Names of Cambodia

The name of Cambodia in Khmer is កម្ពុជា (UNGEGN: Kâmpŭchéa, ALA-LC: Kambujā [kampuciə]), officially ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា (UNGEGN: Preăhréachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchéa, ALA-LC: Braḥrājāṇācakr Kambujā [preahriəciənaːcak kampuciə]; lit. 'Kingdom of Cambodia'). This term derives from Sanskrit कम्बोजदेश (IAST: Kambojadeśa), which means the "land of Kamboja".

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History

The same name (i.e. Kamboj/Kambuja) is also found in Burmese and Thai chronicles referring to regions within those kingdoms. An origin-myth recorded in the Baksei Chamkrong inscription, dated AD 947, derives Kambuja from Svayambhuva Kamboj, a legendary Indian sage under whose gotra later, the merchant Kaundinya I reached the Indochinese peninsula and married a Nāga princess named Soma, thus uniting the Indian and local Southeast Asian Funanese cultures. In this story Kambuja derives from Kambu+ja, and means "descendants of Kambu."[1]

Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchéa means "Kingdom of Cambodia". Etymologically, its components are: preăh ("sacred"); réach- ("king, royal, realm", from Sanskrit); -éana- (from Pāli āṇā, "authority, command, power"); -châkr (from Sanskrit chakra, meaning "wheel", a symbol of power and rule).

The name used on formal occasions, such as political speeches and news programs, is ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា Prâtés Kâmpŭchéa [prɑteːh kampuciə], literally "the Country of Cambodia". The colloquial name most used by Cambodians is ស្រុកខ្មែរ Srŏk Khmêr [srok kʰmae], literally "Land of the Khmers" or "Khmer’s Land". srŏk is a Mon-Khmer word roughly equal to the Sanskritic Prâtés, but less formal.

Official names of Cambodia since independence
EnglishKhmerFrenchDateNotes
Kingdom of Cambodiaព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជាRoyaume du Cambodge1953–1970Under a monarchy.
Khmer Republicសាធារណរដ្ឋខ្មែរRépublique khmère1970–1975Under a military-led government.
Democratic Kampucheaកម្ពុជាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យKampuchéa démocratique1975–1979Under the Khmer Rouge regime.
People's Republic of Kampucheaសាធារណរដ្ឋប្រជាមានិតកម្ពុជាRépublique populaire du Kampuchéa1979–1989Under the rule of the Vietnamese-sponsored government.
State of Cambodiaរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាÉtat du Cambodge1989–1993Under the United Nations Transitional Authority.
Kingdom of Cambodiaព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជាRoyaume du Cambodge1993–presentUnder a restored monarchy.

See also

References
  1. George Coedes, Inscriptions du Cambodge, II, pp. 10, 155
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