ដី
dəy
The Khmer word for land is ដី (dəy).
ដី refers both to the ground and to soil as a substance, as well as land in general.
Meaning: part of Earth that is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water (noun)
Which one should you use?
ដីធ្លី is a more formal word for land, often used in legal or administrative contexts about property.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced dəy.
What mistakes should you avoid?
To land, as a plane or bird does, is a different word. Use ចុះចត, ចុះ or ចត for that verb.
Did you know?
- The concept of ដី is linked to ancestral spirits in Khmer culture, where certain plots of land are believed to be guarded by a neak ta, a local guardian spirit of the soil.
- The term ដី is used in the phrase ដីមាសដីប្រាក់ to describe 'golden land' or 'silver land', a poetic way to refer to extremely fertile and prosperous agricultural territory.
- The word ដី is shared across an ancient network of languages, appearing as 'tiiq' in Semai and 'teh' in Bahnar.
Examples in context
- ដីនៅទីនេះមានគុណភាពល្អ។dei nov ti nis mien kunapheap la-or.The land here is good quality.
- ពួកយើងត្រូវការទិញដី។pouk yeung trov kar tinh dei.We need to buy land.
- ដីនេះធំខ្លាំងណាស់។dei nis thom khlang nas.This land is very large.
Example conversation
Two people are on a boat looking for the shore.
- ម៉ាលី Malyសុខ តើអ្នកឃើញដីឬនៅ?Sok, tae neak kheun dey reu nov?Sok, do you see land yet?
- សុខ Sokខ្ញុំមិនទាន់ឃើញអ្វីទាំងអស់ ម៉ាលី។khnhom min tean kheun avei teang os, Mali.I don't see anything yet, Mali.
- ម៉ាលី Malyមើលនោះ! ខ្ញុំឃើញដីហើយ!meul noh! khnhom kheun dey haey!Look there! I see land!
- សុខ Sokបាទ ពួកយើងជិតដល់ហើយ។bat, puok yeung chit dol haey.Yes, we are almost there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “land” translations and entries ដី, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ដី, CC BY-SA 4.0.
