មេអំបៅ
mei ʼɑmbaw
The Khmer word for butterfly is មេអំបៅ (mei ʼɑmbaw).
The term មេអំបៅ is a noun used to refer to the insect known as a butterfly.
Meaning: insect (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is mei ʼɑmbaw.
Did you know?
- In Khmer culture, butterflies are often seen as messengers or representations of the souls of ancestors returning to visit their families.
- The word មេអំបៅ literally translates to 'mother silk'.
- In the word មេអំបៅ, the component មេ means 'mother', but it is also used as a prefix to denote a leader or a master of something.
Examples in context
- ខ្ញុំចូលចិត្ត មេអំបៅ ណាស់។khnhom chol chet me am bao nah.I like butterflies very much.
- មេអំបៅ មានស្លាបស្អាត។me am bao mian slab s'at.The butterfly has beautiful wings.
Example conversation
Sokha and Sok are walking in a garden.
- សុខ Sokមើលមេអំបៅនោះមើល!meul me-ambao noh meul!Look at that butterfly!
- សុខា Sokhaវាមានពណ៌ស្អាតណាស់។vea mean poa s-at nah.It has a very beautiful color.
- សុខ Sokតើមេអំបៅហ្នឹងហោះទៅណា?tae me-ambao neng hos tov na?Where is that butterfly flying to?
- សុខា Sokhaវាហោះទៅលើផ្កា។vea hos tov leu phka.It is flying to the flower.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “butterfly” translations and entries មេអំបៅ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries មេអំបៅ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
