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How do you say...?

Cambodians speak Khmer, which is pronounced "K'mai" or "Kmy"
The following is just a short simple list of a few words you might like to know as an adoptive parent.  This list is courtesy of Ngasha Beck-Huy, author of Children of Sovanna-Phum, The Golden Land of CambodiaYou can hear the pronunciations by clicking on the symbol.

Hello - Suesday (soo-ess-DAY) 

Goodbye - Lieh HAOY (LEE-uh howie) 

Thank you - Ah-kun 

Yes (females) - Chah 

Yes (males) - Baht 

No - Aht-tay 

Cambodian Currency - riel (like the english word "real") 

Child - Koun (cone) or K'chai

Children - koun-k'chai 

Family - kruesa (crew-ess-AH) 

Parents - Mae-Eu 

Mommy - Mae (pronounced "my") 

Daddy - Eu (or) Pa

Grandma - Yiey (between yee-ay and "yay") 

Grandpa - Taa 

Older brother - Bong proh 

Younger brother - P'ohn proh 

Older sister - Bong srei (the ei sounds like the letter 'A') 

Younger sister - P'ohn srei 

Boy child/son - Kaun-proh (the "kaun" is pronounced like "cone") 

Girl child/daughter - Kaun-srei 

I love you very much - Knyom sraw-line ne-uh nah (the 'n' in Knyom is so slightly pronounced that it is often not even picked up) 

                    


a For an additional Khmer vocabulary list click here 


 

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