តា
taa
The Khmer word for grandpa is តា (taa).
The term តា is used informally to refer to a grandfather or an elderly man.
Meaning: grandfather (informal) (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
taa
Did you know?
- In Khmer folklore, តា is frequently used in the names of protective spirits or ancestral ghosts who guard specific plots of land.
- The word តា is a cognate of the Thai word ตา (dtaa) for maternal grandfather.
- While តា is the informal term, there are more formal versions of 'grandfather' used in the royal court that are completely different.
Examples in context
- តាហៅខ្ញុំមកលេងផ្ទះ។ta hao khnhom mok leng pteah.Grandpa called me to visit the house.
- តារបស់ខ្ញុំចិត្តល្អណាស់។ta robos khnhom chet lo-or nas.My grandpa is very kind.
Example conversation
Narong and Sokha are talking about their family.
- សុខា Sokhaតានិងយាយសុខសប្បាយទេ។Ta ning yeay sok sabbay te.Grandpa and grandma are doing well.
- ណារ៉ុង Narongពិតមែនអី? ខ្ញុំនឹកគាត់ណាស់។Pit men ey? Knhom neuk koat nah.Really? I miss him very much.
- សុខា Sokhaតាចង់ជួបណារ៉ុងដែរ។Ta chong chuob Narong dae.Grandpa wants to see you too, Narong.
- ណារ៉ុង Narongខ្ញុំនឹងទៅលេងគាត់ឆាប់ៗនេះ។Knhom neung tov leng koat chhab chhab nih.I will visit him very soon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry តា, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries តា, CC BY-SA 4.0.
