The close geographical proximity between Thailand and Cambodia often raises the question: are their languages related as well?
At a glance, the two do appear similar—especially in their written form. This resemblance is understandable, as the Thai script was adapted from ancient Khmer script.
However, linguistically, the two languages come from entirely different families. Thai belongs to the Kra-Dai language family (alongside Lao), while Khmer is part of the Austroasiatic family (which also includes Vietnamese and Mon).
Their phonetic structures also differ significantly. Thai is a tonal language, using pitch to distinguish word meanings. In contrast, Khmer does not rely on tone in this way.
A Historical Link
Thailand and Cambodia share a long and complex history—shaped not only by geopolitics but also by deep cultural and linguistic exchanges. One of the most influential periods was the height of the Khmer Empire (9th–15th century), whose territory once spanned much of what is now Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos.
Cultural legacies from this era remain visible today—from the grandeur of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the Khmer-style temples found in northeastern Thailand, such as those in Phimai.
Even the name of the city Siem Reap, which translates to “Victory over Siam” (the former name of Thailand), reflects the nuanced and often turbulent relationship between these two neighboring nations.
Similar but Not the Same: Thai and Khmer
One of the most striking similarities between Thai and Khmer lies in their writing systems. Both scripts are derived from ancient Brahmi script of India, which is also the ancestor of the Devanagari script used in Hindi.
Interestingly, neither Thai nor Khmer uses spaces between words, making their written texts look quite distinct compared to many modern languages.
Beyond visual similarities, the two languages also share a significant number of common vocabulary—particularly in the realms of religion and philosophy. This overlap stems from the strong influence of Sanskrit, which spread throughout Southeast Asia alongside the rise of Hindu-Buddhist culture.
Vocabulary Comparison
| No. | Thai Word | Khmer Word | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ภาษา (paasaa) | ភាសា (pheasaea) | Language |
| 2 | ชีวิต (chīwit) | ជីវិត (chivit) | Life |
| 3 | โทรศัพท์ (thorasap) | ទូរស័ព្ទ (toorɑsap) | Telephone |
| 4 | สัตว์ (sat) | សត្វ (sat) | Animal |
| 5 | ครู (kruu) | គ្រូ (kruu) | Teacher |
| 6 | อาหาร (aahaan) | អាហារ (ʼaahaa) | Food |
| 7 | นาฬิกา (naaligaa) | នាឡិកា (nealeka) | Clock |
| 8 | ประเทศ (prathet) | ប្រទេស (prɑteih) | Country |
| 9 | วิทยุ (wittayu) | វិទ្យុ (vityu) | Radio |
| 10 | เวลา (wela) | វេលា (velea) | Time |
| 11 | พระ (phra) | ព្រះ (preah) | Monk / Sacred |
| 12 | ผม (phǒm) | ពី (phnum) | Hair |
| 13 | กษัตริย์ (kasat) | ក្សត្រ (ksat) | King |
| 14 | อำนาจ (amnat) | អំណាច (amnach) | Power |
| 15 | บุญ (bun) | បុណ្យ (bon) | Merit |
| 16 | บาป (bap) | បាប (bɑp) | Sin |
| 17 | สวรรค์ (sawan) | សួគ៌ (sovann) | Heaven |
| 18 | นรก (narok) | នរក (nɔrɔk) | Hell |
| 19 | ดนตรี (dontri) | តន្ត្រី (tontrei) | Music |
| 20 | เรื่อง (reuang) | រឿង (rieng) | Story |
| 21 | ประวัติศาสตร์ (prawattisat) | ប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រ (prɑvŏəttehsaah) | History |
| 22 | การศึกษา (kan sueksa) | ការសិក្សា (kaa səksaa) | Education |
| 23 | สันติ (santi) | សន្តិ (sontʰəy) | Peace |
| 24 | วัฒนธรรม (watthanatham) | វប្បធម៌ (vŏətthŏənĕaʼtham) | Culture |
| 25 | โลก (lok) | លោក (look) | World |
| 26 | รัฐ (rat) | រដ្ឋ (roat) | Government / State |
| 27 | สงคราม (songkram) | សង្គ្រាម (sɑngkrɑm) | War |
| 28 | ศัตรู (satru) | សត្រូវ (sɑɑtrəy) | Enemy |
| 29 | ทหาร (thahan) | ទាហាន (tɑɑhɑn) | Soldier / Army |
| 30 | ธนาคาร (thanakhan) | ធនាគារ (thonnakear) | Bank |
| 31 | เก้าอี้ (kao-i) | កៅអី (kaaoy) | Chair |
| 32 | เกิด (keed) | កើត (kaət) | Birth |
| 33 | มรณะ (maran) | មរណៈ (mɔrɔn) | Death |
| 34 | ภูเขา (phukhao) | ភ្នំ (phnom) | Mountain |
| 35 | นาที (naathee) | នាទី (nati) | Minute |
| 36 | วินาที (winyat) | វិនាទី (vĭnyŭəti) | Second |
| 37 | ชนะ (chana) | ឈ្នះ (chhneh) | Win |
| 38 | ข้าว (khâao) | ខៅ (khmau) | Rice |
| 39 | สบาย (sà-baai) | សប្បាយ (sabbay) | Happy |
| 40 | คิด (kit) | គិត (kít) | To think |
| 41 | อาน (an) | អាន (aan) | To read |
| 42 | เดิน (daə) | ដើរ (dəən) | To walk |
| 43 | ช่วย (cuəy) | ជួយ (chûai) | To help |
| 44 | เล่น (leing) | លេង (lên) | To play |
| 45 | ศึกษา (seksaa) | សិក្សា (suksaa) | To study |
| 46 | อุตส่าห์ (utsaa) | ឧស្សាហ៍ (uhsaa) | To work hard |
| 47 | เวลา (velea) | វេលា (weelaa) | Time |
| 48 | ชนะ (chana) | ឈ្នះ (chhneh) | Win |
| 49 | มาหาสมุทร (maha samuth) | សមុទ្រ (samuth) | Ocean |
| 50 | อารมณ์ (arom) | អារម្មណ៍ (arommo) | Temperament |
