from Thai into English
Independently, the term เกรง means simply 'fear', and ใจ means 'heart', in the (un-?)poetic sense (it needs to be combined with another word in order to refer to the physical organ). Combined, the term เกรงใจ means 'fear of offending another or causing inconvenience'. It's often proffered as an excuse for not doing something. From the other side, people often say 'ไม่ ตัองเกรงใจ' — 'No need to feel เกรงใจ', which indicates that one should not be afraid to put the speaker out — that the activity referred to will cause no inconvenience or offence.
Bob Offer-Westort
San Francisco, California, USA