ពណ៌ស្វាយ
poa svaa yɔɔ
The English word "purple" is translated into Khmer as ពណ៌ស្វាយ (poa svaa yɔɔ).
ពណ៌ស្វាយ is used to refer to the color purple as both a noun and an adjective.
Meaning: colour (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of ពណ៌, which means "color" and ស្វាយ, which means "plum".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In Khmer, the word ស្វាយ (svaa) can mean either the color purple or the fruit plum depending on the context of your sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
poa svaa yɔɔ
Did you know?
- In Cambodia, the word ស្វាយ is most commonly used to refer to the mango, and specifically to certain varieties of mango, rather than a plum.
- The Khmer language uses a system of 'color words' derived from nature, where many colors are named after fruits, flowers or minerals rather than abstract concepts.
- Because ស្វាយ can mean both a color and a fruit, a speaker saying 'I want ស្វាយ' could be asking for a purple object or a piece of fruit depending on the setting.
Examples in context
- ផ្កានេះមានពណ៌ស្វាយស្អាតណាស់។phka nih mean poa svay sa-at nah.This flower is a beautiful purple color.
- តើអ្នកមានអាវពណ៌ស្វាយទេ?tae neak mean av poa svay te?Do you have a purple shirt?
Example conversation
Sok and Mali are choosing a gift for a friend.
- សុខ Sokតើម៉ាលីចូលចិត្តពណ៌អ្វី?tae Mali chol chett poa avei?What colour do you like, Mali?
- ម៉ាលី Malyខ្ញុំចូលចិត្តពណ៌ស្វាយ។khnhom chol chett poa svay.I like purple.
- សុខ Sokអូ! ពណ៌ស្វាយស្អាតណាស់។oh! poa svay s-at nah.Oh! Purple is very beautiful.
- ម៉ាលី Malyចា៎ ខ្ញុំយល់ស្រប។cha khnhom yol srob.Yes, I agree.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “purple” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
