Kaltxì nìmun, ma frapo!
Here, at long last, is the complete list of Reef Na’vi words with u or ù. As we now know, Reef Na’vi (RN) distinguishes u (as in English food) and ù (as in English good), while Forest Na’vi (FN) does not. So for every word in FN that contains a u, we have to find out whether the corresponding word in RN has u or ù. This list allows us to do that.
A few things to note:
To make the differences stand out clearly, I’ve used boldface for the words that have ù.
If the only u in a word is at the end, it’s not on this list, since final u’s are never (well, hardly ever!) ù. We may eventually see an exception or two to this rule, but there aren’t any in the vocabulary we’ve had so far.
In keeping with the rules of RN pronunciation, I’ve omitted the tìftang if it occurs between vowels. So, for example, on this list the word for ‘sentence’ is written lìukìng, not lì’ukìng, since that’s how it’s pronounced in RN. Other pronunciation differences from FN, however, have not been indicated.
Finally, for those of you who know Fya’o Payä well, see if you agree with me about how the Reef people pronounce the words for ‘sanctuary’ and ‘tulkun.’ I hear them as utùru and tùlkun respectively, but if you hear them differently, please let me know!
Also, if you notice any errors or inconsistencies in this list, please let me know that as well.
For convenience, here are two docs you can download, one with the complete list you see below and the other with only the words containing ù.
Hayalovay, ma eylan!
EDIT July 23, 2023 3:00 PM PDT: With the help of some sharp-eyed readers (irayo, ma eylan!), I’ve corrected some errors and added some missing items. The list below along with the documents for downloading incorporate the following changes from the original versions.
EDIT July 26: Our intrepid linguistic sleuths discovered two more needed corrections and one more missing item. I’ve made these changes below and in the documents above (rev2). Irayo nìmun, ma smuk! Hopefully we now have definitive versions of the RN u/ù list for all the vocabulary we’ve seen so far.
EDIT July 26 #2: ’Ä’! Poltxe oe ye’krr nìhawng. I spoke too soon. A couple more excellent comments indicated there are further corrections and additions to be made. Oh well . . . I’ll get to those as soon as I can. Thanks for your diligence, ma frapo!
CORRECTED ITEMS
feul
fìmuntrr
huru
kùng
mùngwrrI’ll
mùngwrrtxo
numùltxa
numùltxatu
peekxinùm
snùmìna
tìmùngwrr
tìtunu
tìtsyul
txansngum
txukxefu
uniltìrantokx
uniltìrantokxolo’
zup
ADDED ITEMS
ketsuktswa’
muwìntxu
ngimpùp
omùm
sunu
tìterkup
tsùktswa’
tsùkyom
txekxùmpay
ùltxatu
| ’avùn | save |
| ’ekxinùm | tightness |
| ’okvur | history |
| ’opinsùng | color |
| ’opinvultsyìp | crayon |
| ’ul | increase |
| ’ùmtsa | medicine |
| ’uo | something |
| ’upe | what |
| ’ùpxare | message |
| ’ùr | appearance |
| ’ur | thing (dative) |
| am’aluke | without a doubt |
| Amhul | (name) |
| Anùk | (name) |
| Anurai | (clan name) |
| Aonung | (name) |
| Artsùt | (name) |
| aungia | omen |
| äzanluke | voluntarily |
| eltungawng | brainworm |
| eolìuvi | prefix |
| Europa | Europe |
| Eytukan | (name) |
| fayluta | these words that |
| fe’lùp | tacky |
| feul | worsen |
| fewtusok | opposite |
| Fekum | drawback |
| fekumnga’ | disadvantageous |
