ខ្លា
khlaa
The word for tiger in Khmer is ខ្លា (khlaa). Wiktionary also lists ខ្លាធំ (khlaa thom).
Meaning: The mammal Panthera tigris (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ខ្លា | khlaa |
| ខ្លាធំ | khlaa thom |
The word refers to the mammal Panthera tigris.
How do you pronounce it?
khlaa
Did you know?
- The word ខ្លា is cognate with khla in the Khasi language spoken in northeast India, showing the vast reach of the Proto-Austroasiatic language family.
- In Khmer culture, tigers are often viewed as powerful spiritual guardians and appear frequently in traditional folk tales as figures of wisdom or strength.
- In some regional contexts, ខ្លា might be used to refer to leopards or other large spotted cats because the term is broadly applied to the 'tiger-like' category.
Examples in context
- ខ្លាគឺជាសត្វដែលមានកម្លាំងខ្លាំង។khla keu chea sat del mean komlang khlang.A tiger is a very strong animal.
Example conversation
Ratanak and Chinda are looking at a picture book together.
- រតនៈ Ratanakមើលរូបនេះ ចិន្តា! នេះគឺជាខ្លា។meul roup nih, Chinda! nih keu chea khla.Look at this picture, Chinda! This is a tiger.
- ចិន្តា Chindaវាមានឆ្នូតស្អាតណាស់ រតនៈ។vea mean chnot s-at nah, Ratanak.It has very beautiful stripes, Ratanak.
- រតនៈ Ratanakបាទ ខ្លាគឺជាសត្វដ៏គួរឱ្យខ្លាច។bat, khla keu chea sat do ku oy khlach.Yes, the tiger is a scary animal.
- ចិន្តា Chindaខ្ញុំយល់ស្របជាមួយអ្នក។khnhom yol srob cheamuoy neak.I agree with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tiger” translations and entries ខ្លា, ខ្លាធំ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ខ្លា, CC BY-SA 4.0.
