ຫິມະ
hi ma[hiʔ˧˥.maʔ˧]
The English word "snow" is translated into Lao as ຫິມະ (hi ma). Wiktionary also lists ນ້ຳໝອກ (nam mǭk).
Meaning: partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes, falling of such flakes, accumulation of them as a white layer (noun)
Ways to say it
| Lao | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ຫິມະ | hi ma | [hiʔ˧˥.maʔ˧] (narrow) [hiʔ˩˨.maʔ˧˨] (narrow) |
| ນ້ຳໝອກ | nam mǭk |
How do you pronounce it?
hi ma
Did you know?
- The word ຫິມະ is actually a direct relative of the English word 'Himalaya', which means 'abode of snow'.
- While ຫິມະ refers to snow, the word for 'ice' ນ້ຳກ້ອນ literally means 'chunk water'.
- Because snow is nonexistent in the Lao landscape, the word ຫິມະ is often associated with foreign countries, luxury travel or winter wonderlands in films.
Example sentences for Lao are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Two people are talking about a winter trip.
- Aເຈົາມັກຫິມະບໍ?chao mak hima bo?Do you like snow?
- Bມັກຫຼາຍ, ມັນສວຍງາມ.mak lai, man suay ngam.I like it a lot, it's beautiful.
- Aມັນໜາວຫຼາຍບໍ?man nao lai bo?Is it very cold?
- Bແມ່ນແລ້ວ, ໜາວຫຼາຍ.maen laew, nao lai.Yes, it is very cold.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snow” translations and entries ຫິມະ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ຫິມະ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
