Cambodia Culture & Language

Theravada Buddhism structures the calendar and the life course; most men spend a period as monks, and pagodas function as community centres as much as temples.

Angkor is not only a ruin site but the national symbol, on the flag and in the self-understanding of the country — evidence of what Cambodia was before its neighbours became larger and richer.

Classical Khmer dance, nearly extinguished under the Khmer Rouge along with most of its practitioners, was deliberately rebuilt from surviving dancers and is UNESCO-listed. The same is true of shadow puppetry and much traditional music.

Food is subtler than Thai cooking and less chilli-driven: prahok fermented fish paste as a base, kroeung herb pastes, amok steamed in banana leaf, and freshwater fish from the lake at the centre of everything.

Khmer is the official language, written in its own script and unrelated to Thai or Vietnamese despite the region.

English is common in tourism and among younger people in cities, and limited elsewhere. French persists among some older Cambodians.

Suosdey for hello, arkun for thank you, and the sampeah — palms together, height varying with respect — are worth learning; the gesture in particular is used constantly.