ស្ដាំ
sdam
The English word "right" (of direction) is translated into Khmer as ស្ដាំ (sdam).
ស្ដាំ is an adjective used to describe a direction, specifically the direction that is opposite of left. To specify a physical location such as "to the right" or "the right side," speakers often use the phrase ស្ដាំដៃ.
Meaning: of direction, opposite of left (adj)
Which one should you use?
ស្ដាំ is the direct antonym of ឆ្វេង, which means left.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
sdam
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use ស្ដាំ to refer to a legal or moral entitlement. Instead, use the word សិទ្ធិ to express a right or privilege.
Did you know?
- Because the 'right' side is culturally associated with purity and politeness, you should use your right hand when giving or receiving objects from others. Using the left hand for such social interactions is often seen as improper.
- The word ស្ដាំ comes from the Proto-Mon-Khmer root *st₁am, which specifically meant 'right-hand'.
- The term ស្ដាំដៃ literally translates to 'right hand', as Khmer speakers typically use the word for 'hand' ដៃ to specify the direction of a side.
Examples in context
- ឡានបត់ស្ដាំ ។The car turned right.This sentence is useful for describing the movement of a vehicle using ស្ដាំ.Tatoeba #4506274 by angkorsovannnaga, translation #4506293 by CK
- ស្ដាំដៃTo the rightThis phrase is useful for indicating a direction using ស្ដាំ.
- បត់ស្ដាំនៅផ្លូវខាងមុខ។bot sdâm nov phloŭ khang mukh.Turn right at the road ahead.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chinda is giving directions to Sok in a building.
- ចិន្តា Chindaបន្ទប់នោះនៅខាងស្ដាំ។bantob noh nov khang sdamThat room is on the right.
- សុខ Sokខាងស្ដាំនៃច្រកនេះមែនទេ?khang sdam nei chrok nis men teOn the right of this hallway, right?
- ចិន្តា Chindaចាស ដើរទៅខាងស្ដាំបន្តិចទៀត។chas der tov khang sdam bontic tietYes, walk a little further to the right.
- សុខ Sokខ្ញុំឃើញវាហើយ សូមអរគុណ។khnhom kheunh vea haey som orkunI see it, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “right” translations and entries ស្ដាំ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ស្ដាំ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
