''Samdech'' ( km, សម្តេច,

UNGEGN The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) is one of the nine expert groups of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and deals with the national and international standardization of geographical names. ...

: ) is a Cambodian honorific bestowed by the King of Cambodia to individuals deemed to have made significant contributions to the nation. It roughly translates as "lord". It is often accompanied by a longer title; for instance,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and ...

's full title is ''Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen'' (meaning "Lord Supreme Military Commander Hun Sen"). Some members of the royal family and religious leaders also have "''Samdech''" as part of their title. In July 2016, the government ordered the media to use leaders' full titles. The title used to be a rarity as under

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Norodom Sihanouk's first reign (1941–1955), only four politicians had received the title including

Penn Nouth Penn Nouth ( km, ប៉ែន នុត; 15 April 1908 – 18 May 1985) was a Cambodian politician. He served in the French colonial administration, then took active part in Cambodian politics, was several times Prime Minister of Cambodia (19 ...

Nhiek Tioulong Nhiek Tioulong ( km, ញឹក ជូឡុង; 23 August 1908 – 9 June 1996) was a Cambodian army officer, politician, and actor who served as Acting Prime Minister of Cambodia from 13 February 1962 to 6 August 1962. He was a prominent politi ...

Son Sann Son Sann ( km, សឺន សាន, ; 5 October 191119 December 2000) was a Cambodian politician and anti-communist resistance leader who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Cambodia (1967–68) and later as President of the National As ...

, and

Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum Chau Sen Cocsal ( km, ចៅ សែនកុសលឈុំ, ; 1 September 1905 – 22 January 2009), also known as Chhum (Khmer: ឈុំ, ), was a Cambodian civil servant and politician who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia in 1962 and Pres ...

Known recipients

Monarchs

Royalty

Politicians

Religious leaders

References

See also