| fìmuntrr | this weekend |
| fkarùt | peel |
| flìnutx | thickness |
| fnetxùm | kind of poison |
| fngapsutxwll | metal-following plant |
| ftue | easy |
| ftumfa | out of |
| ftuopa | from behind |
| ftxulìu | orate |
| ftxulìuyu | orator |
| fuke | or not |
| fula | that |
| fura | that |
| furia | that |
| futa | that |
| fwum | float |
| fyawìntxuyu | guide |
| fyìpmaut | squid fruit tree |
| fyolùp | exquisite |
| fyuatx | anemonoid |
| hangvur | joke |
| hiùp | spit |
| hìrumwll | puffer plant |
| hufwa | although |
| hufwe | wind |
| hufwetsyìp | breeze |
| hùltstxem | hinder |
| hùm | leave |
| hum | results |
| hupx | miss |
| huru | cooking pot |
| huta | unexpected |
| ikùt | large pestle |
| Kamun | (name) |
| karyunay | apprentice teacher |
| kavùk | treachery |
| kawnomùm | unknown |
| kawtu | nobody |
| kämùnge | take |
| Kekunan | (clan name) |
| keltsùn | impossible |
| Kelutral | Hometree |
| kemlìuvi | verb infix |
| kemuia | dishonor |
| kemuianga’ | dishonor |
| kerusey | dead |
| ketsùkanom | unavailable |
| ketsùklewn | unbearable |
| ketsùktiam | uncountable |
| ketsùktswa’ | unforgettable |
| ketuwong | alien |
| keykùr | hang |
| keyeùng | insanity |
| kllkulat | dig up |
| koaktutral | goblin thistle |
| komùm | don’t know |
| koùm | curved |
| kuùp | heavy |
| kulat | reveal |
| kum | result |
| kuma | that |
| kùnsìp | gunship |
| kùng | putrid |
| kùr | hang |
| kurakx | drive out |
| kùrfyan | hamper |
| kùrfyavi | hook |
| kurkùng | asshole |
| kuru | queue |
| kxuke | safe |
| kxukx | swallow |
| kxùm | viscous |
| kxùmpay | gel |
| kxùmpaysyar | glue |
| kxutu | enemy |
| laùm | pretend |
| lanutral | dandetiger |
| lekyeùng | insane |
| lenomùm | curious |
| lepxìmrun | common |
| letùt | constant |
| letsùnslu | possible |
| letxiluke | unhurried |
| lìukìng | sentence |
| lìukìngvi | phrase |
| lìupam | pronunciation |
| lìupe | what (word) |
| lìuvan | pun |
| lìuvi | affix |
| loakùr | amulet |
| lonusye | exhale |
| luke | without |
| lukftang | continual |
| lukpen | naked |
| lumpe | why |
| lun | reason |
| lùpra | style |
| mawup | turtapede |
| mauti | fruit |
| meoauniaea | harmony |
| meuia | honor |
| meuianga’ | honorable |
| mikyun | ear |
| mu’ni | achieve |
| muiä | proper |
| mulpxar | roosterhead plant |
| mùn’i | cut |
| mune | two |
| munsna | pair |
| muntrr | weekend |
| muntxa | mated |
| muntxatan | husband |
| muntxate | wife |
| mùnge | bring |
| mùngsye | inhale |
| mùngwrr | except |
| mùngwrrtxo | unless |
| muve | second |
| muwìntxu | introduce |
| nalutsa | k.o. animal |
| nawmtorùktek | totem |
| newomùm | curious |
| nìul | more |
| nìul’ul | increasingly |
| nìawnomùm | as is known |
| nìftue | easily |
| nìktùngzup | carefully |
| nìlun | of course |
| nìmun | again |
| nìpxul | formidably |
| nìsngum | worryingly |
| nìsùng | furthermore |
| nìt’iluke | forever |
| nìtkanluke | accidentally |
| nìtùt | always |
| nìtxiluke | unhurriedly |
| nìtxukx | deeply |
| nìTsyùngwen | in Mandarin |
| nuä | beyond |
| nui | falter |
| nulkrr | longer (time) |
| nulnew | prefer |
| nume | learn |
| numtseng | school |
| numtsengvi | classroom |
| numùltxa | class |
| numùltxatu | classmate |
| nutx | thick |
| ngimpùp | length |
| ngul | grey |
| ngulpin | grey |
| ngùngùng | rub |
