Introduction to the Uzbek Language
by Mark Dickens
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Pronunciation
Wordlist
Grammar
A. Pronunciation
Uzbek
is currently written in the Cyrillic script, which has been in use
since
1940, and the Latin script, which has been introduced in the last
couple
of years and is now being used more and more, though most people only
know
the Cyrillic script and most signs and written materials are still only
in Cyrillic. In general, words are pronounced as they sound in the
Latin
script, but some explanation is necessary for a few of the sounds
represented
by certain Latin letters. Below are those sounds which are not found in
English or which require some explanation. Note that stress in Uzbek is
generally on the last syllable, except for a few suffixes, which are
never
stressed. In the wordlist below, stressed syllables are underlined.
Note
also that two adjacent vowels are pronounced separately (e.g.
ñîàò
“soat” is pronounced like English “saw at”), but a vowel followed by
“y”
becomes a diphthong (e.g. áîé “boy” is pronounced
the
same as English “boy”).
|
Cyrillic
|
Latin
|
Pronunciation
|
|
À
à
|
A
a
|
"a"
as in "cat"
|
|
Å
å
|
Ye
ye, E e
|
"ye"
as in "yet" at the beginning of a word, "e" as in "let" elsewhere
|
|
¨
¸
|
Yo
yo
|
"ya"
as in "yawn"
|
|
È
è
|
I
I
|
"i"
as in "pin"
|
|
Î
î
|
O
o
|
"o"
as in "pot"
|
|
Ð
ð
|
R
r
|
a
"trilled r" (like in Scottish), or, between vowels, a "flapped r" (like
"dd" in "ladder" in normal speech)
|
|
Ó
ó
|
U
u
|
"oo"
as in "cool"
|
|
Õ
õ
|
X
x
|
"ch"
as in German "Bach" or Scottish "loch"
|
|
Ý
ý
|
E
e
|
"e"
as in "let"
|
|
Þ
þ
|
Yu
yu
|
"yu"
as in "you"
|
|
ß
ÿ
|
Ya
ya
|
"ya"
as in "yak"
|
|
Œ
œ
|
O'
o'
|
"u"
as in "put" (also represents a second vowel in some dialects, similar
to
"au" as in "caught"
|
|
Š
š
|
Q
q
|
like
a "k" but further back in the mouth
|
|
F
|
G'
g'
|
like
a French "r" (voiced version of "x")
|
B. Wordlist
Below
are 250 of the most common Uzbek words, in both Cyrillic and Latin
script,
along with their definitions, arranged according to the different parts
of speech (categories of words). Note that some of these words could be
listed in two different categories (e.g. îçèð
“now” is both a noun and an adverb, òåç “quick,
quickly”
is both an adjective and an adverb).
1. Pronouns
|
ìåí
|
men
|
I
|
|
ñåí
|
sen
|
you
(singular, informal
|
|
ó
|
u
|
he/she/it,
that
|
|
áó
|
bu
|
this
|
|
ñèç
|
siz
|
you
(plural, formal)
|
|
áèç
|
biz
|
we
|
|
óëàð
|
ular
|
they
|
2. Adjectives
|
ÿõøè
|
yaxshi
|
good
|
|
çœð
|
zo'r
|
excellent
|
|
¸ìîí
|
yomon
|
bad
|
|
œðòà÷à
|
o'rtacha
|
in
the middle
|
|
êàòòà
|
katta
|
big
|
|
êè÷êèíà
|
kichkina
|
small
|
|
ÿíãè
|
yangi
|
new
|
|
ýñêè
|
eski
|
old
(thing)
|
|
¸ø
|
yosh
|
young
|
|
šàðè
|
qari
|
old
(person)
|
|
êàñàë
|
kasal
|
sick
|
|
ñî
|
sog'
|
healthy
|
|
šèììàò
|
qimmat
|
expensive
|
|
àðçîí
|
arzon
|
cheap
|
|
èññèš
|
issiq
|
hot
|
|
ñîâóš
|
sovuq
|
cold
|
|
ñåêèí
|
sekin
|
slow
|
|
òåç
|
tez
|
fast
|
|
ÿšèí
|
yaqin
|
close
|
|
óçîš
|
uzoq
|
far
|
|
òœðè
|
to'g'ri
|
correct,
straight
|
|
áîé
|
boy
|
rich
|
|
õóðñàíä
|
xursand
|
happy
|
|
÷èðîéëè
|
chiroyli
|
beautiful,
good-looking
|
