Bhasaly › Learn Uzbek › Phrases
Uzbek phrases for a short visit
Qisqa safar
The lines a visitor actually uses, and the ones you will hear back. Romanized first so you can say them today. Every phrase is recorded — open it in Bhasaly to hear it.
Hear these phrases →First words
The ones you use every hour
assalomu alaykum earns the warmest reply; salom is the friendly short form. mayli — alright — closes any exchange agreeably, and is the most useful small word in Uzbek.
| assalomu alaykum | hello (the full greeting) | assalomu alaykum |
| salom | hi | salom |
| rahmat | thank you | rahmat |
| khayr | goodbye | xayr |
| ha | yes | ha |
| yawq | no · there is none | yoʻq |
| mayli | alright · fine | mayli |
| kechirasiz | excuse me · sorry | kechirasiz |
Being polite
aka, opa and the two pleases
Address any man aka, any woman opa — warmth, not familiarity. marhamat offers — help yourself — and iltimos asks. The reply to katta rahmat is arzimaydi, not at all.
| aka | brother — any man your age or older | aka |
| opa | sister — any woman your age or older | opa |
| iltimos | please (asking) | iltimos |
| marhamat | please · help yourself (offering) | marhamat |
| katta rahmat | thank you very much | katta rahmat |
| arzimaydi | it is nothing (the reply) | arzimaydi |
Meeting someone
Introductions
mening ismim … — my name is …. Expect qayerdansiz? — where are you from — inside the first minute; answer with your country plus -dan.
| mening ismim | my name is … | mening ismim |
| ismingiz nima | what is your name? | ismingiz nima |
| tanishganimizdan khursandman | pleased to meet you | tanishganimizdan xursandman |
| tushunmadim | I did not understand | tushunmadim |
| sekin gapiring | please speak slowly | sekin gapiring |
| men awzbekcha bilmayman | I do not know Uzbek (yet) | men oʻzbekcha bilmayman |
| bilmayman | I do not know | bilmayman |
Sentence patterns
Four frames that do the work
Four frames cover most of what you need. Tap a word, hear the whole sentence.
What you will hear
The volley & the welcomes
The greeting is a volley — qalaysiz, how is your health, how is the family, all at once. yaxshi, rahmat answers every one of them.
| qalaysiz | how are you? | qalaysiz |
| khush kelibsiz | welcome! | xush kelibsiz |
| keling | come! · come in! | keling |
| oling | take it · help yourself | oling |
| kuting | wait a moment | kuting |
| qayerdansiz | where are you from? | qayerdansiz |
Numbers
Soʻm come in thousands
Prices come in ming — thousands of soʻm. A bowl of osh runs oʻttiz-qirq ming; a taxi across town oʻn-yigirma ming. Bozor sellers may switch to English numbers.
| bir | 1 | bir |
| besh | 5 | besh |
| awn | 10 | oʻn |
| yigirma | 20 | yigirma |
| awttiz | 30 | oʻttiz |
| ellik | 50 | ellik |
| yuz | 100 | yuz |
| ming | 1,000 | ming |
| besh ming | 5,000 | besh ming |
| awn ming | 10,000 | oʻn ming |
Getting around
Any car is a taxi
Hold out a hand — any car can be a taxi. Agree the narx BEFORE getting in. The Tashkent metro is fast, cheap, and its stations are worth the ride on their own.
| taksi | taxi | taksi |
| avtobus | bus | avtobus |
| metro | the metro | metro |
| bekat | stop · station | bekat |
| tawkhtang | please stop | toʻxtang |
| shu yerda | right here | shu yerda |
Directions
Catch one word of the answer
Ask with the qayerda? frame above, then listen for these.
| chapga | to the left | chapga |
| awngga | to the right | oʻngga |
| tawghri | straight on | toʻgʻri |
| yaqin | near | yaqin |
| uzoq | far | uzoq |
| bu yerda | here | bu yerda |
| u yerda | there | u yerda |
Reading the signs
Doors still speak Cyrillic
Signage often stays Cyrillic: КИРИШ kirish, ЧИҚИШ chiqish, ОЧИҚ ochiq, ЁПИҚ yopiq, ДИҚҚАТ diqqat. Five words decode most doors in Tashkent.
| kirish | entrance | kirish |
| chiqish | exit | chiqish |
| ochiq | open | ochiq |
| yopiq | closed | yopiq |
| diqqat | attention! | diqqat |
Eating
Osh, non and the refills
osh is THE dish — an invitation to osh is an honour — arrive hungry. non is near-sacred: never upside down, never thrown away. bas, rahmat stops the refills kindly.
