ប៉ា
paa
The Khmer word for dad is ប៉ា (paa).
ប៉ា is an informal noun used to refer to a father, functioning similarly to the English words 'dad' or 'papa'.
Meaning: informal: a father (noun)
Which one should you use?
ប៉ា is used within informal family settings, whereas ឪពុក is the formal term for 'father' typically found in official documents or used in respectful speech.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ប៉ា is an informal term. Another informal way to say dad is ពុក.
How do you pronounce it?
paa
Did you know?
- The word ប៉ា is actually a loanword from French 'papa', reflecting Cambodia's history as a French protectorate.
- In very formal or royal contexts, the word for father changes entirely to ព្រះបិតា, which carries a divine or sacred connotation.
- The use of the word ពុក (puk) can sometimes imply a more rural or traditional upbringing compared to the more urban or modern sounding ប៉ា (paa).
Examples in context
- តើម៉ាក់ប៉ាខំ្ញុសុខទុក្ខយ៉ាងណា?How are mom and dad?This sentence is useful for asking how mom and ប៉ា are doing.Tatoeba #5650021 by angkorsovannnaga, translation #5651206 by Mar1L
- ប៉ាទៅធ្វើការហើយ។pa tov thveu kar haey.Dad has gone to work already.
- តើប៉ាម៉េចក៏មកយឺតម្ល៉េះ?tae pa mech kor mok yeut mleh?Why is dad so late?
Example conversation
Sokha is asking her brother about their father.
- សុខ Sokប៉ា មកដល់ផ្ទះហើយ។Pa mok dol pteah haey.Dad has arrived home.
- សុខា Sokhaតើគាត់មានទិញអ្វីមកទេ?Tae koat mean tinh avei mok te?Did he buy anything?
- សុខ Sokគាត់ទិញផ្លែឈើមកច្រើនណាស់។Koat tinh phlae chheu mok chreun nah.He bought a lot of fruit.
- សុខា Sokhaខ្ញុំនឹងទៅជួយប៉ាឥឡូវនេះ។Knhom neng tov chuoy pa ey lov nis.I will go help dad right now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ប៉ា, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