| nguway | viperwolf cry |
| okùp | milk |
| omùm | know |
| palukan | thanator |
| palulukan | thanator |
| palukantsyìp | cat |
| pamrelvul | pen |
| pamuvan | sound play |
| parùl | miracle |
| parùlnga’ | miraculous |
| parùltsyìp | (term of affection) |
| pasùk | berry |
| paysmùng | water carrier |
| paysyul | water lily |
| pänutìng | promise |
| peùn | decide |
| peekxinùm | how tight? |
| pelun | why |
| pinvul | crayon |
| prrnesyul | bud |
| Prrsmùng | baby carrier |
| pùk | book |
| pùktsyìp | booklet |
| pukap | six |
| pùm | thing possessed |
| pung | injure |
| pùp | short |
| pupxì | one-sixth |
| puve | sixth |
| puvol | 48 |
| pxasùl | fresh |
| pxawpxun | armband |
| pxiut | razor palm |
| pxìmùn’i | divide |
| pxul | imposing |
| pxun | arm |
| pxuntil | elbow |
| raùn | surrender |
| ramunong | well |
| raspu’ | leggings |
| räptùm | vulgar |
| relvul | pen |
| renulke | irregular |
| reypaytun | red |
| ronguway | howl |
| ronguwayyu | howler |
| rum | ball |
| rumaut | cannonball fruit |
| rumut | puffball tree |
| run | find |
| rùrùr | k.o. waterfall |
| rusey | alive |
| rutxe | please |
| satu’li | heritage |
| säfeul | worsening |
| säftxulìu | oration |
| sämùnge | transportation device |
| sänui | failure |
| sänume | instruction |
| sänumvi | lesson |
| säomùm | information |
| säsulìn | hobby |
| sätsan’ul | improvement |
| säwäsul | competition |
| säwäsultsyìp | contest |
| sempul | father |
| skuka | Sagittaria |
| Slukx | horn |
| snanumùltxa | course |
| snolùp | personal style |
| snùmìna | dim |
| sngukx | grub plant |
| sngum | worry |
| sngumtsim | source of worry |
| sngunga’ | troubling |
| sosùl | pleasant smell |
| spule | propel |
| spulmokri | telephone |
| spulyaney | canoe paddle |
| spuwin | old |
| sru’ | crush |
| srùng | help |
| srùnga’ | helpful |
| srùngtsyìp | tip |
| stùm | almost |
| stxenutìng | offer |
| sulìn | be busy |
| sum | shell |
| sumsey | drinking vessel |
| sunkesun | like it or not |
| sunu | be pleasing |
| sùng | add |
| sur | taste |
| susyang | fragile |
| sutx | track, follow |
| Swotulu | (river name) |
| Syaksyùk | prolemuris |
| syeptute | hyneman |
| syokùp | weight |
| syulang | flower |
| syura | energy |
| syuratan | bioluminescence |
| syusmùng | tray |
| syuve | food |
| syuvekel | famine |
| Taunui | (clan name) |
| takùk | strike |
| Takuk | (name) |
| talun(a) | because |
| talun | due to |
| tautral | sky tree |
| tawsyuratan | aurora |
| tawtute | human |
| täftxuyu | weaver |
| terkùp | die |
| teylupil | (insult) |
| tìiluke | endless |
| tìul | increase |
| tìfeul | worsening |
| tìfnunga’ | quiet |
| tìhawnuwll | spartan |
| tìkxuke | safety |
| tìlaùm | pretence |
| tìmu’ni | achievement |
| tìmuntxa | mating |
| tìmùngwrr | exception |
| tìnomùm | curiosity |
| tìnui | failure |
| tìomùm | knowledge |
| tìpeùn | decision |
| tìpxul | imposingness |
| tìraùn | surrender |
| tìsùng | addition |
| tìterkùp | death |
| tìtunu | romance |
| tìtxantslusam | wisdom |
| tìtxukxefu | concern |
| tìtxùla | construction |
| tìtxur | strength |
| tìtxurnga’ | powerful |
| tìtsan’ul | improvement |
| tìtsùkanom | availability |
| tìtstunwi | kindness |
| tìtstunwinga’ | kind |
| tìtsùnslu | possibility |
| tìtsyul | beginning |
| tìwäsul | competition |
