Uzbek words and phrases for travellers: a pocket phrasebook

Three words carry a traveller through most of a day in Uzbekistan: assalomu alaykum in the morning, qancha? at the bazaar and rahmat on the way out. Add the numbers from one to ten, a word for “cheaper” and a way to say “stop here” to a taxi driver, and you can handle the teahouse, the market and the ride back to the hotel on your own.

We are a tour operator in Tashkent, and this is the pocket phrasebook we would give a friend before the trip: short tables by situation, the Uzbek phrases for travellers in the official Latin spelling you see on signs, an easy way to say them and, where it helps, the Russian. How the alphabet works and which languages people speak where is in our guide to the languages of Uzbekistan.

In the tables, the middle column is the Uzbek spelling. The last column is our respelling for English speakers: read it syllable by syllable, as it looks. “Kh” stands for the Uzbek x, a throaty sound as in the Scottish “loch”, and “k” in words like kan-cha is the Uzbek q, said deeper in the throat. Nobody expects a visitor to sound like a local; the effort is what counts.

Greetings, thanks and the hand on the heart

Here the greeting comes before everything else: before a question, a price or a request. The full form is assalomu alaykum; with people your own age or younger, and once you know someone, salom is enough. A question about how you are usually follows, and it is polite to ask in return.

Meaning	In Uzbek	Say it
Hello (polite)	Assalomu alaykum	as-sa-lo-mu a-lay-kum
The reply to it	Va alaykum assalom	va a-lay-kum as-sa-lom
Hi	Salom	sa-lom
How are you?	Yaxshimisiz?	yakh-shi-mi-siz
Fine, thank you	Yaxshi, rahmat	yakh-shi, rah-mat
Good morning	Xayrli tong	khayr-li tong
Thank you	Rahmat	rah-mat
Thank you very much	Katta rahmat	kat-ta rah-mat
You’re welcome	Arzimaydi	ar-zi-may-di
Please	Iltimos	il-ti-mos
Excuse me, sorry	Kechirasiz	ke-chi-ra-siz
Goodbye	Xayr	khayr
See you	Ko'rishguncha	ko-rish-gun-cha

The gesture matters as much as the words. A right hand on the heart with a slight nod is how people greet and thank each other, and it works for everyone. Men usually shake hands; with a woman, wait: if she offers her hand, shake it, and if not, the hand on the heart is the right greeting. When a host pours your tea, a hand on your heart and rahmat say everything. More on everyday customs is in our guide to what to wear and how to behave in Uzbekistan.

Yes, no and “I don’t understand”

Meaning	In Uzbek	Say it
Yes	Ha	ha
No	Yo'q	yok
No, thank you	Yo'q, rahmat	yok, rah-mat
OK, all right	Mayli	may-li
I don’t understand	Tushunmadim	tu-shun-ma-dim
I don’t know	Bilmayman	bil-may-man
Do you speak English?	Inglizcha gapirasizmi?	in-gliz-cha ga-pi-ra-siz-mi
Do you speak Russian?	Ruscha gapirasizmi?	rus-cha ga-pi-ra-siz-mi
More slowly, please	Sekinroq, iltimos	se-kin-rok, il-ti-mos

Tushunmadim literally means “I did not understand”, and it is the phrase you will use most. It is polite, and it invites the other person to try again, more slowly or with gestures. If a conversation gets stuck, a translation app with Uzbek and Russian downloaded for offline use does the rest; we list the ones that work here in useful apps for Uzbekistan.

In the teahouse

The choyxona, the teahouse, is where a few Uzbek words pay off fastest. Tea comes first, bread is on the table before you ask, and the menu is often in Uzbek and Russian.

Meaning	In Uzbek	Say it
Tea	Choy	choy
Green tea	Ko'k choy	kok choy
Black tea	Qora choy	ko-ra choy
Bread	Non	non
Water	Suv	suv
Plov	Osh	osh
Delicious!	Mazali!	ma-za-li
Very tasty	Juda mazali	ju-da ma-za-li
The bill, please	Hisob, iltimos	hi-sob, il-ti-mos

Mazali is the best compliment you can pay a cook, and the word you will want most at every meal. How tea is poured, and why your bowl comes back only a third full, is in our story of tea and the chaikhana. If you do not eat meat, the key word is go'shtsiz, “without meat”; the full set of phrases for ordering is in our guide for a vegetarian in Uzbekistan.

At the bazaar: prices and calm bargaining

At the bazaar every price starts with one word, qancha?, “how much?”. Bargaining is part of buying, especially for dried fruit, nuts, spices and crafts, and it is a calm, friendly conversation rather than a contest. Ask the price, offer less with a smile and meet somewhere in between. Buying several things from one seller is the easiest way to a better price. In shops with price tags and in supermarkets, prices are fixed.

