37 Khmer Vocabulary For Family That Is Easy To Learn

Family (គ្រួសារ / krou sar) is the foundation of Cambodians social life. Before we learn some Khmer vocabulary for family, let us first discover what a typical Cambodian family looks like. គ្រួសារ (krou sar) is the term for a family in the Khmer language. This is just a simple word but for Cambodians, it is one of the most important things in their life. A typical Cambodian family can either be made up of nuclear family (ក្រុមគ្រួសារនុយក្លេអ៊ែរ / krom kruosaear nouyokleaer) or extended family (គ្រួសារ​ដែល​មាន​សមាជិក​ច្រើន / kruosaear​ del​ mean​ sameachik​ chraen).

Even if the nuclear family (ក្រុមគ្រួសារនុយក្លេអ៊ែរ / krom kruosaear nouyokleaer) is the core, Cambodians also have a strong attachment to the members of the extended family. In fact, they also care too much for their friends and neighbors. This might be the reason why they are very welcoming to foreigners who are visiting their country. 

Household And Structure

Just like in any other culture, each family member has a significant role in the household. Cambodians respect both roles of men and women. There is also a difference in the household structure between families from urban and rural. Families who live in rural area is more conservative than those who live in urban. But during the Khmer Rouge regime, women played a big role in civil service.

The roles of Cambodian family members are similar to most of the culture. The father is the head of the household and the main provider for the family while the mother is the homemaker. Think about your own family structure. Is it the same as the Cambodians? There are still a lot of things to learn about Cambodian families but this can be a good head start in learning Khmer vocabulary for the family.

Meaning Of Thoa In Khmer

If you heard of the word Thoa then you might have an amazing grasp of Cambodia’s history. Thoa is a kind of relationship that is closer than friends but farther than blood relations. This term emerged during the Khmer Rouge regime when there was a large number of deaths. During these times, the number of orphans, widows, and single-parent families increased. This gave way to this kind of relationship. Thoa roughly means adoptive/ foster parent or sibling in English. 

Basic Khmer Vocabulary For Family

Now that you have learned a little bit about a typical Cambodian family, let us now learn some Khmer vocabulary for the family. Learning these will help you expand your Khmer vocabulary. This can also be useful if you are planning to go to Cambodia with your family. Here is a list of some Basic Khmer vocabulary to learn:

Parents In Khmer Vocabulary

What Is Father In Khmer?

The father, just like what is stated above, is the main provider for the family. There are different ways that Cambodians use to address their father.

What Is Mother In Khmer?

The mother is considered the homemaker. Just like in any other culture, the mother is responsible for taking care of the family but in Cambodia, mothers tend to have more control over the household budget and education of the children. Here are different ways how Cambodians address their mother:

 Children In Khmer Vocabulary For Family

Cambodian children are expected to learn values and pay respect to their parents just like any other culture. Upon reaching the right age, Cambodians are encouraged to marry before leaving their home. Of course, they are free to choose whom they are going to marry but parents will be a part of the preparations. Here is some Khmer vocabulary for family related to children:

What Is Son In Khmer?

What Is Daughter In Khmer?

Grandparents In Khmer

Grandparents are highly respected and valued by Cambodians. For them, they symbolize wisdom. Here is some Khmer vocabulary for family related to grandparents:

Grandfather In Khmer

Grandmother In Khmer

 Other Extended Family Members

Other members of the extended family, are also important for Cambodians. Here is a person some Khmer vocabulary for family related to extended family members:

More Khmer Vocabulary For Family

Learning the Khmer language might be useful in different situations. Learning simple words and phrases will go a long way especially when you want to visit Cambodia. Whatever your purpose is, there is nothing for you to lose. Here is a list of some additional Khmer vocabulary for a family:

They say that blood is thicker than water. In every culture, people always give importance to their families. Yes, there may be misunderstandings and conflicts. There will be times that family will not get along but at the end of the day, please remember that it is part of a strong relationship. No matter what page of your life you are on right now, you can always go home to your family. 

Want To Learn The Khmer Language?

Did you find this article interesting? Did you get the information you need? If the answer is yes, then it’s time for you to learn more Khmer words and phrases through the Ling app. Yes, English is enough for you to learn but you can still expand your vocabulary. Just click on the links in this blog post, go to the website, or you can just simply learn Khmer online.

The Ling app will give you an amazing language learning experience that includes a series of lessons, practice words and phrases, and even exams. You can also read more blog posts like this. Each second will be worth it. You don’t have to worry about how hard the grammar is because you will also learn this through the Ling app.

Many people will say that learning a language is really hard but with the right tool and motivation, you can learn new languages easily and conveniently. Don’t waste this great opportunity to bring the best out of you – Download the Ling app from the App Store and Google Play Store. Start learning new languages now!