Perhaps from Old Khmer oppachā (“teacher, master, pedagogue”); ultimately from Pali upajjhāya (“spiritual teacher; spiritual preceptor”, literally “one who is gone close up to”). Compare Sanskrit उपाध्याय (upādhyāya), from which Pre-Angkorian Old Khmer upādhyāya and upāddhyāya were from.
| Orthographic | อุปัชฌา ɒ u p ạ d͡ʑ d͡ʑʰ ā | ||
| Phonemic | อุ-ปัด-ชา ɒ u – p ạ ɗ – d͡ʑ ā | อุบ-ปัด-ชา ɒ u ɓ – p ạ ɗ – d͡ʑ ā | |
| Romanization | Paiboon | ù-bpàt-chaa | ùp-bpàt-chaa |
| Royal Institute | u-pat-cha | up-pat-cha | |
| (standard) IPA(key) | /ʔu˨˩.pat̚˨˩.t͡ɕʰaː˧/(R) | /ʔup̚˨˩.pat̚˨˩.t͡ɕʰaː˧/(R) | |
อุปัชฌา • (ù-bpàt-chaa) (classifier รูป or ตน or องค์)