The name 'Phi Phi' is derived from Malay, and the original was Pulao Pi ah Pi,
where in pulao is the Malay word for island , and Pi, pronounced with a soft 'p'
sound, was very close in pronunciation to the English word 'bee'; the ah was
dropped, so the name was said something like Bee Bee.
Later the p was pronounced with a stronger aspiration and the name became the
Phi Phi (Pee Pee) we know today. The name originally referred to the mangrove
wood found there.