science

Muban

Muban is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Muban rather than just read about it. In short: Muban (Thai: หมู่บ้าน; RTGS: mu ban, pronounced [mùː bâːn]) is the lowest administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict).

Key takeaways

Muban belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Muban to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Muban from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Muban (Thai: หมู่บ้าน; RTGS: mu ban, pronounced [mùː bâːn]) is the lowest administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). As of 2008, there were 74,944 administrative mubans in Thailand. As of the 1990 census, the average village consisted of 144 households or 746 persons. The average land area of villages in Thailand is very small, its average area is about 6.84 km2 (2.64 sq mi), and its average population is also very small, at only 932 people.

Nomenclature Muban may function as one word, in the sense of a hamlet or village, and as such, it may be shortened to ban. Mu ban may also function as two words, i.e., หมู่ 'group' (of) บ้าน 'homes'.

Mu, in the sense of group (of homes in a tambon), are assigned numbers in the sequence in which each is entered in a register maintained in the district or branch-district office. Ban, in the sense of home or household for members of each group, is assigned a number (Thai: บ้านเลขที่; RTGS: ban lek thi) in the sequence in which each is added to the household register also maintained in the district or branch-district office. Each ban is registered in the name of a householder (Thai: เจ้าบ้าน; RTGS: chao ban). Assigned ban and mu numbers, together with the names of tambon, district, and province, are used as geographic addresses by government agencies; Thailand Post adds a postal code. Village or ban names do not usually form part of such official addresses. Ban in the sense of Village occurs in geopolitical toponyms on maps and Thai highway network signage, but these are not administrative subdivisions. Such village names may apply to an isolated muban, but typically apply to a group of adjoining ones, which have often been subdivided from the original settlement. Each new mu is assigned a new number, in the sequence in which it is registered; existing homes or ban in newly numbered mu are assigned new numbers starting with one. The village name of the original settlement is usually retained for the larger grouping. Such village names are not part of a household address, unless Ban is retained as part of the toponym when such a settlement is upgraded—e.g., a household in Ban Dan would be addressed as Ban No.__ Mu No.__, Ban Dan Sub-district, Ban Dan District, Buriram; or #/# T[ambon] Ban Dan, A[mphoe] Ban Dan, Buriram 31000.

Note: Usage of the short form number/number for ban/mu is both unofficial and unambiguous in a tambon, but in city districts it is restricted to the subdivision of an original household registration into additional household registrations.

Administration

Each such mu or group is led by a headman, usually called a village headman or village chief (Thai: ผู้ใหญ่บ้าน; RTGS: phu yai ban), who is elected by the population of the village and then appointed by the Ministry of the Interior. The headman has two assistants, one for governmental affairs and one for security affairs. There also may be a village committee with elected members from the village, serving as an advisory body for a village. Originally the village headman, once elected, was in office until reaching retirement age. They now only serve for a five-year term but can then apply for reelection. The same is true for the office of kamnan (กำนัน) or 'sub-district headman' at the next higher tambon (sub-district) level. Communities (ชุมชน) or neighborhoods that are part of a town or city (thesaban mueang and thesaban nakhon) have no equivalent to village headmen, but may be organized into community associations having advisory committees.

Other meanings

Muban (or more fully muban chat san, หมู่บ้านจัดสรร), is also the Thai term for 'housing estate' or 'gated community'.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Muban

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Muban claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Muban before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Muban ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Muban

In research: Muban appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Muban in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Muban is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fourth-level administrative divisions by country, Subdivisions of Thailand, Types of administrative division, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Muban outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Muban in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Muban means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Muban out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Muban in simple terms?

Why does Muban matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Muban?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Muban.