ពស់
pŭəh
The Khmer word for snake is ពស់ (pŭəh). Wiktionary also lists ឧរគ (ʼuraʼkĕəʼ).
Meaning: legless reptile (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ពស់ | pŭəh | |
| ឧរគ | ʼuraʼkĕəʼ | poetic |
Both terms refer to the legless reptile known as a snake.
Which one should you use?
ពស់ is the standard, everyday term for snake used in all contexts, whereas ឧរគ is a formal or poetic term often found in literature or classical texts rather than daily conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
pŭəh
Did you know?
- Cambodian tradition holds that the នគរ (naga) created the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap lake through its movements across the land.
- The formal term ឧរគ is derived from the Pali word 'uraga', which literally means 'crawler' or 'one who moves by the chest'.
- While ពស់ is used for common snakes, the word នាគ (neak) is reserved for the divine serpent or dragon of mythology.
Examples in context
- ខ្ញុំខ្លាចពស់ណាស់។khnom khlach pous nah.I am very afraid of snakes.
- មានពស់នៅក្នុងសួនច្បារ។mian pous nov knong suan chbar.There is a snake in the garden.
- ពស់នេះមានពណ៌ខ្មៅ។pous nih mian por khmao.This snake is black.
Example conversation
Chinda and Narong are walking in the grass.
- ចិន្តា Chindaណារ៉ុង មើលនោះ! មានពស់មួយ!Narong, merl noh! mean pors mouy!Narong, look there! There is a snake!
- ណារ៉ុង Narongវាស្ថិតនៅត្រង់ណា?vea sthet nov trang na?Where is it?
- ចិន្តា Chindaវាស្ថិតនៅក្រោមដើមឈើនោះ។vea sthet nov krom derm chheu noh.It is under that tree.
- ណារ៉ុង Narongយើងត្រូវតែដើរចេញពីទីនេះ។yeung trov tae der chenh pi ti nis.We must walk away from here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snake” translations and entries ពស់, ឧរគ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ពស់, ឧរគ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
