A2 Numbers & Counters 4 min read 쉬움

Higher Numerals 'Poan' and 'Meun' (Thousands and Ten-Thousands)

Khmer uses specific words for 1,000 and 10,000, requiring a shift from Western three-digit grouping to single-unit logic.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Khmer, 'Poan' means 1,000 and 'Meun' means 10,000; simply place the number before the unit.

  • Use 'Poan' for thousands: 1,000 is 'Muoy Poan'.
  • Use 'Meun' for ten-thousands: 10,000 is 'Muoy Meun'.
  • Combine them: 11,000 is 'Muoy Meun Muoy Poan'.
Number + [Poan/Meun] + Counter

Overview

Welcome to the big leagues of Khmer counting! Once you pass the number 999, things get exciting. You are about to master Poan and Meun.
These are the building blocks for thousands and ten-thousands. In Cambodia, you will use these every single day. Why?
Because the local currency, the Riel, uses large numbers. A simple bottle of water might cost pir poan (2,000) Riel. A nice dinner might be muoy meun (10,000) Riel.
If you don't know these, you might pay for a coffee with the price of a car! Don't worry, it is easier than it looks. Think of these as your 'money words'.
Once you get the rhythm, you'll sound like a local pro at the Central Market.

How This Grammar Works

Khmer counting follows a logical, decimal-based flow. However, it has unique names for higher powers of ten. In English, we say 'ten thousand'.
We combine 'ten' and 'thousand'. Khmer is different. It has a dedicated word for 10,000 which is meun.
This is the biggest mental hurdle for English speakers. You have to stop thinking in groups of three zeros. Instead, start thinking in units of poan (1,000) and meun (10,000).
It’s like having a special name for a dozen, but for much bigger amounts. Even native speakers sometimes pause for a micro-second when converting to English. You are in good company!
Just remember: poan is your 1,000-unit, and meun is your 10,000-unit.

Formation Pattern

1
Creating these numbers is like building with LEGO blocks. You just stack the multiplier in front of the unit. Follow these simple steps:
2
Pick your base number (1-9).
3
Add the unit poan for thousands.
4
Example: bi (3) + poan (1,000) = bi poan (3,000).
5
For ten-thousands, use the unit meun.
6
Example: buon (4) + meun (10,000) = buon meun (40,000).
7
To combine them, start big and go small.
8
Example: 12,000 is muoy meun (10,000) plus pir poan (2,000). Result: muoy meun pir poan.

When To Use It

You will use poan and meun constantly in real-world scenarios.
  • Shopping at the Market: Most items are priced in thousands. 'How much for this shirt?' 'muoy meun (10,000) Riel, bong!'
  • Paying for Transport: A Tuk-Tuk ride across town might be pram poan (5,000) Riel.
  • Talking about Salary: If you get a job in Phnom Penh, your monthly pay might be muoy roy meun (1,000,000) Riel.
  • Giving Directions: 'Go straight for pir poan meters.' (Though people usually use kilometers, thousands come up!)
  • Historical Dates: Talking about the year 2024? You'll need pir poan.

When Not To Use It

Don't use these when you are dealing with small change. If something costs 500 Riel, just stay with pram roy. Also, avoid using poan to describe 10,000.
While 'ten thousand' (dop poan) is technically understood, it sounds very 'foreign' and clunky. Locals will almost always switch to meun the moment they hit that 10,000 mark. It’s like using a spoon to eat steak; it works, but it’s not the right tool for the job.
Also, don't use these units for phone numbers or house numbers. For those, you just list the individual digits one by one.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1The 'One' Omission: In English, we say 'thousand'. In Khmer, you MUST say muoy poan (one thousand). Never just say poan.
  2. 2The 10,000 Trap: Many learners say dop poan (ten thousand). This is the 'English brain' talking. Train yourself to jump straight to meun.
  3. 3Mixing Units: Sometimes learners say muoy meun prampuir poan (17,000) but get the order wrong. Always go from the largest unit to the smallest.
  4. 4Overcomplicating Zeroes: Don't try to translate 'zero' in the middle of a number like 10,500. It's just muoy meun pram roy.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

Let’s compare Khmer to English and Thai. In English, we group by threes: thousand, million. In Khmer, we have a specific word for 10,000 (meun) and 100,000 (saen).
This is very similar to the Thai system (muen and saen). If you know Thai, you have a head start! English speakers often struggle because they want to say 'one hundred thousand'.
A Khmer speaker thinks of this as 'ten ten-thousands' (dop meun) or simply muoy saen. Think of meun as a distinct 'bucket' of value rather than just a collection of thousands.

Quick FAQ

Q

Is poan used for years?

Yes, the year 2000 is pir poan.

Q

Can I use meun for people?

