Phnom Penh

American  

[nom pen, puh-nawm pen] / ˈnɒm ˈpɛn, pəˈnɔm ˈpɛn /

Or Pnom Penh,

noun

1. a city in and the capital of Cambodia, in the S part.

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Phnom Penh British  

/ ˌpnɒm ˈpɛn /

noun

1. Official transliteration: Phnum Péhn.  the capital of Cambodia, a port in the south at the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers: capital of the country since 1865; university (1960). Pop: 1 174 000 (2005 est)

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Example Sentences

The freed workers flooded city streets in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Lines that stretched for more than a block also formed outside the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh earlier in January.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Under former leader Hun Sen -- Prime Minister Hun Manet's father -- China poured billions of dollars into infrastructure investments, while Washington's relationship with Phnom Penh has deteriorated in recent years.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

He later took shelter in a safe house in Phnom Penh, before eventually returning to China.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

Unlike my life in Phnom Penh, I do not have any friends outside the family.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung