ยี่ห้อ (yîi-hɔ̂ɔ) means brand in Thai. Today, we will see what brands turn into generic terms in the Thai language.
Have you heard Thai people called instant noodles มาม่า (maa-mâa) Mama? Well, มาม่า (maa-mâa) does not mean instant noodles in Thai.
1. มาม่า (maa-mâa) an instant noodle brand in Thai
มาม่า (maa-mâa) used to be the most famous ยี่ห้อ (yîi-hɔ̂ɔ) in Thailand in the past. I can’t say if it is still today because we now have so many options in the market. However, people still call instant noodles มาม่า (maa-mâa).
Therefore, when you hear a Thai person say
“อยาก กิน มาม่า (yàak kin maa-mâa)” It does not mean that they want to eat Mama instant noodles, it can be any other ยี่ห้อ (yîi-hɔ̂ɔ) in the market.
The actual word for instant noodles is
บะหมี่กึ่งสำเร็จรูป (bámìi kɨ̀ŋ sǎm-rèt rûup). Now you know why we prefer using the word มาม่า (maa-mâa) instead.2. แฟ้บ (fǽp) a detergent brand in Thai

Another brand is
“ไป ซื้อ แฟ้บ เปา มา 1 ถุง (pay sɨ́ɨ fǽp paw maa nɨ̀ŋ thǔŋ) Go by one bag of Pao detergent”.
And I would come back with a Pao detergent. เปา (paw) Pao is another detergent brand. I could not remember if my mom had ever used a detergent from the Fab brand.
The actual word for powder detergent is
ผงซักฟอก (phǒŋ sák fɔ̂ɔk) and liquid detergent is น้ำยาซักผ้า (náam yaa sák phâa). Now I use more of the term น้ำยาซักผ้า (náam yaa sák phâa) in my everyday life because I use it more than the powder one. แฟ้บ (fǽp) Fab reminds me of the powder detergent.However, it still happens to me that sometimes I still say something like
“วันนี้ ต้อง ซื้อ แฟ้บ (wan-níi tɔ̂ŋ sɨ́ɨ fǽp) Today I have to buy detergent.”3. แม็กซ์ (mǽk) a stapler brand in Thai
Stapler, I only knew this word during my high school years. Before attending this international Secretarial school, I thought the English word for stapler was Max. Because I heard everyone call that thing
แม็กซ์ (mǽk) Max.
One day, I was in a classroom and wanted to use a stapler on my teacher’s desk. So, I walked to her and said “May I use your max?” in a super Thai pronunciation back then.
She did not respond until I pointed at the stapler on her desk. Then she told me it was a stapler. Then I learned the right way to call this device in English. However, I still call it แม็กซ์ (mǽk) with my Thai fellows.
The actual word for a stapler in Thai is
เครื่องเย็บกระดาษ (khrɨ̂aŋ yép kradàat).Here are the other generic terms that come from a brand in Thai
4. แพมเพิร์ส (phæm-phə̂t) Pampers

The Thai word for diaper is
ผ้าอ้อม (phâa ʔɔ̂ɔm).
5. สก็อตเทป (sakɔ́t-théep) Scotch
The Thai word for a tape is
เทปกาว (théep-kaaw).
6. คอฟฟี่เมต (khɔ̀p fîi mèet) Coffee Mate
The Thai word for a non-dairy creamer is
ครีมเทียม (khriim-thiam).
7. ซันไลต์ (san-lay) Sunlight
The Thai word for dishwashing liquid is
น้ำยาล้างจาน (náam-yaa láaŋ caan).
8. ลิควิด (lí-khwìt) Liquid Paper
The Thai word for a correction fluid is
น้ำยาลบคำผิด (náam-yaa lóp kham phìt).
The Thai word for a correction pen is
ปากกาลบคำผิด (pàak-kaa lóp kham phìt).
9. เครื่องซีร็อกซ์ (khrɨ̂aŋ sii rɔ̀k) Xerox
The Thai word a copy machine is
เครื่องถ่ายเอกสาร (khrɨ̂aŋ thàay ʔèek-ka-sǎan).
The Thai word for a verb to make a copy from a copy machine is
ถ่ายเอกสาร (thàay ʔèek-ka-sǎan)
These are all the brands that we still use nowadays as generic terms to refer to specific things. I still use all of the above examples when talking to the other Thai people. You can try using them too, but make sure you pronounce them as Thai words, not English.