12+ Best Words About Clothes In Khmer

The world of fashion offers more opportunities than you would think possible. It’s a creative phenomenon with several ways in which it might amaze us. What if we told you that gaining an understanding of clothes in Khmer will pave the way for deeper immersion in the Khmer language and culture?

Along with the Khmer language and culture, the Khmer people’s unique fashion sense has evolved through the years and may tell us a lot about their past. Indeed, most Khmers dress in more contemporary styles, but the traditional dress is still produced and used for special events. Here on the blog, we’ll first explore the history of Khmer clothing and then move on to modern fashion focusing on Khmer clothing vocabulary. So read on!

Traditional Clothes In Khmer

Sampot (សំពត់)

Have you spotted the wrapping skirt fashion trend in Thailand, Myanmar, or Laos? It’s known as sampot in Khmer, and of course, Khmer people were among the first to adopt this unique trend. If you get the opportunity to visit Angkor Wat, you will discover a gorgeous wall sculpture that is full of old art inspired by real humans from that period. In addition, you can observe a sampot dress worn by Khmer women on the historical wall.

clothes in Khmer

Origin Of Sampot

Time travel to the Funan era, where the sampot was ordered by the Cambodian king at the request of Chinese envoys. And ever since then, the sampot has been valued as a symbol of the national garment.

Types Of Sampot

Since there’re several variations of both the shirt and skirt in today’s fashion, it stands to reason that the sampot has also developed into a diverse range of looks. Consequently, we’ll teach you the names of the many Cambodian traditional costumes and show you some of the most well-known styles.

Sampot Chang Kben (សំពត់ចងក្បិន)

The Khmer people tie it around their waists in a way that stretches it out and twists the knot. After tying the knot, a metal belt is used to secure it in place. So it’s pants that are worn by both males and females. It was popular among those wealthy and middle-class women. However, the tradition of routinely wearing it began to decline in the early twentieth century.

Sampot Hol (សំពត់ហូល)

It can be either a wrapping skirt made with the chang kiet (ចងកៀត) method or a twill-woven skirt. This sampot comes in five colors and over two hundred different designs.

Sampot Phamuong (សំពត់ផាមួង)

Authentic Khmer textiles can be found here. You’ll have plenty of options because 52 different colors are available. While Cambodian yellow silk, recognized for its high quality, is the most treasured silk used in the creation of the Phamuong, making this form of sampot another rich fabric.

Sampot Tep Apsara (សំពត់ទេពអប្សរាអង្គរ)

From the time of the Khmer Empire, this style of sampot was worn by the privileged Apsaras. The front of the garment is gathered into long folds that extend down to the person’s ankles. It’s often fastened with a belt and a knot at the waist. Nowadays, traditional dancers in Cambodia continue to wear this type of sampot.

clothes in Khmer

Vocabulary For Modern Clothes In Khmer

Khmer WordPronunciationEnglish Definition
ហាង​លក់​ស​ម្លៀ​ក​បំពាក់hang​ lk​ sa​ mlie​ k​ bampeakClothing Store
អាវស្រីម្យ៉ាងaav srei myeang Blouse
អាវaavShirt
អាវយឺតaavyutT-shirt
ស្លៀកពាក់sliekpeakDress
ខោ​វែងkhao vengPants
ខោខ្លីkhaokhleiShorts
ខោក្នុងkhaoknongUnderwear
សំពត់saamptSkirt
អាវធំខ្លីaavthom khleiJacket
ស្បែកជើងsbek cheungShoes
ស្បែកជើងកវែងsbek cheung okvengBoots

Summary

As previously said, the Khmer people have a rich history, and it’s fascinating to learn about their origins. The traditional garment is an outstanding example of how Cambodia is rich in cultural heritage. Particularly when we discovered that Khmer people wear traditional costumes for formal events and other special occasions, it signifies that Khmer traditional attire has not faded even though Cambodia has evolved into a modern culture that accepts more western fashions. So we hope that the Cambodian history and Khmer vocabulary will encourage you to learn Khmer further.

Learn Khmer Faster With The Ling App

Learn Khmer with the Ling App

You don’t need to worry about what to dress if you’re going to Phnom Penh or Angkor Wat because you can quickly wear modern clothing as usual as long as you respect Cambodia’s Buddhist culture. But one thing you should indeed practice is the Khmer language. So, how is your Khmer progressing, and do you seek support? If so, the Ling app is here to help!

The best approach to having a pleasurable and meaningful stay in Cambodia is to study the local language, Khmer. In light of this, it’s a great plan to immediately swipe up and install the Ling App on your smartphone or tablet. By doing so, you could be confident that you will always have access to the most incredible language learning application. In addition, we provide simple access to a wealth of resources, including categories of Khmer vocabulary and examples of Khmer dialogues with native voices to listen to while reading the text.

Ling allows you to study Khmer anywhere, whether in bed, on the bus, or at the airport. In addition, we at Ling believe that learning a new language should be joyful, which is why we provide a variety of mini-games and entertaining quizzes to help you practice and remember Khmer words and phrases.

Are you ready to start now? So download the Ling App from the Google PlayStore and Apple AppStore now, and prepare to be fluent in Khmer very soon!

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