An Austroasiatic language and the official tongue of Cambodia — written in a Brahmic-derived script and notable for not being tonal, unlike its Southeast Asian neighbors.
Where it’s spoken
Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ) is the official language of Cambodia, where it is spoken by about 90% of the population. Significant Khmer-speaking communities also live in Vietnam (the Mekong Delta), Thailand (Surin Province), the United States (the largest diaspora), France, Canada, and Australia.
What it sounds like
Khmer is unusual in mainland Southeast Asia for being non-tonal — among the largest languages of the region, it stands out by retaining the older Austroasiatic pattern of using vowel register (clear vs breathy) instead of tones. The language has a particularly rich vowel inventory of about 30 distinct vowels, more than English.
How it’s written
The Khmer script is a Brahmic abugida ultimately descended from the Brahmi script of Ashokan India via the Pallava script. It is distinguished by elegant flowing curves and complex consonant stacking, where subscript forms indicate consonant clusters. The script reads left to right.
History
The earliest known Khmer inscription dates to 611 CE — the Old Khmer of the Angkor period (9th–15th centuries) produced an enormous corpus of religious and royal inscriptions. Modern Khmer was significantly shaped by the Khmer Rouge era (1975–79), which targeted intellectuals and disrupted literary continuity.
Find more languages by letter
Khmer starts with K and ends with R. Browse other languages along the same letter.
Languages that contain a letter from "Khmer":