Khmer Lesson 4: getting around

Part of the Khmer course for expats and travellers. Previous: Lesson 3: Ordering food and drink.

Most visitors get around Phnom Penh by tuk-tuk or ride-hailing app (PassApp, Grab). A few words of Khmer here mainly help outside the apps: hailing a tuk-tuk on the street, giving a destination clearly, or confirming a price before you get in.

Naming your ride

• Tuk-tuk: tuk tuk, understood everywhere, no translation needed.
• Motorbike taxi: moto (“moh-toh”).
• Car / taxi: laan (“lahn”).

Getting where you're going

• I want to go to...: khnom jang tow... (“k'nyom jong tow”), followed by the place name. For an address, showing the name or a pin on your phone map is still the most reliable method; use the phrase to open the conversation.
• How much to go to...? tow...t'lay ponmaan? Combine with Lesson 2's money phrase to agree a tuk-tuk fare before getting in, which is standard practice here (most tuk-tuks aren't metered).
• Straight ahead: trawng (“trong”). Picture a road running perfectly straight and strong, no turns.
• Turn left: bawt chweng (“bort chweng”).
• Turn right: bawt s'dam (“bort sdam”).
• Stop here: chhup ni (“chop nee”), the single most useful phrase in this lesson; say it clearly when you reach your stop. Picture chopping the ride short right at this spot.
• Slow down: yeut yeut (“yoot yoot”). Picture a driver easing off the throttle, saying “yoot…yoot…” like a slow-motion yo-yo.

Agreeing a fare (without the apps)

Street tuk-tuks outside the ride-hailing apps are agreed by negotiation, not a meter. A short, typical exchange: khnom jang tow [place name] (I want to go to...), then t'lay ponmaan? (how much?), then either accept or try joh tit baan te? from Lesson 2 for a small reduction. Agreeing the price before getting in avoids any confusion on arrival: this is completely normal local practice, not haggling for its own sake.

When the app is easier

For anything beyond a short, familiar hop, PassApp or Grab remove the need for any of this, since the fare is fixed in the app and the driver has your destination pinned. Save the phrases above for the moments the apps don't cover well: flagging a passing tuk-tuk on a quiet street, or a driver who doesn't have a phone signal.

A quick tip on neighbourhoods

Knowing the name of your neighbourhood helps enormously, since drivers navigate by area names as much as by exact address. If you're staying in BKK1, Riverside or Tuol Tom Poung, learn to say that name clearly: it gets you close even before you pull up the pin.

Next: Lesson 5: Everyday survival phrases, the catch-all lesson for everything else.