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: Kambujadeśa), which means the "land of Kambuja".

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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 led by a Communist dictator Pol Pot and leader Khieu Samphan.
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–presentmonarchy restored under Norodom Sihanouk and the ruling CPP itself led by Hun Sen.

See also

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