បារី
baarəy
The English word for cigarette is បារី (baarəy) in Khmer.
បារី is a general term that can refer to any type of smoking material, including cigarettes, cigars or even hand-rolled tobacco.
Meaning: thin roll of tobacco made for smoking (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is baarəy.
Did you know?
- When offering a បារី to an elder in Cambodia, it is customary to use both hands or support the right elbow with the left hand to show respect.
- The pronunciation of the word in Khmer is very close to its Thai origin, making it easy for speakers of both languages to understand each other in this instance.
- In Cambodia, it is common to see បារី sold as individual sticks at small street kiosks rather than exclusively in full packs.
Examples in context
- ខ្ញុំចង់បានបារីមួយដើម។khnhom chong ban barey mouy deum.I want a cigarette.
- គាត់កំពុងជក់បារីនៅខាងក្រៅ។koat kompong chok barey nov khang krao.He is smoking a cigarette outside.
- តើអ្នកមានបារីសម្រាប់ខ្ញុំទេ?tae neak mien barey samrap khnhom te?Do you have a cigarette for me?
Example conversation
Sreyney and Vibol are standing outside a restaurant.
- វិបុល Vibolស្រីនី តើអ្នកចង់ជក់បារីទេ?Sreyney, tae neak chong chouk barey te?Sreyney, do you want a cigarette?
- ស្រីនី Sreynyទេ ខ្ញុំមិនជក់បារីទេ។te, khnhom min chouk barey te.No, I don't smoke cigarettes.
- វិបុល Vibolអូ ខ្ញុំសុំទោស។oh, khnhom som tos.Oh, I'm sorry.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyមិនអីទេ វិបុល។min ey te, Vibol.It's okay, Vibol.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cigarette” translations and entries បារី, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
