ថ្នាំ
thnam
In Khmer, the English word 'medicine' is translated as ថ្នាំ (thnam). Wiktionary also lists ឱសថ (ʼaosɑt).
Meaning: substance which promotes healing (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ថ្នាំ | thnam |
| ឱសថ | ʼaosɑt |
The word ថ្នាំ is versatile and can also refer to other substances like drugs, poisons or even incense/perfume depending on the context. To specifically clarify that you mean 'medical medicine' and avoid confusion with other substances, you can use ថ្នាំពេទ្យ.
Which one should you use?
ថ្នាំ is the common, everyday word for medicine used in casual conversation, whereas ឱសថ is a formal or technical term for medicine, often seen in medical contexts, pharmacies or official documents.
How do you pronounce it?
thnam
Did you know?
- The word ថ្នាំ can also refer to 'dye' or 'stain', as these substances were historically derived from the same botanical sources as medicines.
- In some rural contexts, certain ថ្នាំ are believed to cure not just physical ailments but also 'spiritual' illnesses caused by ghosts or broken taboos.
- In Cambodia, traditional 'Kru Khmer' healers often prescribe herbal ថ្នាំ that are prepared using ancient manuals and spiritual rituals rather than chemical formulas.
Examples in context
- យកថ្នាំ។Take medicine.This sentence is useful for practicing the command to take ថ្នាំ.Tatoeba #11474977 by Vethya, translation #324240 by shekitten
- ខ្ញុំត្រូវញ៉ាំថ្នាំ។khnom trov nham thnam.I need to take medicine.
- តើមានថ្នាំសម្រាប់ក្អកទេ?tae mean thnam somrab kaok te?Is there medicine for a cough?
Example conversation
Sokha reminds Vibol to take his medication.
- សុខា Sokhaវិបុល កុំភ្លេចលេបថ្នាំឱ្យសោះ។Vibol, kom phlech lep thnam oy soh.Vibol, don't forget to take your medicine.
- វិបុល Vibolបាទ ខ្ញុំនឹងលេបវាឥឡូវនេះ។bat, khnhom neng lep vea ey lov nis.Yes, I will take it right now.
- សុខា Sokhaតើថ្នាំនេះមានរសជាតិល្វីងទេ?tae thnam nis mean ros-cheat lving te?Does this medicine taste bitter?
- វិបុល Vibolវាល្វីងបន្តិច ប៉ុន្តែវាជួយឱ្យខ្ញុំជា។vea lving bon-tich, pon-tae vea chuoy oy khnhom chea.It is a bit bitter, but it helps me get better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “medicine” translations and entries ថ្នាំ, ឱសថ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