Yes, if there are 10,000 people at a football match, use muoy meun neak.

Q

Why is the Riel so big?

It just has a lot of zeros! 4,000 Riel is roughly 1 US Dollar. This is why poan is your best friend.

Q

Do I need to learn saen (100,000) too?

Eventually, yes! But master poan and meun first. They are the daily essentials.

Khmer Numeral Units

Number Khmer Unit Value
1
Muoy
Poan
1,000
2
Pi
Poan
2,000
1
Muoy
Meun
10,000
2
Pi
Meun
20,000
1
Muoy
Saen
100,000

Meanings

These are the base units for counting thousands and ten-thousands in Khmer.

1

Counting units

Quantifying objects or currency.

“ពីរពាន់រៀល (2,000 Riel)”

“បីម៉ឺនដុល្លារ (30,000 Dollars)”

2

General magnitude

Describing approximate large quantities.

“រាប់ពាន់នាក់ (thousands of people)”

“រាប់ម៉ឺនដង (tens of thousands of times)”

Reference Table

Reference table for Higher Numerals 'Poan' and 'Meun' (Thousands and Ten-Thousands)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Number + Unit
Muoy Poan (1,000)
Negative
Ot + Verb + Number + Unit + Te
Ot mean muoy poan te
Question
Number + Unit + Te?
Muoy Meun te?
Large Amount
Rab + Unit
Rab Poan (Thousands)

격식 수준 스펙트럼

격식체
ខ្ញុំមានមួយម៉ឺនរៀល។

ខ្ញុំមានមួយម៉ឺនរៀល។ (Financial transaction)

중립
ខ្ញុំមានមួយម៉ឺនរៀល។

ខ្ញុំមានមួយម៉ឺនរៀល។ (Financial transaction)

비격식체
មានមួយម៉ឺនរៀល។

មានមួយម៉ឺនរៀល។ (Financial transaction)

속어
មានមួយម៉ឺន។

មានមួយម៉ឺន។ (Financial transaction)

Khmer Number Hierarchy

Khmer Numbers

Units

  • Poan 1,000
  • Meun 10,000
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수준별 예문

1

មួយពាន់រៀល

1,000 Riel

2

ពីរម៉ឺនរៀល

20,000 Riel

1

ខ្ញុំមានលុយបីពាន់រៀល។

I have 3,000 Riel.

2

តើនេះតម្លៃប៉ុន្មាន? មួយម៉ឺនរៀល។

How much is this? 10,000 Riel.

1

តម្លៃសរុបគឺពីរម៉ឺនប្រាំពាន់រៀល។

The total price is 25,000 Riel.

2

មានមនុស្សរាប់ពាន់នាក់នៅទីនោះ។

There are thousands of people there.

1

ប្រាក់ខែរបស់គាត់គឺប្រាំម៉ឺនរៀលក្នុងមួយថ្ងៃ។

His salary is 50,000 Riel per day.

2

ចម្ងាយគឺប្រហែលដប់ម៉ឺនម៉ែត្រ។

The distance is about 100,000 meters.

1

ការវិនិយោគនេះមានតម្លៃរាប់ម៉ឺនដុល្លារ។

This investment is worth tens of thousands of dollars.

2

ចំនួនប្រជាជនគឺជាងដប់ម៉ឺននាក់។

The population is over 100,000 people.

1

គម្រោងនេះទាមទារថវិការាប់ម៉ឺនដុល្លារ។

This project requires a budget of tens of thousands of dollars.

2

យើងបានឃើញការកើនឡើងរាប់ពាន់ភាគរយ។

We have seen an increase of thousands of percent.

혼동하기 쉬운

Higher Numerals 'Poan' and 'Meun' (Thousands and Ten-Thousands) 대 Poan vs Meun

Learners mix up 1,000 and 10,000.

자주 하는 실수

✗

Dop Poan

✓

Muoy Meun

Use the specific unit for 10,000.
✗

Poan Muoy

✓

Muoy Poan

Number comes before unit.
✗

Muoy Thousand

✓

Muoy Poan

Use Khmer terms.
✗

Pi Meun Pi Poan

✓

Pi Meun Pi Poan (Correct, but check math)

Ensure the number is correct.
✗

Meun

✓

Muoy Meun

Always include the multiplier.
✗

Rab Meun Poan

✓

Rab Meun

Don't mix units.
✗

Dop Meun

✓

Muoy Saen

Use the correct unit for 100,000.
✗

Pi Poan Pi Meun

✓

Pi Meun Pi Poan

Order by magnitude.
✗

Rab Poan Poan

✓

Rab Poan

Don't repeat units.
✗

Saen Poan

✓

Saen

Use the unit alone.
✗

Meun Poan

✓

Meun

Use the unit alone.
✗

Rab Saen Poan

✓

Rab Saen

Use the unit alone.

