ចៅហ្វាយ
caw vaay
The English word "boss" can be translated into Khmer as ចៅហ្វាយ (caw vaay). Wiktionary also lists ចាងហ្វាង (caang vaang).
Meaning: person in charge (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ចៅហ្វាយ | caw vaay |
| ចាងហ្វាង | caang vaang |
The term refers to a person in charge.
Which one should you use?
While ចៅហ្វាយ (caw vaay) and ចាងហ្វាង (caang vaang) are both forms provided,
How do you pronounce it?
caw vaay
Did you know?
- In Cambodia, the concept of a 'boss' is often intertwined with the social hierarchy of patronage, where a boss is expected to provide paternal care and protection to their subordinates.
- The term ចាងហ្វាង is a loanword from the Thai word จางวาง, which originally referred to a specific rank of official in the royal palace.
- The word ចៅ in ចៅហ្វាយ also means 'grandchild', creating a linguistic contrast where the same syllable can represent both the lowest and highest ranks of a family or professional hierarchy.
Examples in context
- គាត់គឺជាចៅហ្វាយរបស់ខ្ញុំ។koat keu chea chao-fay robos khnhom.He is my boss.
- ចៅហ្វាយកំពុងនៅកន្លែងធ្វើការ។chao-fay kompong nov kanleng tveu-ka.The boss is at the workplace.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking about their manager's arrival.
- សុខ Sokសុខ ចុះ ចៅហ្វាយមកដល់ហើយឬនៅ?Sok, chao hvay mok dol haey reu nov?Sok, has the boss arrived yet?
- ចិន្តា Chindaគាត់មិនទាន់មកដល់ទេ ចិន្តា។koat mun toan mok dol te, Chinda.He hasn't arrived yet, Chinda.
- សុខ Sokតើគាត់នឹងមកពេលណា?tae koat nung mok pel na?What time will he be here?
- ចិន្តា Chindaប្រហែលជាម៉ោងប្រាំបាយនេះ។prohail chea maong pram bay nis.Probably around five o'clock.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boss” translations and entries ចៅហ្វាយ, ចាងហ្វាង, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ចាងហ្វាង, ចៅហ្វាយ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
