Klingon/English dictionary of Klingon words

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This English dictionary of Klingon words lists tlhIngan Hol vocabulary and explains their meaning in English. Unlike a traditional dictionary, this dictionary separates words into a few sections, including nouns, pronouns, and curses; other words go into a General section.

Be mindful of the difference between the letters I and l. Klingon is case-sensitive and does not use a lower-case i; as these letters appear similar on many sans-serif fonts, the use of a serif font may make reading a little easier.

Contents

[edit] Curses

In the Star Trek series, Klingons regard cursing in the Klingon language as a fine art; those with mastery of this facet of tlhIngon Hol gain respect among Klingons. More importantly, the Klingon language supplies a lot of curses in comparison to English; for convenience, expletives are listed separate from other vocabulary. You will likely use these more often than other vocabulary when speaking with those not familiar with tlhIngon Hol.

[edit] Invectives

These are general invectives.

  • baQa', excl.: General invective.
  • ghay'cha', excl.: A general invective; "Damn it!"
  • ghuy', excl.: General invective; "Damn."
  • ghuy'cha', guy'cha, excl.: A general invective. Stronger than ghay'cha'.
  • Hu'tegh, excl.: General invective, similar to "damn." You Hu'tegh bastard!
  • jay', int.: Intensifier, turns the whole phrase into an invective. It comes at the very end of a sentence. Similar function to modifying "what is going on here" into "what the hell is going on here in English. bIlel jay'
  • QI'yaH, excl.: Curse, very strong expletive. One of the strongest in the Klingon language.
  • Qu'vatlh, excl.: A construction of Qu' and vatlh; literally, "A hundred tasks." A strong expletive used to express frustration, such as with having too many tasks and not enough resources to complete them reasonably.
  • va, excl.: A shortened form of Qu'vatlh. This functions as a less intense expression of frustration.

[edit] Epithets

Epithets supply a method of insulting a person or thing; a speaker uses them as derogatory replacements for nouns and pronouns.

  • baktag, n.: Unspecified insult. What's the difference between a lawyer and a bucket of baktag? The bucket!
  • bIHnuch, n.: "You coward." A strong insult.
  • HoH, n.: "Shit." Bile, slime, gall.
  • petaQ, excl.: Epithet; similar to "bastard" or "asshole." Throw that petaQ out.
  • Qovpatlh, excl.: Epithet; possibly indicates insignificance of target. Don't bother asking that Qovpatlh; he is an idiot.
  • taHqeq, excl.: Epithet; insult to one's honor, possibly indicates a lack of trustworthiness in the target.
  • toDSaH, excl.: Epithet; possibly indicating weakness, as if the target worries about someone coming to their rescue; wimp, wuss.
  • yIntagh, excl.: Epithet; possibly a direct attack on the target's intelligence.

[edit] Numbers

  • pagh: Zero.
  • wa': One.
  • cha': Two.
  • wej: Three.
  • loS: Four.
  • vagh: Five.
  • jav: Six
  • Soch: Seven.
  • chorgh: Eight.
  • Hut: Nine.
  • maH: Appended to numbers to indicate tens. wa'maH (10), wejmaH (30), loSmaH cha' (42).
  • vatlh: Appended to numbers to indicate hundreds. wa'vatlh (100), vaghvatlh vaghmaH vagh (555).
  • SaD, SanID: Appended to numbers to indicate thousands. HutSaD (9000), loSSanID loS (4004).
  • netlh: Appended to numbers to indicate ten thousands.
  • bIp: Appended to numbers to indicate hundred thousands.
  • 'uy': Appended to numbers to indicate millions.

[edit] Pronouns

Klingon employs two systems of pronouns; the section on Klingon grammar explains pronominal prefixes, while this one explains simple pronouns. Remember, Klingon grammar structure for transitive verbs is [target] [verb] [actor]; so "I see" is jIlegh jIH, and "you see me" is jIH cholegh soH.

  • jIH, pn.: I, me.
  • maH, pn.: We, us.
  • SoH, pn.: You.
  • tlhIH, pn.: You (plural).
  • ghaH, pn.: He/she, him/her. Gender is given in context.
  • chaH, pn.: They/them; plural of ghaH.
  • 'oH, pn.: It.
  • bIH, pn.: They/them; plural of 'oH.
  • 'e', pn.: That, referring to the previous part of the sentence; the English sentence, "No one knows that I can read Klingon," uses the English verb 'that' to perform this function.
  • net, pn.: That, referring to the previous part of the sentence. net is used when a third party is involved.

[edit] General

  • Hol, n.: Language, as in tlhIngon Hol for Klingon language.
  • maj, adj.: Good.
  • nuqneH: A standard Klingon greeting; literally, "What do you want?" Ask this only when approached, never when approaching.
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