Sit at a grandparent’s table, wait at an airport gate or tell your family some good news, and most of what you hear back is not a plan or a question. It is a wish. Those wishes are short, they repeat, and you may know them as sounds before you know the words. The one grammar idea on this page is the wish ending -sin (“may it be”) and its partner -ing (“you, please be”), which is how most of them are built.
This page is part of Uzbek for heritage learners, the guide for the Uzbek diaspora and families abroad.
Thank God, God willing and Omin
Families differ in how they say and spell these. The forms below are the standard ones, and the Meaning column says when people use them.
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Xudo xohlasa | khu-DO khoh-la-SA | God willing; “if God wants”. Said after a plan |
| Inshoolloh | in-sho-ol-LOH | God willing (the Arabic-origin form; often written other ways in messages, such as Insha Alloh) |
| Omin | o-MIN | Amen. Said after a wish or blessing, to agree with it |
| Bismilloh | bis-mil-LOH | “In the name of God”. Said when starting something, such as a meal or a task |
| Xudoga shukur | khu-do-GA shu-KUR | Thank God |
| Alhamdulilloh | al-ham-du-lil-LOH | Praise be to God; thank God (the Arabic-origin form) |
| Xudo saqlasin | khu-DO saq-la-SIN | God forbid; “may God protect” |
| Barakalla | ba-ra-kal-LA | Well done; bless you. Said to praise something good someone did, often to a child |
| Baraka toping | ba-ra-KA to-PING | May you prosper; “may you find abundance” |
| Muborak boʻlsin | mu-bo-RAK boʻl-SIN | Congratulations; “may it be blessed” (a new home, a new car) |
| Xayrli boʻlsin | khayr-LI boʻl-SIN | May it be for the good. Said when someone starts something new |
For the road, the table and a long life
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Oq yoʻl | OQ YOʻL | Safe travels; literally “white road” |
| Yaxshi boring | yakh-SHI bo-RING | Go well. Said to someone who is leaving |
| Yaxshi qoling | yakh-SHI qo-LING | Stay well. Said by the one leaving to the one who stays |
| Omon boʻling | o-MON boʻ-LING | Stay safe and well |
| Sogʻ boʻling | SOGʻ boʻ-LING | Be healthy; stay well |
| Osh boʻlsin | OSH boʻl-SIN | “May it nourish you”, said to someone who has eaten |
| Baxtli boʻling | bakht-LI boʻ-LING | Be happy |
| Baxtli boʻlsin | bakht-LI boʻl-SIN | May he, she or they be happy (said about someone else, such as a couple) |
| Umringiz uzoq boʻlsin | um-rin-GIZ u-ZOQ boʻl-SIN | May your life be long |
| Uzoq umr koʻring | u-ZOQ UMR koʻ-RING | May you live a long life |
| Rahmat, omin | rah-MAT, o-MIN | Thank you, amen. The usual reply to a blessing |
The wish ending -sin, and -ing for you
Most of the blessings above are one short sentence with a verb at the end. Compare them:
- Osh boʻlsin, Xayrli boʻlsin, Baxtli boʻlsin: boʻl- (be) + -sin means “let it be” or “may it be”. The wish is about a third thing or person (the meal, the new start, the couple). In Umringiz uzoq boʻlsin the thing wished for is “your life”: umr (life) + -ingiz (your, respectful) + uzoq (long) + boʻlsin.
- Sogʻ boʻling, Baxtli boʻling, Omon boʻling, Yaxshi boring, Yaxshi qoling: the verb + -ing is the polite wish or request to one person you address as siz. To a child, a sibling or a friend the ending drops: Sogʻ boʻl, Yaxshi bor, Yaxshi qol.
- Xudo xohlasa: xohla- (want) + -sa (if) gives “if God wants”. The same -sa is the “if” ending in everyday sentences.
A note on spelling. Words that came from Arabic, such as Inshoolloh, Bismilloh and Alhamdulilloh, are written in several ways by families, in books and on social media. Do not worry if your grandmother’s message looks different from the table. The words are the same. To sidestep the spelling question, Xudo xohlasa does the job of Inshoolloh, and Xudoga shukur does the job of Alhamdulilloh.
At the door before a trip
Nodir: Buvijon, ertaga yoʻlga chiqaman.
Grandma, I’m setting off tomorrow.
Buvi: Oq yoʻl, bolam! Xudo xohlasa, hammasi yaxshi boʻladi.
Safe travels, my child! God willing, everything will be fine.
Nodir: Omin, buvijon. Siz ham sogʻ boʻling.
Amen, grandma. You stay well too.
Buvi: Rahmat, jonim. Umring uzoq boʻlsin.
Thank you, dear. May your life be long.
Nodir: Xudo xohlasa, yana kelaman.
God willing, I’ll come again.
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