Chuon Nath's Khmer Dictionary

Now made available online (desktop and mobile [1] versions) by the Royal University of Phnom Penh សាកលវិទ្យាល័យភូមិន្ទភ្នំពេញ, this is the digital version of the famous dictionary’s fifth edition (1967), under the initiative of H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, Senior Minister of Economy and Finance of Cambodia.

In the Introduction to the Dictionary’s first edition, we have the list of members of ​“la commission chargée par Ordonnance Royale Nº 67 du 4 Septembre 1915 de la préparation du Dictionnaire de la Langue Cambodgienne” [“the commission charged by Royal Ordinance No. 67 of September 4, 1915 with the preparation of the Dictionary of the Cambodian Language”] :

Président: S. E. PECH PONN, Ministre de l’Instruction Publique et de la Guerre.

Membres: S. A. R. Le Prince Varachakr Ranaridh SUTHAROT. | S. A. R. Le Prince PHEANUVONG. | Vénérable Preah Vanarat CHAN, Vatt Unnalom, Phnom-Penh. | Vénérable Preah Maha Virnaladhamm THONG, Premier Directeur de l’Ecole Supérieure de Pali. | Vénérable Preah Maha Rajadhamm SUOS, Chau Adhikar du Vatt Prayures Vong, Phnom-Penh. | Neak Oknha Dheammeanikar KONG, Ministre du Palais Royal en retraite. | Neak Oknha Pibhit Issor MEI, Ministre de la Guerre en retraite. | Neak Oknha Vibollareach MEAS, Suppléant du Ministre de l’Agriculture. | Neak Oknha Srey Dhammadhireach UK, Suppléant du Ministre du Palai Royal. | Vénérable Preah Buddhaghosachar CHUON-NATH, alors Preah Gru Sanghasattha ot Professeur à l’Ecole Supérieure de Pili, s’est occupé régulièrement de ce dictionnaire jusqu’à l’achèvement complet. | Oknha Suttantapreichea IN, originaire de Battambang, lorsqu’il était achar. | Achar IT-HAK, Professeur à l’Ecole Supérieure de Pali, lorsqu’il était bonze sous le titre de Preah Silasangvar, Rajagana, Vatt Unnalom. | Oknha Subheadhireach SOU, Magistrat à la Sala Otor Phnom-Penh. | Vénérable Preah Nanaviriya LONG, Chau Adhikar du Vatt Nuon Meaniram, Phoom-Penh, Professeur à l’Ecole Supérieure de Pali. | Vénérable Preah Uttamamuni OUM-SOU, Vice-Président de la Commission du Tripitaka, lorsqu’il étale Preah Gru Vimalappanna. | Vénérable Preah Sakyavongs HUOT-TATH, Professeur de sanscrit à l’Ecole Supérieure de Pali, Vice-Président de la Commission du Tripitaka, lorsqu’il était Preah Gru Sanghavichea. | Krommakar CHUM-MAU, en Service à l’Institut Bouddhique. | Oknha TEP PITOU CHHIM KRASEM, lettre à l’Institut Bouddhique. 

Parmi les membres de la Commission énumérés ci-dessus, certains ont effectivement collaboré à la préparatiom du Dictionnairs, d’autres n’ont pu y consacrer que peu du temps, d’autres encore né figurent que de nom st n’ont pas participé aux travaux de la commission.

M. George CŒDÈS Directeur de l’Ecole Française d’Extrême-Orient avait suggéré la création de cette commission à laquelle a collaboré à ses débuts, quand il était mambre de l’Ecole, au cours d’ans mission au Cambodge.

Le Vénérable Preah Buddhaghosachar CHUON NATH, s’est chargé soul de la revision des textes et a dirigi cas travaux jusqu’à l’achivement complet de cet ouvrage, qui est le premiar dictionnaire cambodgien publié au Cambodge.

President: H. E. PECH PONN, Minister of Public Instruction and War.

Members: H.R.H. Prince Varachakr Ranaridh SUTHAROT. | HRH Prince PHEANUVONG. | Venerable Preah Vanarat CHAN, Vatt Unnalom, Phnom Penh. | Venerable Preah Maha Virnaladhamm THONG, First Director of the Pali Higher School. | Venerable Preah Maha Rajadhamm SUOS, Chau Adhikar of Vatt Prayures Vong, Phnom-Penh. | Neak Oknha Dheammeanikar KONG, retired Minister of the Royal Palace. | Neak Oknha Pibhit Issor MEI, retired Minister of War. | Neak Oknha Vibollareach MEAS, Deputy Minister of Agriculture. | Neak Oknha Srey Dhammadhireach UK, Deputy Minister of the Royal Palace. | Venerable Preah Buddhaghosachar CHUON-NATH, then Preah Gru Sanghasattha and Professor at the Pili Higher School, s ​‘is regularly occupied with this dictionary until its complete completion. | Oknha Suttantapreichea IN, originally from Battambang, when he was achar. | Achar IT-HAK, Professor at the Higher School of Pali, when he was a bonze under the title of Preah Silasangvar, Rajagana, Vatt Unnalom. | Oknha Subheadhireach SOU, Magistrate at the Sala Otor Phnom-Penh. | Venerable Preah Nanaviriya LONG, Chau Adhikar of Vatt Nuon Meaniram, Phoom-Penh, Professor at the Higher School of Pali. | Venerable Preah Uttamamuni OUM-SOU, Vice-President of the Tripitaka Commission, when he displays Preah Gru Vimalappanna. | Venerable Preah Sakyavongs HUOT-TATH, Professor of Sanskrit at the Higher School of Pali, Vice-President of the Tripitaka Commission, when he was Preah Gru Sanghavichea. | Krommakar CHUM-MAU, in Service at the Buddhist Institute. | Oknha TEP PITOU CHHIM KRASEM, letter to the Buddhist Institute.

Among the members of the Commission listed above, some actually collaborated in the preparation of the Dictionary, others were able to devote only a little time to it, and still others appear only by name and did not participate. to the work of the commission.

Mr. George CŒDÈS Director of the French School of the Far East had suggested the creation of this commission to which he collaborated at its beginnings, when he was a member of the School, over the years mission to Cambodia.

The Venerable Preah Buddhaghosachar CHUON NATH [presented in the Khmer introduction as សង្ឃនាយក គណៈមហានិកាយ ​“Chief Monk of the Maha Nikaya Sangha”] as the , was in charge of the revision of the texts and directed the work until the complete completion of this work, which is the first Cambodian dictionary published in Cambodia.

Among many accomplishments, Chuon Nath is also credited to have partly authored Cambodia’s National Anthem, Nokoreach :

All Khmers, please remember the root and history of our great country
Our boundary was wide and well known
Others always thought highly of our race
And always placed our race as the elders.
We have great heritage and culture
Which has spread far and wide in the Far East.
Religion, arts and education,
Music, philosophy and strategies are all that we have spread.
All Khmers, please remember our roots and history
Which speaks of the grandeur of our great race
Make up your mind and body and try hard to rebuild
In order to lift the value of our nation
To once again rise to the greatness that we once had.

(English translation by Stuart Alan Becker, Phnom Penh Post, 2011)

[1] Unfortunately, the original mobile app is no longer supported by Android. We recommend to redesign it with Webapps. A version combining this dictionary and the KH-ENG Heading dictionary is available at KOD.