ទេពតា
teepdaa
The Khmer word for angel is ទេពតា (teepdaa). Wiktionary also lists ទេព (teip).
Meaning: messenger from a deity (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ទេពតា | teepdaa |
| ទេព | teip |
ទេពតា is used to describe a messenger from a deity. It is a term commonly found in the contexts of folklore, mythology and traditional storytelling when describing celestial beings.
Which one should you use?
ទេពតា (teepdaa) refers specifically to an angelic or celestial being. In contrast, the shorter form ទេព (teip) serves as a more general term for a deity or divinity.
How do you pronounce it?
teepdaa
Did you know?
- In Cambodia, ទេពតា are often depicted in traditional dance and art as wearing tall, pointed crowns and elaborate jewelry rather than wings.
- In Khmer folklore, ទេពតា are not always benevolent and can sometimes act as tricksters or obstacles to a hero's journey.
- The word ទេពតា shares the same root as the English word 'deity' through its Pali origin, devatā.
Examples in context
- គាត់គឺជាទេពតាដ៏ស្រស់ស្អាត។koat keu chea tep-ta dor sros-sa-at.She is a beautiful angel.
- ពួកយើងបានឃើញទេពតានៅលើមេឃ។puok-yeung ban kheun tep-ta nov leu mekh.We saw an angel in the sky.
- ទេពតានៅក្នុងរឿងនេះមានចិត្តល្អ។tep-ta nov knong rueang nih mean chet-laor.The angel in this story is kind.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are discussing a beautiful painting.
- ម៉ាលី Malyរូបភាពនេះមានរូបទេពតាច្រើនណាស់។rub-pheap nih mean rub tep-ta chreun nah.This painting has many angels in it.
- វិបុល Vibolមែនហើយ ទេពតាក្នុងរូបនេះស្អាតណាស់។men haey, tep-ta knong rub nih s-at nah.Yes, the angel in this picture is very beautiful.
- ម៉ាលី Malyវិបុលចូលចិត្តរូបភាពបែបនេះមែនទេ?vi-pul chol-chet rub-pheap beb nih men-te?Vibol, do you like this kind of painting?
- វិបុល Vibolបាទ ម៉ាលី ខ្ញុំចូលចិត្តខ្លាំងណាស់។bat, ma-ly, khnhom chol-chet khlang nah.Yes, Mali, I like it very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “angel” translations and entries ទេពតា, ទេព, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ទេព, ទេពតា, CC BY-SA 4.0.
