Etymology

From Sanskrit शाकराज ‎(śākarāja, literally “Scythian king”); probably via Old Khmer śakarāja ‎(“era; year”).

Compare Modern Khmer សករាជ ‎(sâkâréach); Burmese သက္ကရာဇ် ‎(sakka.raj).

The Scythian king refers to Śālivāhana, after whom the Śaka era is thought to have been named.

Pronunciation