Animal words are some of the first an Uzbek learner meets, because children use them first and the sentences are short: Bu nima? Bu mushuk. This page groups them into pets, farm animals and wild animals, and teaches the plural -lar and the rule that you do not use it after a number.
For more first words, see first words for children, colours in Uzbek and Uzbek numbers 1 to 10. To ask “what is this?”, see how to say “what is this” in Uzbek.
Pets and farm animals
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mushuk | mu-SHUK | cat |
| it | IT | dog (kuchuk is a puppy or small dog) |
| qush | QUSH | bird |
| baliq | ba-LIQ | fish |
| quyon | qu-YON | rabbit |
| ot | OT | horse (ot also means “name”) |
| sigir | si-GIR | cow |
| qoʻy | QOʻY | sheep |
| echki | ech-KI | goat |
| tovuq | to-VUQ | hen, chicken |
| xoʻroz | khoʻ-ROZ | rooster |
| eshak | e-SHAK | donkey |
| tuya | tu-YA | camel |
Wild animals and general words
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hayvon | hay-VON | animal |
| uy hayvoni | UY hay-vo-NI | pet (literally “house animal”) |
| sichqon | sich-QON | mouse |
| ayiq | a-YIQ | bear |
| boʻri | boʻ-RI | wolf |
| tulki | tul-KI | fox |
| sher | SHER | lion |
| fil | FIL | elephant |
| maymun | may-MUN | monkey |
| ilon | i-LON | snake |
Sentences for children and beginners
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bu nima? | BU ni-MA | What is this? |
| Bu mushuk. | BU mu-SHUK | This is a cat. |
| Bu qanday hayvon? | BU qan-DAY hay-VON | What kind of animal is this? |
| Bu katta it. | BU kat-TA IT | This is a big dog. |
| Fil katta, sichqon kichik. | FIL kat-TA, sich-QON ki-CHIK | The elephant is big, the mouse is small. |
| Uyda mushuk bor. | uy-DA mu-SHUK BOR | There is a cat at home. |
| Ikkita mushuk bor. | ik-ki-TA mu-SHUK BOR | There are two cats. |
| Mushuklar uxlayapti. | mu-shuk-LAR ukh-la-yap-TI | The cats are sleeping. |
| Menga mushuk yoqadi. | men-GA mu-SHUK yo-qa-DI | I like cats. |
| Men ilondan qoʻrqaman. | MEN i-lon-DAN qoʻr-qa-MAN | I am afraid of snakes. |
The plural -lar, and no -lar after a number
- -lar makes a plural: mushuk → mushuklar (cats), qush → qushlar (birds), tovuq → tovuqlar (hens), ayiq → ayiqlar (bears). Bu mushuklar means “these are cats”.
- After a number the noun stays singular, and in everyday speech the number takes -ta: bitta mushuk (one cat), ikkita qush (two birds), uchta baliq (three fish), beshta tovuq (five hens). Without -ta, ikki qush is also correct. Ikkita mushuklar is wrong; ikkita mushuk is right.
- Bu + noun has no word for “is”: Bu it is “this is a dog”. To ask, use nima (what): Bu nima?
- For a person, ask kim (who), not nima: Bu kim?
A short conversation
A: Kechirasiz, bu nima?
Excuse me, what is this?
B: Bu tuya.
This is a camel.
A: Tuya! Bu-chi?
A camel! And this one?
B: Bu maymun. Ikkita maymun bor.
This is a monkey. There are two monkeys.
A: Menga maymunlar yoqadi. Sizga-chi?
I like monkeys. And you?
B: Menga fil yoqadi. Fil katta!
I like elephants. The elephant is big!
Uzbekcha is an app for learning Uzbek, with lessons in English and audio on every word. It is on Android now and coming soon to iPhone. Get the app.