문장 패턴

ខ្ញុំមាន ___ ___ រៀល។

តើវាមានតម្លៃ ___ ___ ដុល្លារទេ?

មានមនុស្ស ___ ___ នាក់នៅទីនោះ។

Real World Usage

Market Shopping constant

Muoy poan riel.

Bank very common

Muoy meun dollar.

Social Media common

Rab poan likes.

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💡

Practice Daily

Count items in your room using 'Poan' and 'Meun'.
⚠️

Don't Skip Multipliers

Always say 'Muoy' before 'Poan'.
🎯

Listen to Radio

News reports often use these units.

Smart Tips

Always group by 10,000s.

Dop poan → Muoy meun

Use 'Rab' for indefinite amounts.

Poan poan → Rab poan

Listen for the unit.

Poan → Muoy Poan

발음

/pɔːn/

Poan

Pronounced like 'Pawn' with a soft 'n'.

/məːn/

Meun

Pronounced like 'Murn' with a nasal 'n'.

Question

Muoy Meun te? ↑

Rising pitch at the end for questions.

암기하기

기억법

Poan is for 1,000 (think 'P' for 'Pound' of 1,000), Meun is for 10,000 (think 'M' for 'Many' thousands).

시각적 연상

Imagine a stack of 1,000 riel notes (Poan) and a larger, thicker stack of 10,000 riel notes (Meun).

Rhyme

One thousand is Poan, ten thousand is Meun, learn them well and speak very soon.

Story

Sok goes to the market. He buys fruit for 'Muoy Poan' (1,000). He then pays the driver 'Muoy Meun' (10,000). He realizes he has 'Rab Poan' (thousands) of memories from this trip.

Word Web

MuoyPiBeiPoanMeunSaenRab

챌린지

Count your change in Khmer for the next 3 days.

문화 노트

Prices are often spoken quickly. 'Muoy Meun' is often shortened to 'Meun' in fast speech.

Derived from ancient Khmer numeral systems influenced by Sanskrit.

대화 시작하기

“

តើអ្នកមានលុយមួយម៉ឺនរៀលទេ?

“

តើចម្ងាយពីទីនេះទៅផ្សារប៉ុន្មានពាន់ម៉ែត្រ?

“

តើអ្នកគិតថាមានមនុស្សប៉ុន្មាននាក់នៅទីនេះ?

일기 주제

Write about your last shopping trip using prices.
Describe a crowd you saw recently.
Explain the cost of living in your city.

자주 하는 실수

Incorrect

정답

Incorrect

정답

Incorrect

정답

Incorrect

정답

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Test Yourself

Translate 1,000.

___ Poan

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Muoy
1,000 is Muoy Poan.
Which is 10,000? 객관식

Select the correct term.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Muoy Meun
10,000 is Muoy Meun.
Translate 20,000. 번역

How to say 20,000?

Answer starts with: Pi ...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Pi Meun
20,000 is Pi Meun.
Order the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Muoy Poan Riel
Number + Unit + Currency.

Score: /4

연습 문제

4 exercises
Translate 1,000.

___ Poan

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Muoy
1,000 is Muoy Poan.
Which is 10,000? 객관식

Select the correct term.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Muoy Meun
10,000 is Muoy Meun.
Translate 20,000. 번역

How to say 20,000?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Pi Meun
20,000 is Pi Meun.
Order the words. Sentence Reorder

Poan / Muoy / Riel

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Muoy Poan Riel
Number + Unit + Currency.

Score: /4

자주 묻는 질문 (6)

It is understood, but 'Muoy Meun' is the standard way to say 10,000.

It is 'Muoy Meun Muoy Poan'.

Use 'Rab' for indefinite large amounts like 'thousands of'.

Yes, in all formal and informal writing.

The next unit is 'Saen' for 100,000.

Yes, 'Muoy Poan neak' means 1,000 people.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Mil

Khmer has a specific unit for 10,000 (Meun).

French moderate

Mille

Khmer's base-10,000 system is unique.

German moderate

Tausend

Khmer uses 'Meun' for 10,000.

Japanese high

Sen / Man

The pronunciation is different, but the logic is identical.

Arabic low

Alf

Khmer's 10,000 unit is a major structural difference.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Temporal Sequencing with 'Mon' and 'Kraoy' (Before and After)
Next
Locative Prepositions 'Leu', 'Kraom', and 'Knong' (On, Under, Inside)

Related Grammar Rules

A1

The Concept of Classifiers
A1

Classifier for People (Neak)
A1

Classifier for Animals (Kbal)
A2

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Overview Welcome to the world of Khmer quantifiers! Today, we are mastering two essential words: `khlah` and `chraen`....
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