|
òîçà
|
toza
|
clean
|
|
òàé¸ð
|
tayyor
|
ready
|
|
øèðèí
|
shirin
|
sweet
|
|
êàì
|
kam
|
small,
few, little
|
|
îçãèíà
|
ozgina
|
a
little
|
|
êœï
|
ko'p
|
much,
many
|
|
àð
|
har
|
each
|
|
àììà
|
hamma
|
all
|
|
áóòóí
|
butun
|
whole
|
|
å÷
|
hech
|
none
|
|
êœïðîš
|
ko'proq
|
more
|
|
êåðàê
|
kerak
|
necessary
|
|
ìóìêèí
|
mumkin
|
possible
|
|
œíã
|
o'ng
|
right
|
|
÷àï
|
chap
|
left
|
|
áîøšà
|
boshqa
|
other
|
|
ýíã
|
eng
|
most
|
|
šîðà
|
qora
|
black
|
|
îš
|
oq
|
white
|
|
ñàðèš
|
sariq
|
yellow
|
|
šèçèë
|
qizil
|
red
|
|
êœê
|
ko'k
|
blue
|
3. Numbers
|
áèð
|
bir
|
one
|
|
èêêè
|
ikki
|
two
|
|
ó÷
|
uch
|
three
|
|
òœðò
|
to'rt
|
four
|
|
áåø
|
besh
|
five
|
|
îëòè
|
olti
|
six
|
|
åòòè
|
yetti
|
seven
|
|
ñàêêèç
|
sakkiz
|
eight
|
|
òœššèç
|
to'qqiz
|
nine
|
|
ϒ
|
o'n
|
ten
|
|
éèãèðìà
|
yigirma
|
twenty
|
|
œòòèç
|
o'ttiz
|
thirty
|
|
šèðš
|
qirq
|
forty
|
|
ýëëèê
|
ellik
|
fifty
|
|
îëòìèø
|
oltmish
|
sixty
|
|
åòìèø
|
yetmish
|
seventy
|
|
ñàêñîí
|
sakson
|
eighty
|
|
òœšñîí
|
to'qson
|
ninety
|
|
þç
|
yuz
|
hundred
|
|
ìèíã
|
ming
|
thousand
|
|
ÿðèì
|
yarim
|
half
|
4. Adverbs
|
áó
åðäà
|
bu
yerda
|
here
|
|
ó
åðäà
|
u
yerda
|
there
|
|
îçèð
|
hozir
|
now,
wait a minute
|
|
ýðòà
|
erta
|
early
|
|
êå÷
|
kech
|
late
|
|
êå÷à
|
kecha
|
yesterday
|
|
áóãóí
|
bugun
|
today
|
|
ýðòàãà
|
ertaga
|
tomorrow
|
|
áèðãà
|
birga
|
together
|
|
æóäà
|
juda
|
very
|
|
ôàšàò
|
faqat
|
only
|
|
ÿíà
|
yana
|
again
|
|
àëè
|
hali
|
still,
yet
|
5. Question
words
|
íèìà
|
nima
|
what
|
|
êèì
|
kim
|
who
|
|
šàåðäà
|
qayerda
|
where
|
|
šàåðãà
|
qayerga
|
where
to
|
|
šàíè
|
qani
|
where
(exactly)
|
|
šà÷îí
|
qachon
|
when
|
|
íèìàãà
|
nimaga
|
why
|
|
šàíäàé
|
qanday
|
how,
what kind of
|
|
šàí÷à
|
qancha
|
how
much, how many
|
|
íå÷à
|
necha
|
how
much, how many
|
|
šàéñè
|
qaysi
|
which
|
6. Conjunctions
|
àãàð
|
agar
|
if
|
|
âà
|
va
|
and
|
|
¸êè
|
yoki
|
or
|
|
ëåêèí
|
lekin
|
but
|
|
÷óíêè
|
chunki
|
because
|
|
àì
|
ham
|
also
|
7. Postpositions
|
áèëàí
|
bilan
|
with
|
|
¸íèäà
|
yonida
|
beside
|
|
è÷èäà
|
ichida
|
inside
|
|
êåéèí
|
keyin
|
after
|
|
îëäèí
|
oldin
|
before
|
|
óñòèäà
|
ustida
|
on
top of
|
|
ó÷óí
|
uchun
|
for
|
|
àšèäà
|
haqida
|
about
|
8. Verb
stems
|
àéò-
|
ayt-
|
say
|
|
áåð-
|
ber-
|
give
|
|
áèë-
|
bil-
|
know
(something)
|
|
áîð-
|
bor-
|
go
|
|
áœë-
|
bo'l-
|
be,
become
|
|
ãàïèð-
|
gapir-
|
speak
|
|
äàì
îë-
|
dam
ol-
|
rest
|
|
äàðñ
áåð-
|
dars
ber-
|
teach
(give lessons)
|
|
å-
|
ye-
|
eat
|
|
¸ç-
|
yoz-
|
write
|
|
¸ï-
|
yop-
|
close
|
|
¸ò-
|
yot-
|
lie
down
|
|
è÷-
|
ich-
|
drink
|
|
èøîí-
|
ishon-
|
believe
|
|
êåë-
|
kel-
|
come
|
|
êåò-
|
ket-
|
go,
leave
|
|
êèð-
|
kir-
|
enter
|
|
êóò-
|
kut-
|
wait
|
|
êœð-
|
ko'r-
|
see
|
|
îë-
|
ol-
|
take
|
|
îëèá
áîð-
|
olib
bor-
|
take
(to someone)
|
|
îëèá
êåë-
|
olib
kel-
|
bring
|
|
î÷-
|
och-
|
open
|
|
ñîë-
|
sol-
|
put
in
|
|
ñîò-
|
sot-
|
sell
|
|
ñîòèá
îë-
|
sotib
ol-
|
buy
|
|
òóð-
|
tur-
|
stand,
live
|
|
òóøóí-
|
tushun-
|
understand
|
|
÷èš-
|
chiq-
|
exit,
go out
|
|
ýøèò-
|
eshit-
|
listen
|
|
þâ-
|
yuv-
|
wash
|
|
þð-
|
yur-
|
walk
|
|
œðãàí-
|
o'rgan-
|
learn,
study
|
|
Ϙ-
|
o't-
|
pass
|
|
œòèð-
|
o'tir-
|
sit
down
|