Names of Cambodia
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Through United Nations and Colonialism
Endonym
An origin myth recorded in the Baksei Chamkrong inscription, dated AD 947, derives the name Kambuja (lit. 'sons of Kambu') from Kambu Swayambhuva, a legendary sage, who married Mera, the celestial nymph; their son was Srutavarman, the first king of Chenla. The same inscription also mentions the Brahmin prince Kaundinya I, who married a Nāga princess named Soma. According to the inscription, their descendant was Rudravarman, the last king of Funan.
Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchéa means "Kingdom of Cambodia". Etymologically, its components are: preăh ("sacred"); réach- ("king, royal, realm", from Sanskrit); -éana- (from Pāli āṇā, "authority, command, power"); -châkr (from Sanskrit chakra, meaning "wheel", a symbol of power and rule).
The name used on formal occasions, such as political speeches and news programs, is ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា Prâtés Kâmpŭchéa , translated to "the Country of Cambodia". The colloquial name most used by Cambodians is ស្រុកខ្មែរ Srŏk Khmêr , translated to "Land of the Khmers" or "Khmer’s Land". srŏk is a Mon-Khmer word roughly equal to the Sanskritic Prâtés, but less formal.
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Exonyms
The Khmer endonym of Cambodia is កម្ពុជា (Kâmpŭchéa) and has been used as part of the official name of the country since independence, with the exception of the 1970 to 1975 period, when the country was officially titled សាធារណរដ្ឋខ្មែរ (Sathearonaroat Khmae, English: Khmer Republic). The official exonym of the country in English, however, has varied between Cambodia and Kampuchea even when the endonym has remained consistent in Khmer. This reflects the usage that different Cambodian governments have used in international bodies such as the United Nations. This distinction is also followed in many other European languages, for example, Cambodge and Kampuchéa in French. However, some Asian languages do not make this distinction; the exonym for Cambodia in standard Chinese is 柬埔寨 (Jiǎnpǔzhài) and in Vietnamese Campuchia, regardless of the exonym changes in Western languages.
The Khmer Rouge-led regime of 1975 to 1979 was the first to use Kampuchea in international usage, calling the country Democratic Kampuchea in the United Nations and in international documents. This romanization was used to come closer to the Khmer endonym of the country and because names like Cambodia and similar European names were seen as colonial distortions of the country's native name. The Vietnamese-backed Hun Sen-led government, while ideologically opposed to the Khmer Rouge, retained this usage, calling the country the People's Republic of Kampuchea in international bodies. In 1989, the name State of Cambodia was adopted, in part due to the association of Kampuchea with the Khmer Rouge period, as well emphasizing continuity with the earlier Kingdom of Cambodia. The later name was readopted when the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1993.