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 (Kruosar) 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 (គ្រួសារតូច / Kruosar Touch) or extended family (គ្រួសារធំ / Kruosar Thom ).

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

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

English Translation	Khmer	Pronunciation
parents	ឪពុកម្តាយ	Aupok-Mday
family	គ្រួសារ	Kruosar

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.

English Translation	Khmer	Pronunciation
father	ឪពុក / ប៉ា / បិតា	Aupok / Pa / Beida
dad	ប៉ា	Pa
daddy	ប៉ាប៉ា	Papa
husband	ប្តី / ស្វាមី	Bdei / Svamei

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:

English Translation	Khmer	Pronunciation
mother	ម្តាយ / ម៉ែ / មាតា	Mday / Mae / Meada
mom	ម៉ាក់	Mak
mommy	ម៉ែ	Mae
wife	ភរិយា / ប្រពន្ធ	Pheakriyea / Prapon

 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:

Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
កូន	Koun	child
ទារក	Tearok	baby
បងប្អូនបង្កើត	Bong-P’oun-Bangkaeut	siblings/brothers and sisters

What Is Son In Khmer?

Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
កូនប្រុស	Koun-Pros	son
បងប្រុស	Bong-Pros	older brother

What Is Daughter In Khmer?

Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
កូនស្រី	Koun-Srei	daughter
បងស្រី	Bong-Srei	older sister

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:

Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
ជីដូនជីតា	Chidoun-Chita	grandparents
ចៅ	Chau	grandchild

Grandfather In Khmer

Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
ជីតា	Chita	grandfather
តា	Ta	grandpa

Grandmother In Khmer

Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
ជីដូន	Chidoun	grandmother
យាយ	Yeay	grandma

 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:

Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
មា	Mae	uncle
មីង	Ming	aunt
ក្មួយប្រុស	Kmuoy-Pros	nephew
ក្មួយស្រី	Kmuoy-Srei	niece
បងប្អូនជីដូនមួយ	Bong-P’oun-Chidoun-Muoy	cousin

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:

Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
គ្រួសារតូច	Kruosar-Touch	nuclear family
គ្រួសារ​ធំ	Kruosar-Thom	extended family
គ្រួសារ​ខ្ញុំ	Kruosar-Khnhom	my family
គ្រួសារ​​អ្នក	Kruosar-Neak	your family
ត្រកូល	Trakoul	family name
មែកធាង​គ្រួសារ	Mektheang-Kruosar	family tree
បន្ទប់​ទទួលភ្ញៀវ	Bantob-Toutuol-Phnhiev	family room
សមាជិក​គ្រួសារ	Samachik​-Kruosar	family member
ក្រុម​គ្រួសារ​ម្ចាស់ផ្ទះ	Krom​-Kruosar​-Mchas-Phteah	host 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. 

Meaning Of Thoa In Khmer

If you heard of the word ធម៌/Thoar then you might have an amazing grasp of Cambodia’s history. ធម៌/Thoar 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. ធម៌/Thoar roughly means adoptive/ foster parent or sibling in English. 

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.

Want To Learn The Khmer Language?

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