Uzbek (oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча / اوزبیک تیلی - written in the Latin, Cyrillic and Arabic scripts) is the main language of Uzbekistan, and also spoken by the ethnic Uzbeks in China and Afghanistan. It is also largely mutually intelligible with Uyghur.
Whether or not travellers need to learn Uzbek is debatable, as most locals in Uzbekistan are also able to speak Russian, while ethnic Uzbeks in China are usually also able to speak Mandarin and/or Uyghur. Nevertheless, attempting to communicate in Uzbek is sure to impress your hosts, if they speak the language.
Pronunciation guide
[edit]Uzbek pronunciation is very regular and simple. If you pronounce all of the words as they are spelled, you will be readily understood. Uzbek is written using the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets in Uzbekistan, and the Arabic script in China.
Vowels
[edit]- a
- "a" as in "cat"
- ye, e
- "ye" as in "yet" (at the beginning of a word), "e" as in "let"
- i
- "i" as in "pin"
- o
- "o" as in "pot"
- u
- "oo" as in "cool"
- yu
- "yu" as in "yoou"
- ya
- "ya" as in "yak"
- o'
- "u" as in "put", sometimes similar to "au" as in "caught"
Consonants
[edit]Q - hard 'k'.
X - guttural 'h' like in the Scottish 'loch'
Common diphthongs
[edit]Phrase list
[edit]Basics
[edit]|
Common signs
|
- Hello.
- Assalomu alaykum
- Hello. (informal)
- Salom
- Good morning
- Hayirli tong
- Good morning (answer)
- Tinch bo'ling
- How are you?
- Qalaysiz?
- Fine, thank you.
- Yaxshi, rahmat
- What is your name?
- Sizning ismingiz nima?
- My name is ______.
- Mening ismim ...
- Nice to meet you.
- Tanishganimdan hursandman
- Please.
- Marhamat
- Thank you.
- Rahmat
- You're welcome.
- Arzimaydi
- Yes.
- Ha
- No.
- Yo'q
- Excuse me.
- Kechirasiz
- I'm sorry.
- Uzr
- Goodbye
- Hayr
- I can't speak Uzbek [well].
- Men o'zbekcha (yaxshi) gaplashmayman.
- Do you speak English?
- Siz inglizcha gaplashasizmi?
- Is there someone here who speaks English?
- Inglizcha gapiradiganlar bormi?
- Help!
- Yordam!
- Look out!
- Ehtiyot bo'ling!
- I don't understand.
- Tushunmadim
- Where is the toilet?
- Hojatxona qayerda?
Problems
[edit]- Hospital
- kasalxona
- Sick
- kasal
- Doctor
- tabib (shifokor)
Numbers
[edit]Cardinal Numbers
[edit]- half
- yarim
- zero
- nol
- one
- bir
- two
- ikki
- three
- uch
- four
- to'rt
- five
- besh
- six
- olti
- seven
- yetti
- eight
- sakkiz
- nine
- to'qqiz
- ten
- o'n
- fifteen
- o'n besh
- twenty
- yigirma
- thirty
- o'ttiz
- forty
- qirq
- fifty
- ellik
- sixty
- oltmish
- seventy
- yetmish
- eighty
- sakson
- ninety
- to'qson
- one hundred
- yuz
- five hundred
- besh yuz
- one thousand
- ming
- one million
- million
Ordinal Numbers
[edit]- 1st
- birinchi
- 2nd
- ikkinchi
- 3rd
- uchinchi
- 4th
- to'rtinchi
- 5th
- beshinchi
- 10th
- o'ninchi
- 15th
- o'n beshinchi
- 20th
- yigirmanchi
- 100th
- yuzinchi
- 1,000th
- minginchi
Time
[edit]- When?
- qachon?
- What time is it?
- Soat necha bo'ldi?
- At what time?
- Soat nechada?
- morning
- ertalab
- noon
- o'n ikki
- in the afternoon
- tushlikdan so'ng
- evening
- kech, oqshom
- midnight
- yarim kecha
- today
- bugun
- tonight
- bugungi oqshom
- yesterday
- kecha
- tomorrow
- ertaga
- this week
- bu hafta
- last week
- o'tgan hafta
- next week
- kelasi hafta
- this month
- shu oy
- last month
- o'tgan oy
- next month
- keyingi oy
Clock time
[edit]- hour(s)
- soat(lar)
- minute
- daqiqa
- ... o'clock
- soat ...
- half past ...
- ... yarim soat o'tdi
Duration
[edit]Days
[edit]- Monday
- dushanba
- Tuesday
- seshanba
- Wednesday
- chorshanba
- Thursday
- payshanba
- Friday
- juma
- Saturday
- shanba
- Sunday
- yakshanba
Months
[edit]- January
- yanvar
- February
- fevral
- March
- mart
- April
- aprel
- May
- may
- June
- iyun
- July
- iyul
- August
- avgust
- September
- sentyabr
- October
- oktyabr
- November
- noyabr
- December
- dekabr
Writing time and date
[edit]Colors
[edit]- black
- qora
- blue
- ko'k
- brown
- jigar rang
- green
- yashil
- orange
- qovoq rang
- red
- qizil
- white
- oq
- yellow
- sariq
Transportation
[edit]- Airport
- aeroport, tayyoragoh
Bus and train
[edit]- Bus
- avtobus
- Bus station
- avtobekat
- Train station
- temir yo'l vokzali
- Ticket
- bilet
Directions
[edit]- Where is...?
- ...qayerda?
- Left
- chap
- Right
- o'ng
Taxi
[edit]Please take me too... : ...'ga oboring, marhamat
Lodging
[edit]- Hotel
- mehmonxona
- Room
- xona
- House
- uy
- Do you have any rooms?
- Sizga xona bormi?
Money
[edit]- bank
- bank
- money
- pul
- cash
- naqd pul
Eating
[edit]- bread
- non
- meat
- go'sht
- rice
- guruch
- fruit
- meva
- vegetable
- sabzavot
- tea
- choy
- (boiled) water
- (qaynatilgan) suv
Shopping
[edit]- Outdoor market
- bozor
- store
- do'kon
- How much?
- Qancha?
- cheap
- arzon
- expensive
- qimmat
Driving
[edit]- street
- ko'cha
Authority
[edit]- police
- militsiya
- sir
- janob
- madam
- xonim