If you speak Hindi or Urdu, you will hear words in Uzbek that you already know. Both languages took many words from Persian and Arabic, so kitob, shahar and doʻst are not new to you. What is new is the grammar: Uzbek puts small endings on the end of a word, and that is the one idea this page teaches, using the words you already know.
This page is part of Uzbek for medical students, the guide for international and MBBS students in Uzbekistan.
Everyday words
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kitob | ki-TOB | book (Hindi/Urdu kitab, किताब). From Persian, from Arabic. |
| qalam | qa-LAM | pen (Hindi/Urdu qalam, क़लम: “pen; reed pen”). From Arabic. |
| dunyo | dun-YO | world (Hindi/Urdu duniya, दुनिया). From Persian, from Arabic. |
| vaqt | VAQT | time (Hindi/Urdu vaqt, वक़्त). From Persian, from Arabic. |
| havo | ha-VO | air, weather (Hindi/Urdu hava, हवा: “air, wind, breeze”). From Arabic. |
| gul | GUL | flower (Hindi/Urdu gul, गुल). From Persian. |
| zamin | za-MIN | ground, soil (Hindi/Urdu zamin, ज़मीन: “earth, ground”). From Persian. |
| xabar | kha-BAR | news (Hindi/Urdu khabar, ख़बर). From Persian, from Arabic. |
Feelings and ideas
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| doʻst | DOʻST | friend (Hindi/Urdu dost, दोस्त). From Persian. |
| jon | JON | soul, life (Hindi/Urdu jan, जान: “life, soul”). From Persian. |
| umid | u-MID | hope (Hindi/Urdu ummid, उम्मीद: “hope; expectation”). From Persian. |
| muhabbat | mu-hab-BAT | love (Hindi/Urdu muhabbat, मुहब्बत: “love; affection”). From Persian, from Arabic. |
| sabr | SABR | patience (Hindi/Urdu sabr, सब्र). From Arabic. |
| mehnat | meh-NAT | work, labour (Hindi/Urdu mehnat, मेहनत: “effort, labour”). From Arabic. |
| dushman | dush-MAN | enemy (Hindi/Urdu dushman, दुश्मन: “enemy, foe”). From Persian. |
| oson | o-SON | easy (Hindi/Urdu asan, आसान). From Persian. |
At the university and in town
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dars | DARS | lesson, lecture (Urdu dars, درس, Hindi spelling दर्स: “lesson, reading, lecture”). From Arabic. |
| savol | sa-VOL | question (Hindi/Urdu saval, सवाल). From Persian, from Arabic. |
| javob | ja-VOB | answer, response (Hindi/Urdu javab, जवाब: “answer, reply, response”). From Arabic. |
| xat | KHAT | letter (Hindi/Urdu khat, ख़त: “letter, correspondence”). From Persian, from Arabic. |
| hisob | hi-SOB | account, calculation, bill (Hindi/Urdu hisab, हिसाब: “account; calculation; arithmetic; bill”). From Arabic. |
| doʻkon | doʻ-KON | shop, store (Hindi/Urdu dukan, दुकान: “shop”). From Persian, from Arabic. |
| tabib | ta-BIB | doctor, physician (Hindi/Urdu tabib, तबीब: “doctor, physician”). From Arabic. |
| shahar | sha-HAR | city (Hindi/Urdu shahar, शहर). From Persian. |
Words that look familiar but mean something else
These five are shared too, but the meaning has moved. Do not trust the sound here.
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sabzi | sab-ZI | carrot. Hindi/Urdu sabzi (सब्ज़ी) means “vegetable; a prepared vegetable dish”. From Persian. |
| davlat | dav-LAT | state, country. Hindi/Urdu daulat (दौलत) means “wealth, riches”. From Persian, from Arabic. |
| daryo | dar-YO | river. Hindi/Urdu dariya (दरिया) means “sea” (marked poetic, uncommon). From Persian. |
| darvoza | dar-vo-ZA | gate. Hindi/Urdu darvaza (दरवाज़ा) means “door”. From Persian. |
| non | NON | bread. Hindi/Urdu nan (नान) means “naan, a type of round flat bread”. From Persian. |
Putting an Uzbek ending on a word you know
Take a word from the tables and add the ending to the end of it. Where Hindi puts a separate little word beside the noun, Uzbek writes the ending on the noun itself:
- -lar makes it plural: kitob (book), kitoblar (books); doʻst (friend), doʻstlar (friends); savol, savollar (questions).
- -im means “my”: kitobim (my book), doʻstim (my friend), savolim (my question). If the word ends in a vowel, it is just -m: dunyom (my world).
- -da means “in” or “at”: kitobda (in the book), shaharda (in the city), doʻkonda (in the shop), dunyoda (in the world).
- Endings stack in this order: word, then -lar, then “my”, then place. Kitoblarimda means “in my books”. The word itself stays the one you already know.
Meeting a classmate
A: Salom! Men Hindistondanman, ismim Arjun. Bu dars oson boʻladimi?
Hi! I’m from India, my name is Arjun. Will this lesson be easy?
B: Salom, Arjun! Men Dilshod. Ha, oson. Savol boʻlsa, javob beraman.
Hi, Arjun! I’m Dilshod. Yes, it’s easy. If you have a question, I’ll answer.
A: Rahmat, doʻstim! Mening kitobim yoʻq.
Thank you, my friend! I don’t have my book.
B: Mening kitobim bor. Vaqt bor, birga oʻqiymiz.
I have my book. There is time, we’ll read together.
A: Dars soat nechada boshlanadi?
What time does the lesson start?
B: Soat ikkida. Kutubxonada kitoblar koʻp.
At two. There are many books in the library.
Notice doʻstim and kitobim: the same “my” ending, -im, on two words you already knew.
Uzbekcha is being built to help students from India and Pakistan turn the Persian and Arabic words they already know into everyday Uzbek. At launch, lessons are in English and compare Uzbek with your first language. Join the waitlist.