The short answer
English works in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh tourist areas, so nothing here is compulsory. But Khmer earns warm smiles everywhere: greet with chom reap suor (with a small bow and palms together, like a namaste), thank with aw kun, and learn two sentences for vegetarian food. Khmer is written in its own script with roots in ancient Indian Brahmi, so the shapes look oddly familiar to Indian travellers.
The five phrases that matter most
ជំរាបសួរ
chom reap suor
Hello (formal, with palms together)
नमस्ते (हाथ जोड़कर औपचारिक अभिवादन)
អរគុណ
aw kun
Thank you
धन्यवाद
អ្នកចេះភាសាអង់គ្លេសទេ?
neak jeh phesa angkles te?
Do you speak English?
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?
ខ្ញុំហូបបួស
khnhom hop buos
I am a vegetarian (Buddhist sense)
मैं शाकाहारी हूं (बौद्ध अर्थ में)
នេះថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន?
nih thlai ponman?
How much is this?
इसकी कीमत कितनी है?
All the phrases
Greetings and thanks
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal, with palms together) | ជំរាបសួរ | chom reap suor | नमस्ते (हाथ जोड़कर औपचारिक अभिवादन) |
| Hello (informal) | សួស្ដី | suor sdei | हैलो (अनौपचारिक) |
| Good morning | អរុណសួស្ដី | arun suor sdei | सुप्रभात |
| Good evening | សាយ័ណ្ហសួស្ដី | sayon suor sdei | शुभ संध्या |
| Good night | រាត្រីសួស្តី | reatrey suor sdei | शुभ रात्रि |
| Goodbye | លាសិនហើយ | lea sen haey | अलविदा |
| Thank you | អរគុណ | aw kun | धन्यवाद |
| Thank you very much | អរគុណច្រើន | aw kun chran | बहुत धन्यवाद |
| What is your name? | អ្នកឈ្មោះអី? | neak chhmoh ey? | आपका नाम क्या है? |
| My name is ... | ខ្ញុំឈ្មោះ ... | khnhom chhmoh ... | मेरा नाम ... है |
Getting help
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | អ្នកចេះភាសាអង់គ្លេសទេ? | neak jeh phesa angkles te? | क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं? |
| I do not understand | ខ្ញុំមិនយល់ទេ | khnhom min yol te | मैं समझा / समझी नहीं |
| Please speak slowly | សូមនិយាយយឺតៗ | som niyay yeut yeut | कृपया धीरे बोलिए |
| Yes (men say bat, women say chas) | បាទ / ចាស | bat / chas | हां (पुरुष: बात, महिलाएं: चास) |
| No | អត់ទេ | ot te | नहीं |
| Excuse me / sorry | សុំទោស | som toh | माफ़ कीजिए |
| Please | សូម | som | कृपया |
Food (vegetarian, Jain, allergies)
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am a vegetarian (Buddhist sense) | ខ្ញុំហូបបួស | khnhom hop buos | मैं शाकाहारी हूं (बौद्ध अर्थ में) |
| No fish sauce, please | សូមអត់ទឹកត្រីទេ | som ot teuk trey te | फिश सॉस नहीं, कृपया |
| I do not eat meat | ខ្ញុំមិនហូបសាច់ទេ | khnhom min hop sach te | मैं मांस नहीं खाता |
| Very tasty | ឆ្ងាញ់ណាស់ | chhnganh nas | बहुत स्वादिष्ट |
| Water | ទឹក | teuk | पानी |
| Enjoy your meal | អញ្ជើញពិសាឲ្យបានឆ្ងាញ់ | anhcheunh pisa oy ban chhnganh | भोजन का आनंद लीजिए |
Directions and transport
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is the toilet? | បង្គន់នៅឯណា? | bangkon nov aena? | टॉयलेट कहां है? |
Shopping and numbers
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much is this? | នេះថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន? | nih thlai ponman? | इसकी कीमत कितनी है? |
Emergency
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help! | ជួយខ្ញុំផង! | chuoy khnhom phong! | मदद! |
| Stop! | ឈប់! | chhop! | रुको! |
| Call the police! | ជួយហៅប៉ូលិសមក! | chuoy hau polis mok! | पुलिस को बुलाइए! |
Save or print
Save the top phrases as a picture to send to your parents, or print the whole sheet.
The five phrases that matter most
- Hello (formal, with palms together) / नमस्ते (हाथ जोड़कर औपचारिक अभिवादन)
- ជំរាបសួរ (chom reap suor)
- Thank you / धन्यवाद
- អរគុណ (aw kun)
- Do you speak English? / क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?
- អ្នកចេះភាសាអង់គ្លេសទេ? (neak jeh phesa angkles te?)
- I am a vegetarian (Buddhist sense) / मैं शाकाहारी हूं (बौद्ध अर्थ में)
- ខ្ញុំហូបបួស (khnhom hop buos)
- How much is this? / इसकी कीमत कितनी है?
- នេះថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន? (nih thlai ponman?)
Trips to Cambodia
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Quick questions
Sources
- Koilingua: Khmer phrasebook: diets and allergies · checked 30 Oct 2026
- Wikivoyage: Cambodian phrasebook · checked 30 Oct 2026