មច្ឆានុ
macchaanuʼ
The English word "mermaid" is translated into Khmer as មច្ឆានុ (macchaanuʼ) or រក្សសី.
Meaning: mythological woman with a fish’s tail (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| មច្ឆានុ | macchaanuʼ |
| រក្សសី | rĕəʼksaʼsəy |
Both words refer to the mythological figure of a woman with a fish's tail.
How do you pronounce it?
macchaanuʼ
Did you know?
- The word រក្សសី comes from the Sanskrit word for a female demon. In Khmer culture, mermaids are sometimes viewed as predatory or supernatural entities rather than just whimsical creatures.
- In traditional Khmer art and sculpture, the រក្សសី is often depicted with more fearsome features than the soft, romanticized mermaids found in Western fairy tales.
- The term រក្សសី is the feminine form of រក្សស, a word used to describe a variety of shapeshifting spirits and demons in Southeast Asian mythology.
Example sentences for Khmer are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a picture book together.
- វិបុល Vibolមើលរូបនេះ ស្រីនី! នេះគឺជាមច្ឆានុ។meul rup nih, Sreiny! nih keu chea machhano.Look at this picture, Sreiny! This is a mermaid.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyអូ! ស្គរមច្ឆានុនេះមានពណ៌ស្អាតណាស់។oh! s-kor machhano nih mean po s-at nah.Oh! This mermaid's tail has such a beautiful color.
- វិបុល Vibolបាទ នាងអាចហែលទឹកបានលឿនណាស់។bat, neang ach hel teuk ban leun nah.Yes, she can swim very fast.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyខ្ញុំចង់ជួបមច្ឆានុផ្ទាល់មែនទែន។khnhom chong chuob machhano phtal men ten.I really want to meet a mermaid in person.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mermaid” translations and entries មច្ឆានុ, រក្សសី, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries មច្ឆានុ, រក្សសី, CC BY-SA 4.0.
