In Tashkent nobody gets far on a bare “hello”. Sooner or later someone will call you aka or opa, you will hear a name with a warm -jon on the end, and you will have to choose between two words for “you”. The one grammar idea on this page is that choice: siz and sen each pull their own verb endings with them.
This page is part of Uzbek for life in Tashkent, the guide for relocants and families.
Aka, opa, uka, singil: family words for everyone
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Aka | a-KA | Older brother; “sir” to an older man |
| Opa | o-PA | Older sister; polite to an older woman |
| Uka | u-KA | Younger brother |
| Singil | sin-GIL | Younger sister |
| Anvar aka | an-VAR a-KA | Anvar (an older man), politely |
| Dilnoza opa | dil-no-ZA o-PA | Dilnoza (an older woman), politely |
| Aka, kechirasiz. | a-KA, ke-chi-ra-SIZ | Excuse me, sir. |
| Opa, kechirasiz. | o-PA, ke-chi-ra-SIZ | Excuse me, madam. |
| Aka, metro qayerda? | a-KA, met-RO qa-yer-DA | Where is the metro? (asking an older man) |
| Opa, yordam bera olasizmi? | o-PA, yor-DAM be-RA o-la-siz-MI | Could you help me? (asking an older woman) |
| Aka, rahmat! | a-KA, rah-MAT | Thank you! (to an older man) |
| Xush kelibsiz, opa. | khush ke-lib-SIZ, o-PA | Welcome. (to an older woman) |
Teachers, respected people and warm -jon
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Domla | dom-LA | Teacher, lecturer (respectful) |
| Ustoz | us-TOZ | Teacher, master, mentor |
| Hurmatli | hur-mat-LI | Respected, dear (at the start of a polite address) |
| Hurmatli mehmonlar! | hur-mat-LI meh-mon-LAR | Dear guests! |
| Hurmatli domla | hur-mat-LI dom-LA | Dear teacher |
| Xola | kho-LA | Mother’s sister (aunt) |
| Amaki | a-ma-KI | Father’s brother (uncle) |
| Alijon | a-li-JON | Ali, said warmly |
| Dilnozajon | dil-no-za-JON | Dilnoza, said warmly |
| Oyijon | o-yi-JON | Mum (warm) |
| Dadajon | da-da-JON | Dad (warm) |
| Singiljon | sin-gil-JON | Little sister (warm) |
| Ukajon | u-ka-JON | Little brother (warm) |
Siz or sen: the same question twice
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Siz | SIZ | You (respectful; also “you all”) |
| Sen | SEN | You (familiar) |
| Qalaysiz? | qa-lay-SIZ | How are you? (siz) |
| Qalaysan? | qa-lay-SAN | How are you? (sen) |
| Yaxshimisiz? | yakh-shi-mi-SIZ | Are you well? (siz) |
| Yaxshimisan? | yakh-shi-mi-SAN | Are you well? (sen) |
| Ismingiz nima? | is-min-GIZ ni-MA | What is your name? (siz) |
| Isming nima? | is-MING ni-MA | What is your name? (sen) |
| Qayerdansiz? | qa-yer-dan-SIZ | Where are you from? (siz) |
| Qayerdansan? | qa-yer-dan-SAN | Where are you from? (sen) |
| Tushundingizmi? | tu-shun-din-giz-MI | Did you understand? (siz) |
| Tushundingmi? | tu-shun-ding-MI | Did you understand? (sen) |
| Rahmat. | rah-MAT | Thank you. (same for both) |
Siz and sen: the ending follows the pronoun
Siz is the respectful “you”. Children learn to use it for elders and for older brothers and sisters, and sen for younger siblings. Between friends who have known each other a long time, sen is the more natural of the two. With a stranger, an older person or anyone you are unsure about, start with siz and let the other person move to sen first.
The pronoun is often left out, because the ending already says who you mean. Compare the pairs in the last table:
- Qalaysiz? and Qalaysan?: qalay (how) + -siz (you, respectful) or -san (you, familiar).
- Ismingiz and isming: the “your” ending on a noun is -ingiz for siz and -ing for sen (-ngiz and -ng after a vowel).
- Tushundingiz and tushunding: the past tense tushundi (understood) + -ngiz or -ng, the same two endings in their after-a-vowel form.
- Yaxshimisiz? and Yaxshimisan?: yaxshi (well) + -mi (the question ending) + -siz or -san.
Pick the respectful set and stay in it for the whole sentence: Siz qayerdansiz? is correct, Siz qayerdansan? is a mix. Siz is also the plural “you”; to a group, people often add -lar: Qalaysizlar? (how are you all?).
Aka and opa: respect for age, not a relation
Aka and opa are the words for an older brother and an older sister. They also serve as a polite way to speak to an older man or woman you hardly know, and they go after the first name: Anvar aka, Dilnoza opa. The pattern shows respect for age, so it works with people outside the family too.
The ending -jon is added to a name or a family word to make it warmer. Family forms such as dadajon, oyijon, singiljon and ukajon are in everyday use. The word jon itself means “soul” or “life”. As a foreigner you do not need to start using it: hearing it tells you the speaker is being warm.
A first meeting in the courtyard
A: Assalomu alaykum, Dilnoza opa. Qalaysiz?
Hello, Dilnoza opa. How are you?
B: Va alaykum assalom. Yaxshi, rahmat. Oʻzingiz-chi?
Hello. Fine, thank you. And you?
A: Yaxshi, rahmat. Opa, kechirasiz, yaqin atrofda dorixona bormi?
Fine, thank you. Excuse me, opa, is there a pharmacy nearby?
B: Ha, bor. Juda yaqin.
Yes, there is. It’s very close.
A: Rahmat, opa!
Thank you, opa!
B: Arzimaydi.
You’re welcome.
Uzbekcha is being built to teach the polite forms of Uzbek, siz and sen included, with audio on every word. At launch, lessons are in English and compare Uzbek with your first language. Join the waitlist.