| osh | plov — the national dish | osh |
| non | bread | non |
| choy | tea | choy |
| juda mazali | very tasty | juda mazali |
| bas | enough | bas |
| hisob | the bill | hisob |
Being a guest
The dasturxon rules
The dasturxon fills the moment you sit. Choy is poured a third full — that is respect, not thrift: a brimming cup hints the guest should leave. toʻydim ends seconds politely.
| dasturkhon | the spread laid for guests | dasturxon |
| mehmon | guest | mehmon |
| tawydim | I am full | toʻydim |
| juda yakhshi | very good · lovely | juda yaxshi |
At the bozor
The friendly game
The first narx is an opening move. arzonroq boʻlsinmi? asks it lower with a smile; kerak emas turns a pushy seller away kindly. Fixed-price shops will say so.
| bozor | the market | bozor |
| qimmat | expensive | qimmat |
| arzon | cheap | arzon |
| arzonroq bawlsinmi? | can it be cheaper? | arzonroq boʻlsinmi? |
| olaman | I will take it | olaman |
| kerak emas | I do not need it | kerak emas |
| bir kilo | one kilo | bir kilo |
| yarim | half | yarim |
Staying somewhere
Rooms & hot water
boʻsh xona bormi? — is there a free room? — is the first question at the desk. Confirm issiq suv before the season turns cold.
| mehmonkhona | hotel | mehmonxona |
| kalit | the key | kalit |
| issiq suv | hot water | issiq suv |
| toza | clean | toza |
| bawsh | free · vacant | boʻsh |
Getting help
Serious words, hopefully unused
yordam bering! — help me — is the sentence to know; say it clearly. tez yordam is the ambulance. Carry your hotel card — any driver can read you home.
| yordam bering | please help! | yordam bering |
| politsiya | police | politsiya |
| kasalkhona | hospital | kasalxona |
| dorikhona | pharmacy | dorixona |
| tez yordam | ambulance | tez yordam |
| men kasalman | I am ill | men kasalman |
| adashdim | I am lost | adashdim |
Staying in touch
Phone, Wi-Fi & photos
Hotel Wi-Fi is normal, cafe Wi-Fi patchy. A local sim-karta needs your passport. Ask suratga olsam maylimi before photographing people — especially at the bozor.
| telefon | phone | telefon |
| raqam | number | raqam |
| vay-fay bormi? | is there Wi-Fi? | Wi-Fi bormi? |
| sim-karta | SIM card | sim-karta |
| suratga olsam maylimi? | may I take a photo? | suratga olsam maylimi? |
Ask where anything is
Where is the ___?
| bozor qayerda? | Where is the market? | bozor qayerda? |
| bekat qayerda? | Where is the bus stop? | bekat qayerda? |
| metro qayerda? | Where is the metro? | metro qayerda? |
| mehmonkhona qayerda? | Where is the hotel? | mehmonxona qayerda? |
| kasalkhona qayerda? | Where is the hospital? | kasalxona qayerda? |
| hojatkhona qayerda? | Where is the toilet? | hojatxona qayerda? |
Ask if something is there
Do you have ___?
| choy bormi? | Do you have tea? | choy bormi? |
| non bormi? | Do you have bread? | non bormi? |
| suv bormi? | Do you have water? | suv bormi? |
| osh bormi? | Do you have plov? | osh bormi? |
| bawsh khona bormi? | Do you have a free room? | boʻsh xona bormi? |
| issiq suv bormi? | Do you have hot water? | issiq suv bormi? |
Ask for something politely
___, please.
| non bering | Bread, please. | non bering |
| choy bering | Tea, please. | choy bering |
| suv bering | Water, please. | suv bering |
| osh bering | Plov, please. | osh bering |
| buni bering | This one, please. | buni bering |
| kalit bering | The key, please. | kalit bering |
Ask any price
How much is ___?
| bu qancha? | How much is this? | bu qancha? |
| osh qancha? | How much is the plov? | osh qancha? |
| choy qancha? | How much is the tea? | choy qancha? |
| taksi qancha? | How much is the taxi? | taksi qancha? |
| bir kecha qancha? | How much is one night? | bir kecha qancha? |
Common questions
How do you say hello in Uzbek?
Assalomu alaykum. The greetings section above has the full set, including the reply you are likely to hear back.
Do I need an account to use these Uzbek phrases?
No. Every phrase on this page is open to read, and you can hear all of them in Bhasaly without signing up.
Do I need to read the Uzbek script to use these?
No. Every line is romanized first, so you can say it straight away. The script is there alongside if you want to start reading it.
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