What Language Do They Speak in Cambodia?

Official language of Cambodia Khmer

Facts last checked 9 October 2026.

The official language of Cambodia is Khmer.

Learn some Khmer before you go

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Languages of Cambodia at a glance

Official language	Khmer
Number of official languages	1
Countries on this site where Khmer is official	1
People (demonym)	Cambodian
Capital	Phnom Penh
Internet domain	.kh

Languages of neighbouring countries

Laos	Lao
Thailand	Thai
Vietnam	Vietnamese

Cambodia in context

Cambodia covers 181,035 km², making it the 88th largest of the 196 countries on this site.
Its population density of about 97 people per km² ranks 93rd of 196 (1st = most crowded).
It shares a land border with 3 countries: Laos, Thailand, Vietnam.
With 17,577,760 people, Cambodia holds about 2.6% of the population of South-Eastern Asia.
Traffic drives on the right, and calendars start the week on Monday.
Cambodia is a member state of the United Nations.

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Useful phrases for visitors to Cambodia

Everyday Khmer phrases you will hear and use in Cambodia:

English	Khmer
Hello	សួស្តី (suostei)
Thank you	អរគុណ (orkun)
Goodbye	លាហើយ (lea haey)
No	ទេ (te)

Spellings can vary by region, and some languages use different forms for formal or informal speech. Even a simple greeting in the local language is usually appreciated.

Languages in Cambodia — FAQ