More than 17,000 foreign companies operate in Uzbekistan, and most of the people arriving with them cannot read the state language yet. That is normal, and nobody expects a visiting director to negotiate in it. What people do notice is whether you can greet them properly, address them respectfully and behave well at the table. This page covers exactly that, and is honest about where Uzbek stops being practical.
Key points
- Learn the opening two minutes of a meeting and the meal afterwards. That is where Uzbek earns the most.
- Always siz, never sen. Add aka or opa after a first name for anyone older than you.
- The how-are-you questions are a ritual. The answer is always a version of “fine, thanks”.
- Contracts, numbers and technical detail stay in English or Russian. Do not improvise them in Uzbek.
The greeting
Assalomu alaykum is the polite greeting for everyone, at any time of day. It is Arabic in origin and everyday and secular in use. The fixed reply is Va alaykum assalom; answering with a plain Salom sounds curt. Xayrli kun (good day) is neutral and a little formal, and common in emails and on the phone.
Men usually shake hands, often with the left hand on the chest. Wait for a woman to offer her hand first; a nod with the hand on the chest is always right. See how to say hello.
The how-are-you round
A greeting is followed by several questions in a row about you, your family and your work:
- Yaxshimisiz? Are you well?
- Qalaysiz? How are you?
- Ishlar qalay? How are things at work?
- Uydagilar yaxshimi? Is everyone at home well?
This is a ritual, not an enquiry. Answer each with Yaxshi, rahmat and return it with Oʻzingiz-chi? (and yourself?). Giving a real account of your week is the beginner’s mistake. Asking after someone’s family is polite small talk and is not considered prying. The full exchange is on the how are you page.
Forms of address: siz, aka, opa
Uzbek has two words for “you”. Siz is polite and is the default for every adult you are not close to. Sen is for children and close friends. The difference shows up in endings too: Qalaysiz? is polite and Qalaysan? is not, so copy the -siz forms.
Aka (older brother) and opa (older sister) are also respectful forms of address for any older man or woman, used after the first name or alone: Rustam aka, Nodira opa. Calling a man who is older than you uka (younger brother) is an insult, so when unsure use aka. More on the brother and sister page.
To introduce yourself: Mening ismim … (my name is), Men tadbirkorman (I am a businessperson) or Men muhandisman (I am an engineer), and Tanishganimdan xursandman (nice to meet you). The reply is Men ham. The introductions page shows how the -man ending works.
At the table
If a meeting continues over a meal, or you are invited to a home, these customs apply:
- Dasturxonga marhamat is the invitation to come and eat. Dasturxon is the tablecloth and, by extension, the whole spread.
- A guest is seated furthest from the door, the place of honour. Accept it.
- Bread (non) is broken by hand by the host. It is never placed face down and never thrown away.
- Tea arrives in a small bowl filled only part way. A half-full bowl is respect: the host means to keep refilling it while it is hot. Do not ask for a full one.
- The host will say Oling, oling (take some) many times. An empty plate is refilled. To stop, leave a little and say Rahmat, toʻydim (thanks, I am full).
- Yoqimli ishtaha! is said as people start eating. Osh boʻlsin! comes after the meal, not before.
If you visit a home, take your shoes off at the door.
Phrases that earn goodwill
- Juda mazali! Very tasty. About a dish someone cooked, Mazali boʻlibdi. See delicious.
- Qoʻlingiz dard koʻrmasin. The traditional thanks to a cook: “may your hands never know pain”.
- Katta rahmat. Thank you very much. Tashakkur is the formal alternative you will hear in speeches.
- Tabriklayman! Congratulations, for a new job or a signed deal. For a purchase or a new home, people say Muborak boʻlsin!
- Navroʻz muborak! and Hayit muborak! on the holidays, and Yangi yilingiz bilan! at New Year. See Navruz.
- Men oʻzbekcha oʻrganyapman. I am learning Uzbek. Expect Barakalla! (well done) in return.
What stays in English or Russian
Be realistic. Following a meeting in Uzbek is a B1 skill that takes most learners eight to fourteen months of daily practice, and professional fluency for contracts and presentations is a project of one and a half to two and a half years. Until then, negotiations, figures, legal text and technical specifications belong in a language you both command, with a professional interpreter or translator where it matters. Do not rely on a phrasebook, or on this page, for anything with consequences.
If you are resident and not just visiting, the calculation changes. Official life has run in Latin-script Uzbek since 2023, so signs, forms and correspondence arrive in Uzbek. A first month on the phrasebook, then steady work towards A2 in three to five months, pays back for as long as you stay.
Where Uzbekcha fits
Uzbekcha is the app we are building, and it is pre-launch: there is a waitlist and nothing to download yet. It is designed to explain each lesson in your own language and to draw vocabulary from your industry. It will not replace an interpreter in a negotiation, and we do not claim it will.