<p>&nbsp;It’s a known fact that&nbsp;<em>mai pen rai&nbsp;</em>is one of the most-used responses in the Thai language. The three syllables roughly translate to “it’s okay” or “don’t worry” — but what does this simple phrase actually mean?</p> <p>After asking not only foreigners, but also native Thais, what their definition of<em>mai pen rai</em>&nbsp;is, I received a surprising variety of responses.<br /><br />Just some of the many interpretations were as follows: “Yeah, I know what it means — ‘whatever,’ right?”; “It’s like never mind,”;&nbsp;“Oh — don’t worry,” and so on.</p>