These are the words you need to name what is on the table, in the shop or on a menu. Learn the words in the tables first, then the two verbs that go with them: yemoq (to eat) and ichmoq (to drink), in the present tense and the negative.
This page is about the words. For the situations, see Uzbek phrases at the bazaar and Uzbek phrases for restaurants. Hungry or tired? See how to say “I am hungry” in Uzbek, water in Uzbek and tea in Uzbek.
Meals, meat and fish
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ovqat | ov-QAT | food, meal |
| non | NON | bread |
| osh | OSH | plov |
| palov | pa-LOV | plov (the written word) |
| shoʻrva | shoʻr-VA | soup |
| guruch | gu-RUCH | rice |
| goʻsht | GOʻSHT | meat |
| tovuq goʻshti | to-VUQ goʻsh-TI | chicken (literally “hen meat”) |
| mol goʻshti | MOL goʻsh-TI | beef |
| qoʻy goʻshti | QOʻY goʻsh-TI | mutton, lamb |
| baliq | ba-LIQ | fish |
| tuxum | tu-KHUM | egg |
Vegetables and fruit
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sabzavot | sab-za-VOT | vegetables |
| sabzi | sab-ZI | carrot |
| piyoz | pi-YOZ | onion |
| kartoshka | kar-TOSH-ka | potato |
| pomidor | po-mi-DOR | tomato |
| bodring | bod-RING | cucumber |
| meva | me-VA | fruit |
| olma | ol-MA | apple |
| uzum | u-ZUM | grapes |
| qovun | qo-VUN | melon |
| tarvuz | tar-VUZ | watermelon |
Drinks, seasoning and two useful sentences
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| suv | SUV | water |
| choy | CHOY | tea |
| sut | SUT | milk |
| qatiq | qa-TIQ | qatiq (soured milk, close to plain yoghurt) |
| sharbat | shar-BAT | juice |
| shakar | sha-KAR | sugar |
| tuz | TUZ | salt |
| Men goʻsht yemayman. | MEN GOʻSHT ye-may-MAN | I don’t eat meat. |
| Qornim och. | qor-NIM OCH | I am hungry. |
| Qornim toʻq. | qor-NIM TOʻQ | I am full. |
Eating and drinking: yemoq and ichmoq
- yemoq (to eat), present: men yeyman, sen yeysan, u yeydi, biz yeymiz, siz yeysiz, ular yeydi. Siz osh yeysizmi? means “do you eat plov?”
- ichmoq (to drink), present: men ichaman, sen ichasan, u ichadi, biz ichamiz, siz ichasiz, ular ichadi. Choy ichasizmi? means “do you drink tea?”
- Negative: add -ma- straight after the verb stem: yemayman (I don’t eat), yemaysiz (you don’t eat), ichmayman (I don’t drink), ichmaysiz (you don’t drink). Men sut ichmayman means “I don’t drink milk”.
- Qornim och is qorin (stomach) + -im (my) + och (hungry), literally “my stomach is hungry”; qorin drops its i before -im. The same pattern gives Qornim toʻq (I am full).
A short conversation
A: Assalomu alaykum. Choy ichasizmi?
Hello. Do you drink tea?
B: Ha, rahmat. Choy ichaman.
Yes, thank you. I drink tea.
A: Shakar kerakmi?
Do you need sugar?
B: Yoʻq, shakarsiz ichaman.
No, I drink it without sugar.
A: Goʻsht yeysizmi? Shoʻrva bor.
Do you eat meat? There is soup.
B: Yoʻq, men goʻsht yemayman, lekin baliq yeyman.
No, I don’t eat meat, but I eat fish.
A: Yaxshi. Mana, non va meva.
Good. Here, bread and fruit.
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.
