ខ្ញុំ

From Old Khmer ខ្ញុំ (“bondsman, servant, slave”).

ខ្ញុំ • (khñom)

1. servant, slave

ខ្ញុំ • (khñom)

1. I, me (first-person singular)

   ខ្ញុំមានអាយុ...ឆ្នាំ

   khñom miən ʼaayuʼ … chnam

   I am ... years old

2. my

   ផ្ទះខ្ញុំ  ―  phtĕəh khñom  ―  my house

• អញ (aɲ)
• ឯង (aeŋ)
• ញ៉ុម (ɲom) (colloquial)
• អាចក្តី (aac kdəy) (archaic, clerical)

• (pre-Angkorian) ក្ញុំ (“kñuṃ”), ក្ញុំម៑ (“kñuṃm”), ក្ញុម៑ (“kñum”), ក្ញុម្ម (“kñumm”), ក្ញំ (“kñaṃ”), ក្ញៅម៑ (“kñaum”), ក្ញំៅ (“kñauṃ”), ក្យុំ (“kyuṃ”), ត្ញំ (“tñaṃ”)
• ខ្ញុំម (“khñuṃma”), ខ្ញុំម្ម (“khñuṃmma”), ខ្ញុម (“khñuma”), ខ្ញំ (“khñaṃ”), ខ្ញំម (“khñaṃma”), ខ្ញម (“khñama”)

From ក- (“prefix”) +‎ ញំ (ñaṃ, “servant, slave; minor, young”). Also compare synonymous Middle Khmer ញោម (ñoom), corresponding to Modern Khmer ញោម (ñoom).

• IPA^(key): /kʰɲʊm/

ខ្ញុំ (khñuṃ)

1. person assigned to or offering himself for the service of divinities or sanctuaries.
   • 900-1100 AD; copied later, Arlo Griffiths, Kunthea Chhom, “A problematic inscription (K.1237)”, in Udaya: Journal of Khmer Studies‎^[1], volume 14 (PDF), Yosothor, published 2019, halshs-02168837, page 9:

     មន៑ធូលីវ្រះបាទធូលិជេង៑វ្រះកម្រតេ
     ង៑អញ៑តស្តាច៑ទៅបរមេឝ្វរឧន្មិលជ្វន៑ខ្ញុំវណ្ណ៌តំវោន៑មូល
     ម្វាយឝរាសមូលម្វាយ

     man· dhūlī vraḥ pāda dhūli jeṅ· vraḥ kamrate-
     ṅ· ʼañ· ta stāc· dau parameśvara ʼunmila jvan· khñuṁ varṇṇa taṁvon· mūla
     mvāya śarāsa mūla mvāya

     that His Majesty the King who was graciously pleased to go to Parameśvara for the dedication and present slaves: one foreman from the society of the Tampuon and one foreman from the archers)

2. bondsman, servant, slave.

• Khmer: ខ្ញុំ (khñom)
• → Thai: ขยม (kà-yǒm, “attendant, servant”, used as a first person pronoun)
• → Thai: โขยม (“attendant, servant”, used as a first person pronoun)
• → Thai: อัญขยม (an-kà-yǒm, first person pronoun)
• → Northern Thai: ขะโยม (“monastic attendant, devotee, or servant”)
• → Lao: ຂະຍົມ (kha nyom)