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.

[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.