សូមទោស
soum tous
សូមទោស (soum tous) is the Khmer way to say excuse me or sorry.
The phrase សូមទោស is used both to apologize for a mistake and to get someone's attention, functioning much like the English phrase 'excuse me'.
Meaning: sorry, as apology (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the word សូម (soum) meaning 'to request' or 'please' and ទោស (tous) meaning 'fault', 'sin' or 'offense'. Together, they literally mean 'please forgive'.
How do you pronounce it?
soum tous
Did you know?
- While you might say 'excuse me' to get past someone, in Cambodia, physically touching someone's head after an apology is a major social faux pas. The head is considered the most sacred part of the body.
- The word ទោស (tous) is also used in a legal context to refer to a 'sentence' or 'punishment' handed down by a court. Using it for a small apology creates a linguistic link between a minor social slip and a formal crime.
- When saying សូមទោស, Cambodians often perform the sampeah gesture by pressing their palms together in a prayer-like position. The higher the hands are held relative to the face, the more respect is being shown to the other person.
Examples in context
- សូមទោស ដែលខ្ញុំមកយឺត។som toh del khnhom mok yuet.Excuse me for being late.
- ខ្ញុំសូមទោស ចំពោះកំហុសនេះ។khnhom som toh chpous komhos nis.I apologize for this mistake.
- សូមទោស ខ្ញុំមិនដឹងទេ។som toh khnhom min deng te.Excuse me, I don't know.
Example conversation
Ratan accidentally steps on Chinda's foot.
- រតនៈ Ratanakសូមទោស ចិន្តា! ខ្ញុំមិនបានឃើញ។som tos Chinda! khnom min ban kheunh.I'm sorry, Chinda! I didn't see.
- ចិន្តា Chindaមិនអីទេ រតនៈ។min ey te Ratanak.It's okay, Ratan.
- រតនៈ Ratanakតើអ្នកមានការឈឺចាប់ទេ?tae neak mean ka chheu chhab te?Are you in pain?
- ចិន្តា Chindaខ្ញុំមិនអីទេ។ អរគុណ។khnom min ey te. orkun.I'm fine. Thank you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry សូមទោស, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
