Romanization of Khmer: Difference between revisions

Some of the more commonly used romanization systems for Khmer are listed below. For full details of the various systems, see the links given in the [[#External links to Romanizationromanization tables|External Links]] section.

The Khmer romanization scheme published by the [[United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names]] is based on the BGN/PCGN system, described below. It is used for Cambodian geographical names in some recent maps and gazetteers, although the Geographic Department's modified system (see below) has come into use in the country since 1995.<ref name=un>[http://www.eki.ee/wgrs/rom1_km.pdf Report on the Current Status of United Nations Romanization Systems for Geographical Names – Khmer], UNGEGN Working Group on Romanization Systems, September 2013 (linked from [http://www.eki.ee/wgrs/ WGRS website]).</ref> Correspondences in the UNGEGN system are detailed in the [[Khmer alphabet|Khmer alphasyllabary]] article.

This system (also called Transliteration System for Khmer Script), from the [[American Library Association]] and [[Library of Congress]],<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html ALA-LC Romanization Tables], Khmer, rev. 2012.</ref> romanizes Khmer words using the original Indic values of the Khmer letters, which are totallyoften different from their modern values. This can obscure the modern Khmer pronunciation, but the system has the advantage of relative simplicity, and facilitates the etymological reconstruction of [[Sanskrit]] and [[Pali]] loanwords whose pronunciation may be different in modern Khmer. The system is a modification of that proposed by [[Saveros Pou|Lewitz]] (1969), and was developed by Franklin Huffman of Cornell University and Edwin Bonsack of the Library of Congress for the [[library catalog]]uing of publications in Khmer.

!{{small|Geographic<br />Department}}

|''aksa<nowiki/>'âksâr khmaekhmêr''

|''’aksara<nowiki/>'aksar khmaerakhmaer''

|[[Cambodia]]

|[[centre]]

|''maṇḍalamaṇḍal''

|[[brightness]]

|{{lang|km|ជឿសន្តិភាព}}

|''choeasântĕphéap''

|''jẏasantepheap''

{{colorbox|#F5E8E4}} 1st series {{colorbox|#E4F1F5}} 2nd series<ref namegroup="seriesnote">Khmer consonants belong to two classes that dictate the value of dependent vowels.</ref>

! colspan="23" | [[Khmer script|Khmer]]

| ក || ្ក || colspan="3"| ''k''

| ខ || ្ខ || colspan="3" | ''kh''

| គ || ្គ || colspan="2" | ''k'' || ''g''

| ឃ || ្ឃ || colspan="2" | ''kh'' || ''gh''

| ង || ្ង ||colspan="3" | ''ng''

| ច || ្ច || colspan="2" | ''ch'' || ''c''

| ឆ || ្ឆ || colspan="2" | ''chh'' || ''ch''

| ជ || ្ជ || colspan="2" | ''ch'' || ''j''

| ឈ || ្ឈ || colspan="2" | ''chh'' || ''jh''

| ញ || ្ញ || colspan="2" | ''nh'' || ''ñ''

| ដ || ្ដ || colspan="2" | ''d'' || ''ṭ''

| ឋ || ្ឋ || colspan="2" | ''th'' || ''ṭh''

| ឌ || ្ឌ || colspan="2" | ''d'' || ''ḍ''

| ឍ || ្ឍ || colspan="2" | ''th'' || ''ḍh''

| ណ || ្ណ || colspan="2" | ''n'' || ''ṇ''

| ត || ្ត || colspan="3" | ''t''

| ថ || ្ថ || colspan="3" | ''th''

| ទ || ្ទ || colspan="2" | ''t'' || ''d''

| ធ || ្ធ || colspan="2" |''th'' || ''dh''

| ន || ្ន || colspan="3" | ''n''

| ប || ្ប || colspan="2" | ''b'', ''p'' || ''p''

| ផ || ្ផ || colspan="3" | ''ph''

| ព || ្ព || colspan="2" | ''p'' || ''b''

| ភ || ្ភ || colspan="2" | ''ph'' || ''bh''

| ម || ្ម || colspan="3" | ''m''

| យ || ្យ || colspan="3" | ''y''

| រ || ្រ || colspan="3" | ''r''

| ល || ្ល || colspan="3" | ''l''

| វ || ្វ || colspan="3" | ''v''

| ឝ || ្ឝ || colspan="2"| ''sh'' || ''ś''

| ឞ || ្ឞ || colspan="2"| ''ss'' || ''ṣ''

| ស || ្ស || colspan="3" | ''s''

| ហ || ្ហ || colspan="3" | ''h''

| ឡ || ― || colspan="2" | ''l'' || ''ḷ''

| អ || ្អ || colspan="3" | ''’''

===VowelsDependent vowels===

! rowspan="32" | [[Khmer script|Khmer]]

! colspan="2"| ALA-LC

| ័យៈ || ''ăyă'' || ''oăyeă'' || ''aiak'' || ''eyeak'' || ''ăyaà''

| ិ || ''ĕ'' || ''ĭ'' ||''e'' || colspan="2"''i'' || ''i''

| ឹ || colspan="2"''œ̆'' || ''œ̆'' || ''oe'' || ''ue'' || ''ẏ''

| ឺ || colspan="2"''œ'' || ''œ'' || ''eu'' || ''ueu'' || ''ȳ''

| ុ || ''ŏ'' || ''ŭ'' || ''o'' || colspan="2"''u'' || ''u''

| ួ || colspan="2"''uŏ'' || ''uŏ'' || colspan="2"''uo'' || ''uo'' || ''ua''

| ឿ || colspan="2"''œă'' || ''œă'' || colspan="2"''oea'' || ''oea'' || ''ẏa''

| ៀ || colspan="2"''iĕ'' || ''iĕ'' || colspan="2"''ie'' || ''ie'' || ''ia''

| េ || colspan="2"''é'' || ''é'' || colspan="3"''e'' || ''e'' || ''e''

| ែ || colspan="2"''ê'' || ''ê'' || ''ae'' || ''eae'' || ''ae''

| ាំង || ''ăng'' || ''eăng'' || ''ang'' || ''eang'' || ''āṃngaāṃng''

| ឹះ || colspan="2"''œ̆h'' || ''œ̆h'' || ''oeh'' || ''ueh'' || ''ẏḥ''

| េះ || colspan="2"''éh'' || ''éh'' || colspan="2"''eh'' || ''eh'' || ''eḥ''

| ែះ || colspan="2"''êh'' || ''êh'' || ''aeh'' || ''eaeh'' || ''aeḥ''