ផ្ទះបាយ
phtĕəh baay
The English word kitchen is ផ្ទះបាយ (phtĕəh baay) in Khmer. Wiktionary also lists ជើងក្រាន (cəəng kraan).
Meaning: room (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ផ្ទះបាយ | phtĕəh baay | |
| ជើងក្រាន | cəəng kraan | colloquial |
The term refers to the room.
What does it mean word for word?
ផ្ទះបាយ (phtĕəh baay) is a compound formed by ផ្ទះ (phtĕəh), meaning 'house' and បាយ (baay), meaning 'cooked rice'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The word ជើងក្រាន (cəəng kraan) is a colloquial form.
How do you pronounce it?
phtĕəh baay
Did you know?
- The colloquial term ជើងក្រាន literally translates to 'legs of the family'. This reflects a traditional view of the kitchen as the foundation or support system for the nuclear household.
- In traditional Khmer homes, the ផ្ទះបាយ was often a separate structure or a detached area to keep the heat and smoke of wood-fired stoves away from the main living quarters.
- In some rural areas, the kitchen is not a room but a designated open-air spot with a clay stove, meaning ផ្ទះបាយ can describe a functional area rather than a building with walls.
Examples in context
- ខ្ញុំកំពុងនៅក្នុងផ្ទះបាយ។khnhom kompong nov knong pteah bay.I am in the kitchen.
- ផ្ទះបាយនៅក្បែរកន្លែងលាងចាន។pteah bay nov kbae kanleng leang chan.The kitchen is near the washing area.
- តើផ្ទះបាយស្អាតឬទេ?tae pteah bay s-at reu te?Is the kitchen clean?
Example conversation
Chinda is looking for Sok in their house.
- ចិន្តា Chindaសុខ នៅឯណា?Sok, nov ae na?Sok, where are you?
- សុខ Sokខ្ញុំនៅក្នុងផ្ទះបាយ។khnhom nov knong pteah bay.I am in the kitchen.
- ចិន្តា Chindaតើអ្នកកំពុងធ្វើម្ហូបមែនទេ?tae neak kompong tveu mhoup men te?Are you cooking?
- សុខ Sokបាទ ខ្ញុំកំពុងរៀបចំអាហារ។bat, khnhom kompong riap chom a-ha.Yes, I am preparing food.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kitchen” translations and entries ផ្ទះបាយ, ជើងក្រាន, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ជើងក្រាន, ផ្ទះបាយ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