Meaning	In Uzbek	Say it
How much?	Qancha?	kan-cha
How much is this?	Bu qancha?	bu kan-cha
Expensive	Qimmat	kim-mat
Cheaper	Arzonroq	ar-zon-rok
Can it be cheaper?	Arzonroq bo'ladimi?	ar-zon-rok bo-la-di-mi
One kilo	Bir kilo	bir ki-lo
I don’t need it, thank you	Kerak emas, rahmat	ke-rak e-mas, rah-mat
Beautiful!	Chiroyli!	chi-roy-li

Sellers often hand you an apricot or a few nuts to try. Take it, say rahmat, and do not feel you must buy. Pay in so'm, in small notes, so you do not wait for change. Where to go and what to taste at each market is in our guide to the bazaars of Uzbekistan.

Numbers from 1 to 10, 100 and 1000

Prices in so'm run into thousands, so the numbers are worth ten minutes before the flight. They are regular: once you know one to ten, plus yuz and ming, you can follow most prices.

Number	In Uzbek	Say it
1	bir	bir
2	ikki	ik-ki
3	uch	uch
4	to'rt	tort
5	besh	besh
6	olti	ol-ti
7	yetti	yet-ti
8	sakkiz	sak-kiz
9	to'qqiz	tok-kiz
10	o'n	on
100	yuz	yuz
1000	ming	ming

Bigger numbers are built the way they sound: o'n ming is ten thousand, yuz ming a hundred thousand and ikki yuz two hundred. If a price gets lost in the noise of the bazaar, ask the seller to type it on a phone; that is a perfectly normal request.

In the taxi

In the cities the easiest option is a taxi app: Yandex Go shows the price before the ride, and you type the address instead of saying it. A street taxi is fine too; agree on the price before you get in. Many drivers speak Russian and fewer speak English, so these words help either way.

Meaning	In Uzbek	Say it
To the airport	Aeroportga	a-e-ro-port-ga
To the railway station	Vokzalga	vok-zal-ga
To the hotel	Mehmonxonaga	meh-mon-kho-na-ga
Left	Chapga	chap-ga
Right	O'ngga	ong-ga
Straight on	To'g'riga	togh-ri-ga
Stop here, please	Shu yerda to'xtang, iltimos	shu yer-da tokh-tang, il-ti-mos
How much will it be?	Necha pul bo'ladi?	ne-cha pul bo-la-di

The ending -ga means “to”. Add it to a name, and Registonga, Chorsuga or Eski shaharga, “to the old town”, take you where you need to go. How to pay the driver is in cards, cash and tipping in Uzbekistan.

Where Russian helps

Russian has no official status, but in Tashkent and the other big cities it is still widely understood, in shops, offices and taxis. Outside the cities, Uzbek words go further. If you already know a little Russian, use it; if not, these are the phrases worth having:

Meaning	Russian, in Latin letters
Hello	Zdravstvuyte
Thank you	Spasibo
Please	Pozhaluysta
How much is it?	Skolko stoit?
I don’t understand	Ya ne ponimayu
Stop here, please	Ostanovite zdes, pozhaluysta
Delicious	Vkusno
Goodbye	Do svidaniya

On our tours the guide speaks your language and is already included in the price, so you will need these words mostly in free evenings and on walks of your own.

At the table: toasts and compliments

At a family dinner or a celebration, the host may say a few warm words to the guests. You do not need a speech in return. A short reply is enough, with whatever is in your glass or bowl, tea included:

Meaning	In Uzbek	Say it
To your health!	Salomatligingiz uchun!	sa-lo-mat-li-gi-ngiz u-chun
To our friendship!	Do'stligimiz uchun!	dost-li-gi-miz u-chun
To the hosts!	Mezbonlar uchun!	mez-bon-lar u-chun
Thank you for the meal	Dasturxoningizga rahmat	das-tur-kho-nin-giz-ga rah-mat
Everything was delicious	Hammasi mazali edi	ham-ma-si ma-za-li e-di

The best place to try all of this at once is our dinner with a local family in Bukhara or the family dinner in Khiva. And at a master class, such as the ceramics workshop in Gijduvan, one chiroyli!, “beautiful!”, for the work in front of you says more than a long speech.

In short

• Start with the greeting, assalomu alaykum, and a hand on the heart.
• Rahmat, mazali and qancha? cover the teahouse and the bazaar; arzonroq opens a calm bargain.
• Learn the numbers from 1 to 10 plus yuz (100) and ming (1000): prices run into thousands of so'm.
• In a taxi, say the place with -ga on the end, then shu yerda to'xtang.
• Russian works in the big cities; on our tours the guide speaks your language.