Ways to say it
| Uzbek | Pronunciation | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| oʻgʻil bola | oh-GʻIL bo-LA | boy | Oʻgʻil alone is “son”. |
| qiz bola | QIZ bo-LA | girl | Qiz alone is “daughter” or “girl”. |
| yigit | yi-GIT | young man | The word for a young man. |
| qiz | QIZ | girl; young woman; daughter | Context decides. |
| oʻgʻil bolalar / qiz bolalar | oh-GʻIL bo-la-LAR / QIZ bo-la-LAR | boys / girls | Bola plus -lar is “children”. |
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.
What it literally means
Son child and girl child. Oʻgʻil is “son”, qiz is “girl” or “daughter”, bola is “child”.
In a real exchange
- Friend: Nechta bolangiz bor?
How many children do you have? - You: Ikkita. Bitta oʻgʻil bola, bitta qiz bola.
Two. One boy, one girl. - Friend: Qizingiz necha yoshda?
How old is your daughter? - You: Besh yoshda.
Five.
Good to know
- Oʻgʻil bola and qiz bola say which kind of child; oʻgʻil and qiz alone also mean son and daughter, as in the Son and daughter entry.
- Bola means “child” for both. Put oʻgʻil or qiz in front when you need to say which.
- Yigit is a young man and qiz can be a young woman, so the same words work for people older than children.
Common mistakes
- Writing ogil bola. Oʻgʻil has two special letters, oʻ and gʻ.
This phrase is part of Uzbek family words: grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins in the free phrasebook, with the grammar behind it.