| torùk | great leonopteryx |
| torùkspxam | octoshroom |
| Tuk | (name) |
| Tuke | (name) |
| tùkru | spear |
| Tuktirey | (name) |
| tul | run |
| tùlkun | k.o. sea creature |
| tumpasùk | celia fruit tree |
| tumpin | red/orange |
| tun | red/orange |
| tunu | romantic |
| tunutu | object of desire |
| tùng | allow |
| tùngzup | drop |
| tùp | instead of |
| tupe | who? |
| tùt | (continuation) |
| tutampe | who? |
| tutan | man |
| tute | person |
| tuté | woman |
| tuteo | someone |
| tutepe | who? |
| tutsena | stretcher |
| tuvom | greatest of all |
| tuvon | lean |
| txansngum | desperation |
| txantur | powerful |
| txasunu | love greatly |
| txekxùmpay | lava |
| txeptun | orange |
| txewluke | endless |
| txopunil | nightmare |
| txukx | deep |
| txukxefu | care |
| txùla | build |
| txùm | poison |
| txùmnga’ | poisonous |
| txùmpaywll | scorpion thistle |
| txùmtsä’wll | baja tickler |
| txung | disturb |
| txur | strong |
| txurtel | rope |
| txurtu | brawny person |
| txurtseng | fortress |
| tsalsungay | nevertheless |
| tsamkùk | war drum |
| tsan’ul | improve |
| tsankum | benefit |
| tsankumnga’ | advantageous |
| tsap’alute | apology |
| tsawksyul | sun lily |
| tsawlùltxa | conference |
| tseltsùl | whitewater rapids |
| tsmuk | sibling |
| tsmukan | brother |
| tsmuke | sister |
| tsmuktu | sibling |
| tsrul | nest |
| tstunkem | favor |
| tstunkemtsyìp | little favor |
| tstunwi | kind |
| tstxolìukìngvi | noun phrase |
| tsuo | ability |
| Tsu’tey | (name) |
| tsùkanom | available |
| tsùkmong | reliable |
| tsùktswa’ | forgettable |
| tsuksìm | chin |
| tsùkx | stab |
| tsùkyom | edible |
| tsùlfä | mastery |
| tsùlfätu | expert |
| tsùlfätunay | near-master |
| tsùn | be able |
| tsun | heel |
| tsùnslu | be possible |
| tsùpx | scratch |
| tsurak | Skimwing |
| tsurokx | rest |
| tsyul | start |
| ue’ | vomit |
| ùk | shadow |
| ukxo | dry |
| ulte | and |
| ùltxa | meeting |
| ùltxarun | encounter |
| ùltxatu | meeting participant |
| ùm | loose |
| um’a | surprisingly |
| unil | dream |
| uniltaron | Dreamhunt |
| uniltìrantokx | avatar |
| uniltìrantokxolo’ | Avatar community |
| uniltsa | dream of |
| unyor | sweetly aromatic |
| uo | behind |
| uolìuvi | suffix |
| uran | boat |
| utral | tree |
| utraltsyìp | bush |
| Utraya Mokri | Tree of Voices |
| utu | forest canopy |
| utumauti | banana fruit |
| utùru | sanctuary |
| uvan | game |
| värumut | vein pod |
| vitrautral | Tree of Souls |
| vomun | ten |
| Vospxìmun | February |
| Vospxìvomun | October |
| vozampasùkut | grinch tree |
| vul | branch |
| vultsyìp | stick |
| vun | provide |
| vur | story |
| vurway | story poem |
| vurvi | summary |
| wäsul | compete |
| wìntxu | show |
| wùm | approximately |
| wur | cool |
| wutso | meal |
| yawntutsyìp | darling |
| yayotsrul | bird’s nest |
| yuey | beautiful |
| yune | listen to |
| yur | wash |
| zamùnge | bring |
| zeykùp | let fall |
| zìmauyu | newcomer |
| zùm | object |
| zun | if |
| zùng | crouch |
| zup | fall |
| zusawkrr | future |
Kaltxì ma Karyu anawm,
I am so happy to see this list, especially now, just in time for the Reef Na’vi Lesson that happens later during the Na’vi Bootcamp! Then we can link this blogpost 😀 Updating my overview page for Reef Na’vi will be a pain though.
