ស្អុយ
sʼoy
The English word "stinky" is translated into Khmer as ស្អុយ (sʼoy).
ស្អុយ is an adjective used to describe something that has a strong, unpleasant smell.
Meaning: having a strong, unpleasant smell (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is sʼoy.
Did you know?
- In Cambodia, ស្អុយ is often used to describe the scent of Prahok, a fermented fish paste that is a staple of the national diet.
- The word ស្អុយ is used both for physical smells and metaphorically to describe a 'stinking' or corrupt political situation.
- Because of its roots in 'rot', using ស្អុយ to describe a person's body odor can be much more insulting or visceral than the English 'stinky'.
Examples in context
- ត្រីនេះស្អុយណាស់។trey nih sao nah.This fish is very stinky.
- កុំយកសម្រាមស្អុយនេះមកទីនេះ។kom yok som-ram sao nih mok ti nih.Don't bring this stinky trash here.
- មានក្លិនស្អុយចេញពីស្បែកជើង។mian klin sao chenh pi sbek-choeng.There is a stinky smell coming from the shoes.
Example conversation
In a kitchen while preparing food.
- ម៉ាលី Malyវិបុល កុំយកត្រីស្អុយនេះមកដាក់លើតុ។Vibol, kom yok trey sao nih mok dak leu to.Vibol, don't put this stinky fish on the table.
- វិបុល Vibolខ្ញុំសុំទោស ខ្ញុំនឹងយកវាទៅចោល។Knhom som toh, knhom nung yok vea tov jol.I am sorry, I will take it to throw away.
- ម៉ាលី Malyមែនហើយ វាស្អុយខ្លាំងណាស់។Men haey, vea sao khlang nah.Indeed, it is very stinky.
- វិបុល Vibolតើអ្នកចង់ឱ្យខ្ញុំលាងតុដែរឬទេ?Ter neak chong oy knhom leang to dae reu te?Do you want me to wash the table too?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ស្អុយ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
