PHP · Khmer Lunar Calendar

Chhankitek

Convert Gregorian dates to the Khmer Lunar calendar with precision — built on traditional Cambodian astronomical algorithms. Works in any PHP project, with or without Laravel.

Get Started Documentation

PHP 8.2+

Modern PHP

Pure PHP

No framework needed

MIT

Open source

Quick start

Simple and precise

Convert a date in a single line — via the Laravel trait, the global helper, or pure PHP.

// In Laravel — using the trait
use HasChhankitek;

$lunarDate = $this->chhankitek(
    Carbon\CarbonImmutable::now()->setTimezone('Asia/Phnom_Penh')
);

echo $lunarDate->toString();
// ថ្ងៃច័ន្ទ ៤ រោច ខែបឋមាសាឍ ឆ្នាំឆ្លូវ ត្រីស័ក ពុទ្ធសករាជ ២៥៦៥

// Or the global helper
echo toLunarDate(Carbon\CarbonImmutable::now()->setTimezone('Asia/Phnom_Penh'));

// Pure PHP — no Laravel required
use Asorasoft\Chhankitek\Chhankitek;

echo (new Chhankitek(
    Carbon\CarbonImmutable::now()->setTimezone('Asia/Phnom_Penh')
))->formatKhmerDate->toString();

Features

Everything you need for Khmer calendar conversions

Accurate Conversions

Based on traditional Khmer astronomical algorithms by Mr. Phylypo Tum.

Swappable Caching

Results cached for 365 days; plug in your own cache or use the built-in one.

Framework Agnostic

Works in any PHP project — with optional Laravel integration (10–13).

Leap Year Support

Handles leap months (Adhikameas) and leap days automatically.

Simple API

Use via trait, global helper, or direct instantiation — your choice.

Zodiac & Era

Get animal year, era year, and Buddhist Era calculations.

Installation

Get started in seconds

The only runtime dependency is nesbot/carbon. Inside Laravel, the service provider registers automatically — no configuration needed.

composer require asorasoft/chhankitek

Two approaches

Choose the method that fits your workflow

Both deliver the same accurate Khmer lunar conversions.

01 — Trait method

Component-level control

For controllers, models, and services where you need granular access to each calendar component.

— Retrieve day, month, zodiac, era, and year independently
— Type-safe and IDE-friendly with full autocomplete
— Clean object-oriented integration

Best for: API responses, complex date manipulation, custom displays.

use HasChhankitek;

$date = $this->chhankitek(
    CarbonImmutable::now()
        ->setTimezone('Asia/Phnom_Penh')
);

// Access individual components
$dayOfWeek  = $date->getDayOfWeek();
$lunarDay   = $date->getLunarDay();
$lunarMonth = $date->getLunarMonth();
$zodiac     = $date->getLunarZodiac();
$era        = $date->getLunarEra();
$year       = $date->getLunarYear();

// Or the complete formatted string
echo $date->toString();

// One-line conversion
$lunarDate = toLunarDate(
    CarbonImmutable::now()
        ->setTimezone('Asia/Phnom_Penh')
);

// Display the formatted string
echo $lunarDate->toString();

// ថ្ងៃច័ន្ទ ៤ រោច ខែបឋមាសាឍ
// ឆ្នាំឆ្លូវ ត្រីស័ក ពុទ្ធសករាជ ២៥៦៥

// Use directly in Blade
{{ toLunarDate($date)->toString() }}

02 — Helper function

Quick & simple conversion

For Blade templates, views, and rapid prototyping. A single global call, no setup.

— Zero configuration, available globally
— Returns a complete formatted Khmer date string
— Clean, readable syntax for templates

Best for: Blade templates, quick displays, emails, PDF generation.

Ready to explore more?

Advanced usage patterns, the full API reference, and detailed examples.

View Documentation

Traditional Khmer astronomy

The Khmer ចន្ទគតិ system

For over a millennium, Cambodia has used a sophisticated lunisolar calendar that harmonizes the rhythms of the moon and sun — guiding everything from rice planting to sacred ceremonies.

Heritage & precision

The Khmer lunar calendar, known as ចន្ទគតិ (Chântôkôtĕ), represents centuries of astronomical observation and mathematical refinement by Cambodian scholars and monks.

This lunisolar system synchronizes two cycles: the lunar month (29–30 days) based on moon phases, and the solar year (~365.25 days) tracking Earth's orbit.

Why it matters

Traditional Cambodian life revolves around this calendar — determining planting seasons and celebrating បុណ្យភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ (Pchum Ben), បុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំខ្មែរ (Khmer New Year), and countless cultural events.

Explore interactive calendar

Buddhist Era years

Counted from the parinirvana of Buddha (543 BCE) — 2025 CE equals BE 2568/2569. The transition occurs on Visakha Bochea, not January 1st.

Leap months (Adhikameas)

To keep lunar and solar years aligned, a 13th month is added roughly every 2–3 years, preventing seasonal drift.

Zodiac animal cycle

Each year maps to one of 12 animals — rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.

Moon phases

Each month splits into កើត (waxing, days 1–15) and រោច (waning, days 1–14/15).