ទន្សាយ
tɔɔtŭənsaay
The English word 'rabbit' is ទន្សាយ (tɔɔtŭənsaay) in Khmer. Wiktionary also lists ទន្សាយគល់ (tɔɔtŭənsaay kŭəl).
Meaning: mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ទន្សាយ | tɔɔtŭənsaay |
| ទន្សាយគល់ | tɔɔtŭənsaay kŭəl |
The word refers to the mammal known as a rabbit.
How do you pronounce it?
tɔɔtŭənsaay
Did you know?
- In Cambodia, the rabbit is often associated with the Moon, appearing in folklore as a creature that lives there and pounds medicine with a mortar and pestle.
- The Khmer word ទន្សាយ is a loanword from Middle Chinese, making it a linguistic cousin to the Chinese word for rabbit.
- In traditional Khmer storytelling, the rabbit is frequently portrayed as a 'trickster' character, similar to the folklore roles of the coyote or fox in Western cultures.
Examples in context
- ទន្សាយចូលចិត្តញ៉ាំការ៉ុត។tunsay chol chāt nham karot.Rabbits like to eat carrots.
- តើទន្សាយពណ៌អ្វី?tae tunsay poa avei?What color is the rabbit?
Example conversation
Chinda and Narong are looking at animals at a pet shop.
- ចិន្តា Chindaណារ៉ុង មើលទន្សាយនេះចុះ!Narong, meul tonsay nis choh!Narong, look at this rabbit!
- ណារ៉ុង Narongវាមានពណ៌សស្អាតណាស់ ចិន្តា។vea mean poan sor s-at nah, Chinda.It is a very beautiful white color, Chinda.
- ចិន្តា Chindaតើយើងអាចទិញទន្សាយនេះបានទេ?tae yeung arch tinh tonsay nis ban te?Can we buy this rabbit?
- ណារ៉ុង Narongបាទ យើងអាចទិញវាបាន។bat, yeung arch tinh vea ban.Yes, we can buy it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rabbit” translations and entries ទន្សាយ, ទន្សាយគល់, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ទន្សាយ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
