ផ្កាយ
phkaay
The Khmer word for "star" is ផ្កាយ (phkaay).
In an astronomical context, ផ្កាយ refers to a luminous celestial body made of plasma.
Meaning: (astronomy) a luminous celestial body made of plasma (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
phkaay
Did you know?
- If you are looking at a pattern of stars, a Khmer speaker might call it a ផ្កាយ cluster or group, but the word is also used to describe any distinctive spotted pattern on animals.
- While ផ្កាយ is used for stars in the sky, if you want to describe a 'star' of a movie or a celebrity, you would use the word តារា, which is borrowed from Sanskrit.
- The term ផ្កាយ is used in the Khmer phrase ផ្កាយរណប, which means 'satellite', literally translating to 'star that orbits'.
Examples in context
- លោកផ្កាយមួយBrigadier general (one star general)This sentence shows how ផ្កាយ is used in the context of military rank to refer to a brigadier general.
- ខ្ញុំឃើញផ្កាយនៅលើមេឃ។khnhom kheun phkay nov leu mekh.I see stars in the sky.
- ផ្កាយមានពន្លឺភ្លឺខ្លាំងណាស់។phkay mean ponleu phleu khlang nah.The star is very bright.
Example conversation
Sok and Chinda are looking at the night sky.
- សុខ Sokចិន្តា មើលផ្កាយនោះទៅ!Chinda, meul phkay noh tov!Chinda, look at that star!
- ចិន្តា Chindaអូ! វាពិតជាស្អាតណាស់។Oh! vea pit chea s-at nah.Oh! It is really beautiful.
- សុខ Sokតើអ្នកស្គាល់ឈ្មោះផ្កាយនោះទេ?tae nek skoal chmoh phkay noh te?Do you know the name of that star?
- ចិន្តា Chindaខ្ញុំមិនដឹងទេ សុខ។khnhom min deng te, Sok.I don't know, Sok.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ផ្កាយ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
