Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| លាសិនហើយ | liə sən haəy |
| លាហើយ | liə haəy |
| ជម្រាបលា | cumriəp liə |
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase លាហើយ (liə haəy) literally means part/leave already.
Which one should you use?
While លាហើយ is a standard or casual way to say goodbye, ជម្រាបលា is the formal version. The form លាសិនហើយ is used to imply leaving for a moment or leaving for now.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ជម្រាបលា is the formal way to say goodbye, often used when addressing elders, superiors or in professional settings. លាហើយ is a more casual or standard way to say goodbye compared to the formal version.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form លាសិនហើយ uses the particle សិន to imply that the person is leaving for a moment or leaving for now.
How do you pronounce it?
liə sən haəy
When do people say it?
When using the formal ជម្រាបលា, it is customary to perform the sampeah, which involves placing your hands together in a prayer-like gesture, while speaking.
Did you know?
- The formal word ជម្រាប (cumriəp) used in ជម្រាបលា is actually a way to express the idea of 'prostrating' or 'bowing' towards someone. It carries a much deeper weight of humility than the English 'goodbye'.
- The gesture that accompanies ជម្រាបលា, the sampeah, varies in height depending on the social status of the person you are leaving. The higher your hands are placed relative to your face, the more respect you are showing.
- In Cambodia, it is common to avoid saying 'goodbye' to someone who is staying home if you are the one leaving. Instead, you might use a phrase that implies you are 'going' rather than 'parting'.
Examples in context
- ខ្ញុំលាសិនហើយ។khnhom lea sin haey.I am leaving now, goodbye.
- លាសិនហើយ ជួបគ្នានៅថ្ងៃស្អែក។lea sin haey, juob khnea nov thngai sa-ek.Goodbye, see you tomorrow.
- លាសិនហើយ ថែរក្សាសុខភាពផង។lea sin haey, thae raksa sokhapheap phong.Goodbye, take care of yourself.
Example conversation
Two friends are finishing their lunch and parting ways.
- សុខ Sokអរគុណសម្រាប់អាហារ ស្រីនី។Orkun somrab ahar, Sreyny.Thanks for the meal, Sreyny.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyមិនអីទេ សុខ!Min ey te, Sok!You're welcome, Sok!
- សុខ Sokលាសិនហើយ!Lea sin haey!Goodbye!
- ស្រីនី Sreynyលាសិនហើយ ជួបគ្នាពេលក្រោយ។Lea sin haey, chuob knea pel kroy.Goodbye, see you later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations and entries លាសិនហើយ, លាហើយ, ជម្រាបលា, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
