Khmer

Learn Khmer!

Khmer is the official language of Cambodia, and is part of the Austroasiatic language family and is one of the oldest languages of Southeast Asia. Modern Khmer comes from Old Khmer which was the language used in the Khmer Empire. Khmer has influenced many regional languages and Khmer words can be found in other Southeast Asian languages.

Contact: Nielson Hul nhul@uw.edu

Language Programs

Degree availability: Minor/ B.A / M.A in Southeast Asian Studies

Years offered: 4 years

Contact: Nielson Hul (nhul@uw.edu)

Learn Khmer!

Scholarships

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Course Information

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Language Courses:

KHMER 111/112/113 Elementary Khmer

KHMER 211/212/213 Intermediate Khmer

KHMER 311/312/313 Advanced Khmer

Content Courses:

JSIS A 221 History of Southeast Asia  

JSIS A 315 Southeast Asian Civilization: Buddhist and Vietnamese   

Interested in taking Khmer at UW?

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More About Khmer

🌍Global

  • Spoken by more than 18 million people.

📚Learning

  • UW is one of only a handful of Universities in the US that offers Khmer language instruction.

📜 History

  • Old Khmer influenced many other Southeast Asian languages.

🌐 Dialects

  • Khmer Kandal (Central Khmer), Khmer Krom (Southern Khmer), Battambang Khmer, Khmer Keh (Stung Treng), Cardamom Khmer are all Khmer dialects .
  • View from Angkor Wat from outside,

    View from Angkor Wat from outside

  • Photo of Green Rocky Mountain under a cloudy sky in Thailand,

    Photo of Green Rocky Mountain under a cloudy sky in Thailand

  • Tree growing on temple ruins in Ta Prohm,

    Tree growing on temple ruins in Ta Prohm

  • View of Bangkok from the air,

    View of Bangkok from the air