Some things I noticed skimming though the list:
– You deleted ‘ between two vowels because of Riff Na’vi pronunciation, but you still wrote ejectives at the beginning of syllables. Does this have a reason? I think remember you saying somewhere that the change in writing is optional, but it might make sense to write a sentence about that at the beginning as probably many will look at this list for an overview (also people who might not have read old posts/not remember the details, because I’m pretty sure many people will ask for the list and be redirect here) and might get confused there
– I guess, based on the list, the prefix (ke)tsuk- generally is (ke)tsùk- in RN?
– Similarly, the prefix munsna- I guess is also munsna- in RN, given the word munsna? (What a confusing sentence I wrote there)
– How about the infix ? and -ur? I guess the second one stay -ur as it’s a variant of -r(u)?
– Small typo: fe’ul should be feul
Ngaru irayo seiyi nìtxan, I am so happy that we have this list now!
ta Tekre
Wou! Ruso’a tsatìkangkemìri irayo nìtxan! It must have been so much work to go through the entire word list and decide for each one … I mean of course, ask the Metkayina about it 🙂
When entering the ù words into my dictionary, I found a few potential inconsistencies (very few actually considering the size of the list!):
* kurkùng but kung
* mungwrr but mùnge (I’d always assumed mungwrr is from munge + wrrpa, but this may well be incorrect)
* numultxa(tu) but ùltxa and snanumùltxa
* snùmina is written with i, but our dictionaries have ì
* tìtsyùl but tsyul
Also a few words I’d assume to have ù are missing from the list:
* (ke)tsuktswa’ (cf. all other tsùk- words)
* ngimpup (cf. pùp)
* omum (cf. kawnomùm, nìawnomùm, sl.)
* tìterkup (cf. terkùp)
* txekxumpay (cf. kxùmpay)
* ultxatu (cf. ùltxa but numultxatu)
Irrelevant bonus question:
* Are letùt and nìtùt etymologically related to the “continuation marker” tùt?
Tewti! Fìtìkangkemìri irayo nìdan ma Karyu Pawl!
Here is a list of possible errors that I noticed going through the list:
fì’muntrr -> fìmuntrr
cooking pod -> cooking pot
snùmina -> snùmìna
remance -> romance
tsansngum -> txansngum
txukefu -> txukxefu
uniltìrantoxk -> uniltìrantokx
uniltìrantoxkolo’ -> uniltìrantokxolo’
Is txantur actually supposed to be txantxur? (If so, this is a really old error, not introduced by this list.)
Is Utraya Mokri supposed to be Utral Aymokriyä (this is what the dictionaries say)?
tìtsyùl is inconsistent with tsyul.
omùm and sunu seem to be missing.
Doesn’t mungwrr come from munge?
Is tsu’o not related to tsùn?
I always thought that mun’i was related to mune, does this mean that that’s actually not the case?
ta Zángtsuva
Also the word muwìntxu seems to be missing.
I guess tùngzup is supposed to be tùngzùp since it comes from zùp?
And a question: does this mean that LW uses all the same contractions as LN, such as «futa» from «fìuti a»? nìt’iluke is also interesting since tìiluke doesn’t have a tìftang, making the dialect a little more difficult to learn.
And does LW preserve the irregular stress change of omùm even though it’s an uncommon word? If the derivatives all have the same stress as in LN and are perhaps more common than the root word itself then perhaps they would forget that the root has a different stress when used all by itself…
pekxinùm should actually be peekxinùm (peeginùm) shouldn’t it?
