ធំ
thom
The English word "big" is translated into Khmer as ធំ (thom).
The word ធំ is used to describe things that are big or large. This includes physical dimensions, such as a big house, as well as abstract concepts like scale or importance, such as a big problem.
Meaning: of a great size (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is thom.
Did you know?
- The word ធំ can be used as a noun to refer to an older sibling or a superior in a family setting, acting as a title of respect.
- In historical Old Khmer, the word ធំ (dhaṃ) was already established as a term for 'grandeur'. This long-standing usage has preserved its sense of 'importance' into modern spoken Khmer.
- While ធំ means 'big', adding the word ខ្លាំង creates a phrase that can mean 'very big' or 'very powerful', blending size with strength.
Examples in context
- ឆ្កែនេះ គឺធំ ។This dog is big.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of ធំ to describe the size of a dog.Tatoeba #4552868 by angkorsovannnaga, translation #59419 by CK
- ខ្ញុំចង់បានឡានធំមួយ។khnhom chong ban lan thom mouy.I want a big car.
Example conversation
Sreyni and Ratanak are looking at a building.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyតើអគារនេះធំដែរឬទេ?tae akea nih thom dae reu te?Is this building big?
- រតនៈ Ratanakបាទ វាធំខ្លាំងណាស់។bat vea thom khlang nah.Yes, it is very big.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyតើវាមានបន្ទប់ច្រើនទេ?tae vea mean bantob chreun te?Does it have many rooms?
- រតនៈ Ratanakមានបន្ទប់ច្រើនណាស់។mean bantob chreun nah.It has many rooms.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “big” translations and entries ធំ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ធំ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
