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If anyone has been to S.E. Asian countries there is a familiar English phrase,

Same, same but different.

It always brings a smile to my face when I hear it as you kind of know what the person is trying to say (for example, it's similar) however I don't think the phrase makes any sense.

Or, does it make sense? Why is this nonsensical phrase so prevalent?

michael_timofeev
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Liam Murphy
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    There's a Polish (I think) joke that goes like this: "I just bought a car." "Really? What color is it?" "Well, do you remember those beautiful, breathtaking sunrises over the Vistula that you and I enjoyed when we were kids?" "Yes." "Exactly like that, only it's green." – Ricky Nov 21 '15 at 10:06
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    Right. The correct phrase is "same thing only different". – Hot Licks Nov 21 '15 at 12:39
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    Same difference – anonymous Nov 21 '15 at 17:45
  • What @anonymous said: same diff. – Drew Nov 22 '15 at 02:13
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    Not having heard S.E. Asian English, I can't be sure, but for the closest American phrase I suspect "it is and it isn't." If some asks, "is this the same thing as this," the reply "it is and it isn't" denotes that it is the same in those respects the querist had in mind, but it differs in ways the respondent is about to explain. – sacheie Jan 04 '16 at 22:39
  • More prosaic but idiomatic: 'similar but not identical'. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 19 '23 at 13:52

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It's only a surface contradiction. Because there are infinitely many-ideas but only finitely-many words, anomalous lexical constructions, of which glaring surface contradictions are a prime example, are bound to occur. The idea being aimed at by this particular expression is that there is great overlap, but not actual identity, between the 2 notions. I don't know why this expression is so prevalent (wouldn't finding out take some kind of exhaustive survey?), except that perhaps because it sounds like a cool thing to say, especially among people who think that eating at McDonald's is a status symbol.

Panning out for a wider perspective: The fact that, for non-trivial situations, perfect order is impossible (and ditto for perfect disorder) is a theme within Ramsey Theory.

EulerSpoiler
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A related expression used to indicate that two situations/cases are basically the same if you allow for some non-essential differences is

mutatis mutandis (adv.)

(Used when comparing two or more cases or situations) making necessary alterations while not affecting the main point at issue.

What is true of undergraduate teaching in England is equally true, mutatis mutandis, of American graduate schools.
Oxford Languages

Used when comparing two or more things to say that although changes will be necessary in order to take account of different situations, the basic point remains the same:

This complex pattern has been repeated, mutatis mutandis, all over the country.
Cambridge

With the necessary changes; with due alteration of details (used when comparing two or more cases or situations).
[OED]

DjinTonic
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In Thai, they use คล้าย ("khlāi") as an adjective meaning similar. For extra emphasis, they also say คล้ายๆ—where "ๆ" is like a ditto mark, indicating the previous word is repeated—pronounced "khlāi-khlāi". Given that "same same but different" is used by the same speakers, it may come from this Thai expression (or the same principle, that repeating a word adds emphasis).

There are other expressions in English that use repetition similarly, such as "very, very" and "same old, same old". The only reason that "same same but different" is remarkable is because it is constrained to a specific geographic region.

Laurel
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