Intro to Khmer You

In the Cambodian language there are different ways to say the word, you. The nondescript generic version is nek, but many other Khmer you words can used more accurately and more precisely.

Khmer You Vocab Words

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khmer you word, english translation, definition

Nek, generic you, generally only used when speaking to someone of lower social status or if they are younger. But if in doubt saying nek most listeners will figure out you are trying to say you.

bong, you older, Someone that is older then you but probably not for a really old person you respect. Also can be used to talk to someone that is around your age or even a little younger if one is close to said person

aun, you younger, when speaker to someone younger then you aun is used. If used with the word srey it means baby doll or baby girl.

kmuay, nephew/niece, can be used instead of aun if the listener is in the age range of the speakers child

goon, child, used when speaking to your kids….child

bpaa, Dad, used for your father or a father figure

mae, mom, used for your mother or a mother figure

bpuu, uncle, this can be used to address a person that is around your dads age.

miing, aunt, this can be used to address a person that is around your mothers age.

ohm, old old person, someone that is older then your parents.

look, polite version of nek, This word is used when speaking to a male and not a female. Especially used if the said person is a boss or some other high social status

look-srey, polite version of nek (f), Same as look but for addressing girls.

look-gruu, teacher, This can be used when speaking to a male teacher

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Nek-gruu – Teacher (f), This can be used when speaking to a female teacher

Khmer teacher vanna in Phnom Penh, cambodia — So you better call me look-srey and not look-gruu 🙂

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khmer you word, english translation, definition

bong-toam, high status, very high status

okhna, noble, If someone has enough money and prestige they can get a title of okhna even a barang! The president of Ezecom (internet) became an Okhna in 2013.

aek-oo-toam, your excellency, used for government ministers

bpraah-ong, God or King, only used when talking with God or the King.

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I hope these words and explanations will help you figure out how to properly use the Khmer you equivalent correctly.

Khmer Classifiers

Brief introduction to Cambodian Classifiers

Specific words that are used to identify nouns are called classifiers. The Khmer language commonly uses classifiers for some words, but sometimes they are not used at the speakers discretionary. Confusing I know!

English does have it’s set of classifiers like glasses of beer, pairs of shoes, and rolls of toilet paper. This page is going to try to list some of the most common Khmer classifiers so you can try to use them or when you hear the term in daily conversation you can understand it’s purpose.

Ta!

Vocab List of Khmer Classifiers

Nek – People

son-lek – sheets of paper

gbaal – animals and books

dung – number of times

dom – piece, roll, bunch

jaan – plates of food

gaew – glasses of beer, water, coke

daab – bottles of beer, water, coke

guu – pairs of things

groab – small round things like candy, seeds, pills

joan – floor as in what stories is your office on

yaang – kinds, types, ways

bon-dtub – rooms

jbab – documents, copies

jam-net – slices

daum – sticks, guns

gii-loo – kilo (kind of like some speakers have a g and not k on kit luy

maet – meters

gii-loo-maet – kilometers

baaw – bags of rice

gam-plee – set of clothes

How to use Khmer Classifiers

So now we know some Khmer classifiers how do we use them? Well, usually the classifiers comes at the end of the sentence of phrase.

For example, sbaek-jong bpii guu (two pairs of shoes). This sentence goes noun + the modifier + classifier.

Sometimes Khmer classifiers are used in a sentence or phrase when their English equivalent phrase or sentence would not use a classifiers.

For example, tnam bey groab which is 3 pills.

One more example of a Khmer classifier in a sentence form. Kynum jong dtin coca (dtek-krooik) bpii daab. I want to buy 2 bottles of coca cola. Coca cola is pronounced with just the first word as in Coca like the coca plant. Also if you wanted to say pop, soda, the generic term is dtek-krooik.

I hope this article helps a little bit on learning the Cambodian language and the small nuances the language contains.