បាទ
baat
In Khmer, 'yes' is expressed using បាទ (baat). It is also spelled ចា៎ះ (caah). Wiktionary also lists ច៎ា (jaa) and អើ (’aə).
Meaning: word used to indicate agreement or acceptance (particle)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| បាទ | baat | |
| ច៎ា | jaa | |
| អើ | ’aə | informal |
| អឺ | ’əɨ | informal |
| ចាស | caah | |
| ចា៎ះ | caah | alternative form |
In Khmer, 'yes' is often expressed through gender-specific polite particles rather than a single universal word.
Which one should you use?
The form បាទ is used by male speakers to say yes. The form ចាស is used by female speakers to say yes, and ចា៎ះ is an alternative spelling of ចាស. The forms អើ and អឺ are informal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
បាទ is a formal way to say 'yes' in Khmer. The form អើ is an informal way to say yes, typically used with close friends or subordinates.
How do you pronounce it?
baat
Did you know?
- The formal male word for 'yes', បាទ, is derived from the Pali word for 'foot'. It originates from a historical practice of placing one's foot in a gesture of submission or respect.
- In Khmer culture, the word for 'yes' is often accompanied by a សំពះ (sampeah), a gesture where the palms are pressed together in a prayer-like position.
- Khmer speakers often avoid saying បាទ or ចាស directly when they want to agree with a specific action. Instead, they repeat the verb used in the question to confirm the answer.
Examples in context
- បាទ ។Yes.This example shows the use of បាទ for a simple statement.Tatoeba #3776650 by angkorsovannnaga, translation #477086 by soweli_Elepanto
- « ពិតមែនហេ៎? » « បាទ៎ ពីណាគេប្រាប់? »"Is that true?" "Yes, who told you about it?"This example demonstrates using បាទ in a conversational response.Tatoeba #2847505 by angkorsovannnaga, translation #1359396 by marcelostockle
- បាទខ្ញុំចង់ទៅYes, I (do) want to go.This example shows how បាទ can start a sentence to express agreement.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sreyne is asking Sok if he has finished his homework.
- សុខ Sokបាទ ខ្ញុំធ្វើរួចហើយ។bat khnhom thveu ruoch haey.Yes, I have finished it already.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyតើវាពិបាកទេ?tae vea pibak te?Was it difficult?
- សុខ Sokបាទ វាពិបាកបន្តិច។bat vea pibak bantech.Yes, it was a bit difficult.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyអរគុណដែលប្រាប់ខ្ញុំ។orkoun dael prab khnhom.Thank you for telling me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yes” translations and entries បាទ, ច៎ា, អើ, អឺ, ចាស, ចា៎ះ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries បាទ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
