Language/Central-khmer/Vocabulary/Days-of-the-Week

Central Khmer Vocabulary - Days of the Week

Hi Central Khmer learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn the Central Khmer vocabulary for the days of the week. The days of the week are essential phrases you must learn if you want to communicate fully in Central Khmer. So, let's get started!

Introduction

Central Khmer, also known as Khmer, is the official language of Cambodia, spoken by over 16 million people worldwide. It belongs to the Austroasiatic language family, which includes languages such as Vietnamese and Mon. Knowing the days of the week is vital for daily communication in Central Khmer. In this lesson, we will not only learn the names of the days of the week but also explore some cultural and historical facts about them. Ready? Let's begin!

Days of the Week

Let's start with learning the Central Khmer names for the days of the week. The table below shows the days of the week in Central Khmer, along with their pronunciations and English translations:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English
ថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ	tʰŋai atʰit	Sunday
ថ្ងៃច័ន្ត	tʰŋai caɲtɨən	Monday
ថ្ងៃអង្គារ	tʰŋai ʔɑŋkaa	Tuesday
ថ្ងៃពុធសប្តាហ៍	tʰŋai pʰuətʰɑ̆hsaʔdaah	Wednesday
ថ្ងៃព្រហស្បតិ្តវ	tʰŋai prɑhɑbsat	Thursday
ថ្ងៃសុក្រ	tʰŋai sokrɨəh	Friday
ថ្ងៃសៅរ៏	tʰŋai saʔraay	Saturday

Cultural and Historical Facts

In Cambodia, the names of the days were chosen based on the Hindu and Buddhist gods. In Hinduism, it is believed that each day of the week is associated with a particular god. Cambodians adopted this concept and associated each day with a god that they believe has an influence on people born on that day. Let's take a closer look at the gods and their connections to the days of the week:

- Sunday (ថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ): Sunday is associated with the sun god Surya in Hinduism. In Cambodia, Sunday is regarded as the day of blessings, and many people go to the pagoda to offer food and other offerings to the monks.

- Monday (ថ្ងៃច័ន្ត): Monday is associated with the moon god Chandra in Hinduism. In Cambodia, some parents believe that a child born on Monday will be soft-spoken and have a pleasant personality.

- Tuesday (ថ្ងៃអង្គារ): Tuesday is associated with the Hindu god of war, Mars. In Cambodia, this day is regarded as an excellent day to start a new venture, such as opening a business.

- Wednesday (ថ្ងៃពុធសប្តាហ៍): Wednesday is associated with the Hindu god Vishnu, who is known as the preserver of the universe. In Cambodia, Wednesday is regarded as an auspicious day to start building a house or buy property.

- Thursday (ថ្ងៃព្រហស្បតិ្តវ): Thursday is associated with the Hindu god of wisdom, Brihaspati. In Cambodia, some people believe that Thursday is a lucky day.

- Friday (ថ្ងៃសុក្រ): Friday is associated with the Hindu goddess of love, beauty, and prosperity, Lakshmi. In Cambodia, some people believe that Friday is an excellent day for weddings.

- Saturday (ថ្ងៃសៅរ៏): Saturday is associated with the planet Saturn in Hinduism. Some Cambodians believe that if a child is born on this day, they will have a hard-working and persistent personality.

Dialogue

Here is a dialogue between Kim and Vannak, showing the usage of the days of the week:

• Kim: ថ្ងៃអាទិត្យនេះអ្នកត្រូវចូលរៀនទេ? (tʰŋai atʰit neʔ anaa tʰrɑʔu cuol riən tɔh? - "Are you going to study today?")
• Vannak: ទោះ។ ខ្ញុំមិនចូលរៀនថ្ងៃអាទិត្យទេ។ (toa, khnhom min cuol rian tʰŋai atʰit te - "No, I won't study on Sunday.")

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned the Central Khmer vocabulary for the days of the week. Not only have we learned the names of the days, but we have also explored some interesting facts about the cultural significance of each day in Cambodian culture. To improve your Central Khmer vocabulary, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions. You can also explore more vocabulary on the Vocabulary page. Keep practicing, and before you know it, you will be speaking Central Khmer like a native!

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources: - Sachchidanand Sahai. (1974). Astrology and Its Utility – A Treatise on the Higher Branches of Astrology. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. - The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2019, December 04). Khmer language. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Khmer-language.

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