Basic Georgian words and phrases

The 250 words people actually say, from greetings to prices. Tap one to hear it. Under each is how to say it in Latin letters, and a hook to make it stick.

Start with these 30

გამარჯობაgamarjoba— hello
gamer job: A gamer finally lands a job and greets every new coworker: “GAMER-JOB-a!” It literally wishes you victory.
მადლობაmadloba— thank you
mad lobster: You free a MAD LOBster from a restaurant tank. It waves a claw back at you: “MAD-LOB-a!” — thank you!
დიახdiakh— yes
dear, ah: “DEAR? AH… yes,” your grandmother says politely, looking up from her book. DI-AKH is the polite yes.
პურიp'uri— bread
khachapuri: You may know this one from inside another word. Khachapuri = ხაჭო (khach'o, curd cheese) + პური (p'uri, bread): cheese bread.
დედაdeda— mother
dedicated: Picture the most DEDicated person you know, the one who never missed a school play. That's DEDA: mother.
არაara— no
arrr: You ask a pirate for his treasure map. He folds his arms: “ARRR-a!” No.
ღვინოghvino— wine
vino: Say it out loud: gh-VINO. Vino, wine: the very thing you've been filling your qvevri with.
წყალიts'q'ali— water
squally: A SQUALLY storm dumps buckets of water on you: ts'-q'ALI. Two clicked sounds, წ and ყ, like rain slapping a roof.
სახლიsakhli— house
sack: You carry your whole HOUSE on your back in a SACK, like a snail: SAKH-li.
მამაmama— father
mama: Georgian's most famous trap: MAMA means FATHER. Picture a big moustached dad proudly announcing, “I'm the mama here!”
მინდაminda— I want
mint: One MINT left on the plate and you grab it: “MIN-da! I WANT it!” The wanted thing goes first: ჩაი მინდა, I want tea.
მეme— I
me: Who ate the last khachapuri? “ME!” Georgian agrees: მე is both I and me, no I-versus-me fuss at all.
ერთიerti— one
dirty: Out of the whole laundry pile, just ONE sock is DIRTY: d-ERTI. Hold it up on one finger: ერთი, one.
რაra— what
rah: A cheerleader yells “RAH! RAH!” right in your ear. You: “WHAT?!” That's რა: what.
კარგიk'argi— good
cargo: The dockworker checks the CARGO crate by crate: all GOOD. K'AR-gi, with a crisp, clipped k'. It's also your all-purpose “OK!”
ნახვამდისnakhvamdis— goodbye
ჩაიchai— tea
chai: You already know CHAI, but here it's no spiced latte: it's any plain cup of tea. Say both syllables: CHA-i.
მაქვსmakvs— I have (a thing)
max: Your suitcase is packed to the MAX: you HAVE everything. MA-KVS. For things only; for people and animals Georgian says მყავს.
შენshen— you (one person)
shenanigans: Someone's been up to SHENanigans, and every finger points at YOU: SHEN! One person, informal; the polite or plural you is თქვენ.
სადsad— where
sad: You've lost your keys and look so SAD: “WHERE are they?” In Georgian every “where?” sounds a little SAD: სად.
ბოდიშიbodishi— sorry
body: The bus lurches and you slam your whole BODY into a stranger: “BODY-shi! SORRY!” Works for “excuse me” too.
ორიori— two
oar: You can't row a boat with one OAR; you need TWO: OR-i. You'll meet it again in ორშაბათი, Monday: “two after Saturday”.
დღესdghes— today
guess: A quiz host booms: “One GUESS, and it has to be TODAY!” — d-GHES. Inside is დღე, “day”; the -ს turns it into “on this day”.
მეგობარიmegobari— friend
mega berry: Your FRIEND finds a MEGA BERRY, a strawberry the size of a melon, and splits it with you. That's friendship: MEGO-BARi.
ვარvar— I am
far: Waving from a mountaintop: “I AM so FAR away!” Say far with a v: VAR. Only for I: you are is ხარ, it is is არის.
გთხოვთgtkhovt— please
cough: Hide a polite COUGH in the middle: g-t-KHOV-t, PLEASE. It literally means “I ask you”: გ- you, თხოვ ask, -თ polite plural.
ყველიq'veli— cheese
smelly: Good cheese gets gloriously SMELLY: q'-VELI. Start it with a clipped q' that pops deep in your throat.
ესes— this
yes: You point at the cake: “THIS one?” — “YES!” Drop the y and you've got it: ES, this.
ქალაქიkalaki— city
car, LA, key: Drive your CAR into LA, and the mayor hands you the KEY to the CITY: KA-LA-KI.
არისaris— is (it is)
Paris: Drop the P from PARIS: ARIS. “The Eiffel Tower IS in (P)ARIS.” ეს არის ჩაი: this is tea.

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