period spent chewing betel nut until it became bland, which was about 20-30 minutes. It serves as a time comparison unit, for example, “ I've been waiting a long time, about the time it takes to chew betel nut until it's bland” means waiting for quite a while, or “ Walking to the village headman's house is as far as the time to chew betel nut until it's bland” means a distance that takes about one such period to walk.
In the past, Thai people commonly chewed betel nut—not by swallowing, but by chewing betel nut and betel leaves smeared with lime mixed with various additives such as musk, cloves, medicinal herbs, and perfumes. After chewing for a while, the betel juice turned red and was spat out, then chewing continued until the betel lost its flavor, called " Mak Jued" (bland betel nut).
Since clocks were not widely used then, people estimated time using familiar daily activities like chewing betel nut. Thus, the phrase “ Chua Kieow Mak Jued" strongly reflects the lifestyle of Thai people in the past.
Many people say " Chua Kieow Mak Laek" believing it is correct, but the proper phrase is actually " Chua Kieow Mak Jued" which means the period from starting to chew until the betel nut loses its flavor, or becomes bland, not the betel nut being chewed into fragments. Therefore, to use it correctly in Thai, the phrase should be 'Chua Kieow Mak Jued'.
Although betel nut chewing has declined today, the phrase " Chua Kieow Mak Jued" remains a linguistic heritage that interestingly reflects the wisdom and lifestyle of past Thai people. It should be used correctly, without confusing it with " Chua Kieow Mak Laek" which is a misused form of the original phrase.