Ordinal Numbers with 'ទី' — Khmer Grammar

Cardinal numbers (one, two, three) become ordinals (first, second, third) by putting the single marker (tii) in front of the number. There is no separate word like "first" — the cardinal alone never carries ordinal meaning, so the marker does all the work.

The Pattern: 'ទី' + Number

ទីមួយ
tii muəytii muey
first
ទីពីរ
tii pii
second
ទីបី
tii bəytii bey
third
ទីបួន
tii buəntii buen
fourth

Where It Goes

An ordinal follows its noun, like other modifiers: "the second day" is day + (tii) + two.

ថ្ងៃទីពីរ
thngay tii pii
the second day

In Dates

Dates are a major use: after the weekday, the day-of-month is just (tii) + the number, followed by the month name.

ថ្ងៃច័ន្ទ ទីដប់ពីរ ខែសីហា
thngay can tii dɑp pii khaesəyhaathngay can tii dap pii khaeseyhaa
Monday the twelfth of August

Ranks, Floors, and Sequence

Ordinals also mark ranks, floors, and position in a sequence. Wherever English would say "-th", Khmer reaches for (tii), and the underlying number never changes shape.

ជាន់ទីដប់ប្រាំមួយ
cŏən tii dɑp pram muəycoen tii dap pram muey
the sixteenth floor
កូនទីប្រាំ
koun tii pram
the fifth child

English ordinals are irregular and have to be memorized one at a time (one → first, two → second, five → fifth) — Khmer ordinals never do this. Since the number itself is unchanged, every ordinal you'll ever need is just the cardinal you already know with (tii) stuck on the front.

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