Koh Kong, Cambodia

Khmer, The Cambodian Language

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What you name?

and where is the bathroom?

 

It all started in India....

thousands of years ago.  And came to Cambodia at least 1,300 years ago.  We know this from examining the writings on the temples of the Angkor Wat complex.   Also, the sounds of the current Khmer alphabet are very similar to the modern day Hindi alphabet, the writing is similar, and several words sound similar.

    Since those times, the writing has been made much more complex (and difficult to read) by adding letters, vowels, sub-vowels, and extra swirls and lines to the the letters.

     This original Hindi language is one of the root languages, not only of Khmer (Cambodian Language), but also of Thai, Laos, and Burma. While the written system of the language has many similarities throughout all these countries, the numbers are all written the same or very similar.
     
     Khmer is written from left to right, top to bottom, withnospacesbetweenthewords and with very little punctuation There are 3 styles of writing: the standard textbook style which is used in handwriting, a block form based on the standard style used in magazines and newspapers, and a rounded style used on signs, titles of books and magazines, and in places on official documents and formal invitations.

     The Khmer alphabet is considered to have 33 consonants and 23 vowels. There are many more consonants and vowels not included in the standard alphabet.

     The spoken language has no particular tone, as the Thai and Vietnamese languages do. There are no regional dialects, but people from the countryside do speak a little differently from the people in the cities.

     And now..... on to some Khmer words and phrases.

 

What is your name?
Nayak chmooa away?

Where are you from?
Nayak chun cheeit away?

How old are you?
Nayaak ayoo poonmaan hi?

Where are you coming from?
Mao pee na?

Where are you going?
Dto na?
("dt" is a cross between a "d" and a "t")

How much does it cost?
Tlai poonmaan?

I
Kinyum

you
Nayak

He or She
Go aht

Us
Yoong

They
Poouk Gay

Please
Som

Thank You
Aakoon

One more please
Som mooey teeut

I don't want it
Awt yaw or Awt chung baan

Yes (for a man)
Baat

Yes (for a woman)
Chaa

No
Awt tay

O.K.
O.K .

Stop
Choop sun

Go
Dto

Wait a minute
Cham mooey plet

I don't understand what you say
kinyum sadaap aut baan

I understand what you say
kinyum sadaap ban

I don't understand
Kinyum aut jool

I understand
Kinyum jool hi

How much for one beer
Be yair mooey tlai poonmaan

Check please
Ketloy

 

 

 

 


One
Mooey

Two
Pee

Three
Bay

Four
Booun

Five
Bram

Six
Bram Mooey (same as five one)

Seven
Bram Pee

Eight
Bram Bay

Nine
Bram Booun

Ten
Dawp

Eleven
Dawp Mooey

(numbers from 11 to 19 are pronounced as the word ten, followed by the second number. 16 would be Dawp (10) Bram Mooey (6).

20
Maapay

21
Maapay Mooey

30
Saamsup

40
Sie Sup

50
Haasup

60
Hoke sup

70
Jetsup

80
Bairtsup

90
Gaowsup

100
Mooey Roy

1000
Mooey Pawn

10,000
Mooey Mun

There is a fly in my soup
Meeun roy kanung soop kinyum

Where is the bathroom?
Bantoop duk no I na?

No problem
Aut bine yaha

How are you?
Saak sabai tay?

I'm fine
Sok sabai

Goodbye
Som leea hi

See you tomorrow
Sa aik chooup kaneea

I want to go to Koh Kong
Kinyum chung dto Gaw Gong


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