I recently came across a paper claiming there are poems composed in early Ayutthaya originally in Khmer, both in language and script. One of them referred to as "Kam Chan Dutsadi Sangwoy". The poem can be found HERE written in Thai script, but supposedly still in the Khmer language. I don't speak or read Thai, so I fed the text into Google Gemini to transliterate it back into Khmer script. The result was very interesting. I, as a native modern Khmer speaker, was able to make out many words and understand a decent amount of the meaning, despite the original having been transcribed into Thai script a long time ago and then now rewritten back into modern Khmer script by an AI. And it is clear that the language is middle Khmer, not old Khmer. Even the rhymes are preserved. I couldn't post the whole result the AI gave me here, due to Reddit filters. But as a sample, here are verses of line 21 to 23:

ព្រឹក្សថ្លើងស្តាប់សព្ទផងយំ កុកូរទ្រនំ ដ ពហូរអូកហូក

ខេត្តាថ្ងៃស្តាប់សព្ទក្ងោក ម្រឹគផងរត់ ដ ចោរក បីជ្រៀវជ្រងសព្វនា

ល្ងាចថ្ងៃហោងស្តាប់សព្ទទា ធំយំសព្វនា បីលំអូកថ្លើងហោង

From
พฤกษเถลิงสดับศับทผองยม กุกุรทรนม ด พหูรโอกโฮก

เขดาไถงสดับศับทกุโงก มฤคผองรัด ด โจรก บิเจรียวจรงสบนา

ลงาดไถงฮองสดับศับททธา ธมยมสบนา บิลำโอกเถลิงฮอง

For those interested in seeing the whole thing, simply copy the original text into Gemini and tell it to rewrite the text back into Khmer script.
But I bet someone that know both Thai and Khmer well could do an even better job with the transliteration. It would make for an interesting article in Khmer literature. Any taker?

I feel the default Khmer typeface/font doesn't do justice in depicting the ornate, aesthetic beauty of the Khmer script, as would handwriting or inscriptions do. The problem seems to be the usage of very limited space allowed vertically, because of which some parts of the script (mainly the "foot consonants" and similar strokes that appear around a main alphabet) have to be pushed to fit it, resulting in many strokes becoming tiny and less legible. Was the initial typeface of the Khmer script done by foreigners like missionaries, rather than native people who would have done a better job? Or is there any other factor that contributes to this? Compare how the Javanese script (provided for comparison in the picture on this post) makes use of the free space above and below the dominant zone of writing. Both sample texts in the image are from Wikipedia's sample text (Universal declaration of human rights). In that see how Javanese is more legible, compared to Khmer. I do find Khmer script to appear tiny on most of the digital interfaces, eg, YouTube comment section. Note that the Javanese text is also actual digital text and not an image of handwritten text. So I hope the comparison holds water. Please share your thoughts on this.

This was written by a monk in Oudung and I can't figure it out.

I’ve heard this word used to describe Khmer people who live outside of Cambodia. But, I can’t find the Khmer spelling. Can you help me?

1. Translation. I found these two designs on Pinterest and can't find the artist or source. Can anyone read the Khom/Khmer-style script, or recognize the katha (verse) from its shape? Even a name or a rough meaning would help. The photos are low resolution, so I understand if it's hard to tell.
2. Recommendations. I want something with real, respectful meaning, not just a design copied from a photo. Could you suggest:
Traditional verses or kathas for protection, strength, or good fortune
Layouts and designs that suit a spine or back piece
How to find a legitimate traditional practitioner or a reputable artist who works in this style
I'm not looking to copy anything blindly. I want to understand what I'm putting on my body and where it comes from. Thank you, any guidance is appreciated.

Hello could anyone please translate the following sentence into khmer?

Do you need translation services?

It would be much appreciated!

I’ve often been told by Khmer people that my handwriting is “ស្អាតណាស់”—but I know that Cambodians often like to not make people feel bad. So I’m curious… native Khmers of Reddit: how would you rate my handwriting, 1-10? Be honest—I’m curious to actually know.

Also… do any native speakers/writers write like this (besides maybe children)? 😅 I’m just wondering why they think my handwriting’s so good (if they meant it, haha).

So I just started learning the Khmer Alphabet and am trying to get down the pronunciation for each consonant and vowel. The romanization of Khmer is really inconsistent so I've just been trying to go off of native pronunciation, but I've noticed that some letters are pronounced completely differently, like for example គ, with the video I added showing 2 native speakers pronouncing it completely differently. Could someone help explain this to me? Does it have to do with Khmer dialects or something?

Hello everyone! :-) Please, could someone help me transcribe this handwritten Khmer text into Latin (English) letters? The handwriting seems quite difficult to read, and even AI wasn't able to recognize it reliably. I would really appreciate any help. Thank you very much!

How’s my handwriting?

When one is a customer at say a hair salon, is it better to use the formal or informal greeting? I have been a customer of the same place for years and really like everyone who works there but I also don’t want to be the kind of person who acts over familiar because I am paying someone but also don’t want to seem cold and distant or accidentally imply anything about anyone’s age.

Edit: okay so I go to a Cambodian nail salon and from some watching of YouTube videos I understand feet are sort of considered pretty nasty culturally. Would that make it appropriate to use a more deferential form to show that I respect the workers and am very grateful for the good work they do? Or am I overthinking

The ultimate playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2SaZrTJFtph2NNXJybMzum?si=dhpq0WRUS8eze4sdJ32IxA&utm_source=copy-link&pi=v6kk8JtlTgeKt

Hi everyone,

I am looking for a translating service or website that doesn't use AI but is still accurate. Anyone have any leads?

I am learning to read Khmer primarily because I enjoy Khmer Psychedelic Folk Rock and Khmer Folk Music; the pentatonic scale of East and Southeast Asian music is reminiscent of Ethiopian/Eritrean/Somali/Sudanese/Berber music, and I’m a Semitic Philologist by training and speak/read Ge’ez and Tigrinya (Ethiopian Semitic). It was cultural comparison that brought me to learning about Cambodia; also I had Khmer friends in the U.S. Army and one of my former bosses was Mon from Burma- she and her husband are political refugees and deeply committed Mon Nationalists, so that’s my other personal connection to the Mon-Khmer peoples. She used to write her notes in meetings in Mon (their script was given to Burmese- another Pallava script).

So, I’m trying to find this artist on YouTube. So far, I’ve only been able to transcribe the first word “Khat”. Can somebody give me the second one? I literally just started learning the Khmer Abugida yesterday after work; from Huffman’s “Cambodian System of Writing and Beginning Reader”. As a reader of Classical Tibetan, another Brahmic Abugida, I can say that Khmer is more difficult.

I tried copying the singer’s name into Google Translate and it forcibly converted it to Thai…

Can someone help me please? I just can't pronounce the word ចាប់ផ្តើម, I can't do the transition from chab to phtaem, from the b to ph. I'm not pronouncing it right.