រាំ
rŏəm
The English verb 'dance' is translated into Khmer as រាំ (rŏəm).
រាំ is the general verb used for any kind of dancing, from casual dancing to more structured movements.
Meaning: move rhythmically to music (verb)
Which one should you use?
While រាំ is the verb 'to dance', របាំ is the noun used to refer to a dance or a dance performance.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
rŏəm
Did you know?
- The classical Khmer dance របាំព្រះរាជទ្រាយ is so precise that the curvature of the fingers is believed to represent the growth of a flower or the movement of a leaf.
- In Cambodian culture, the Apsara dance is not just a performance but a spiritual bridge, as Apsaras are celestial dancers who communicate between humans and gods.
- While រាំ is the general verb for dancing, the specific hand gestures used in classical dance act as a visual language that can tell entire stories without words.
Examples in context
- មករាំ!Come dance!This sentence is useful for inviting someone to រាំ.Tatoeba #4713252 by angkorsovannnaga, translation #4713250 by mccarras
- តើអ្នកចង់រាំជាមួយខ្ញុំទេ?tae neak chong roam cheamuoy khnom te?Do you want to dance with me?
Example conversation
A wedding party where music is playing loudly.
- សុខា Sokhaតោះ! យើងទៅរាំជាមួយគ្នា!toh! yeung tov roam cheamuoy khnea!Let's go dance together!
- សុខ Sokខ្ញុំរាំមិនបានល្អទេ។khnom roam min ban laor te.I cannot dance well.
- សុខា Sokhaកុំបារម្ភអី សុខ!kom barom ey, Sok!Don't worry, Sok!
- សុខ Sokអូខេ ខ្ញុំនឹងសាកល្បង។ok, khnom nung sak lborng.Okay, I will try.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dance” translations and entries រាំ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