Kaltxì ma Karyu Pawl.
I was curious about the translation for Tùlkun and Nalutsa. Do we know the English name for these creatures, by the way?
I also wondered if you have the na’vi names for all the na’vi celebrations like hunt festival, first breath ceremony or the return of the Tùlkun? And if there are other celebrations that we don’t know, what would be their names ?
Faysäplltxeviri irayo nìtxan, ma frapo! I knew there would be some typos and inconsistencies in this big list, and true to form, your sharp eyes found them.
Right now I’m watching the end of the Tour de France, live. As soon as it’s over, I’ll implement the corrections and revise the post, including corrected docs to download.
Tewti, thanks for this thorough list! Everybody else already raised important questions and additions.
The question that stuck with me, after reading the list, was the following:
RN uses mostly “syawm”, not “omum”, kefyak? So would kawnomùm actually find much usage, or does an equivalent containing “syawm” exist for RN?
Hope you enjoyed watching the Tour de France! (I am more of a Formula 1-person, hrh.)
‘ä’, the same goes for komùm, of course, and other derivates of “omum”, resp. “syawm” 🙂
Tì’efumì oeyä: in ‘real’ languages, sometimes root words fall into disuse but retain fossils in their compounds, so I wouldn’t be surprised that RN uses syawm (“shawm”) on its own but has preserved the derivatives like komùm.
Kefyak, ma Karyu?
Wou! Nì’i’a tok fìtsenget tsaylì’ul a /ù/t nga’!
Faylì’uri oeru lu tìpawmtsyìp a’a’aw:
1. With this, is Lì’fya Wionä considered “complete”? Or is there still more to be released?
2. From skimming this list, I noticed most of these ù words feel like ease of pronunciation was the factor. I was pronouncing a lot of them with the ù sound all along as it felt natural. What was your thought process on deciding which words have ù, and was it based on natural mouthfeel like I’m seeing? This would make sense considering in-universe how FN merged these sounds and allowing you to retain the ù in closed syllables.
3. Kùnsìp…eltur tìtxen si. So does that mean ù is now officially the best approximation for the STRUT vowel in loanwords or names?
4. Can’t wait for Lì’fya Txepìvayä!
Hayalovay!
Kaltxì ma Karyu Pawl!
First of all, I have to thank you for this great advancement in the language. 🙂 I will try to learn the list. I also second the good questions that people have posted here.
I hope you enjoyed the Tour de France (with u, not ù hrh).
Hayalovay!
Kaltxì ma Karyu Pawl.
Thank you so much for your hard work!
Finally I can start making the RN version of the little game I started to write.
As I went through my wordlists for that, I found another inconsistency: we have tsùn (be able) but then it is tsuo (ability) shouldn‘t that be tsùo?
I also found one more missing words:
rel arusikx (movie) though that seems to come from rikx (move) with infix -us- but I am still unsure as to how that would be handled.
Hayalovay!
Nìmun irayo nìtxan for the super fast corrections!
I noticed two more minor errors, which I am just noting here for completeness:
* tìmungwrr -> tìmùngwrr
* tsùkyom is missing in the list
Other minor errors:
* Zeykùp is still an ù-word after zup was corrected
* Srùngsiyu is not on the list
Kaldì, ma frapo!
I noticed one last thing: zeykùp wasn’t changed when zùp was changed to zup.
Also, Here is a sorted and hopefully complete list of words that I found in the dictionary but are not on the list of ù-words (preserving glottal stops between vowels):
Unnacounted roots:
kxutslu, lekxutslu, Tsumongwi, Yuesey
Affixes and compounds (ù inserted based on other words):
‘ekxinùmpe, akum, alunta, aysupe, kelpxìmrun, lì’upùk, mesupe, muntrram, muntrray, muntxatu, numeyu, palulukantsyìp, pxesupe, sa’nutsyìp, srùngsiyu, syìmawnùn’i, taronyutsyìp, tìftxulì’u, tìsyìmawnùn’i, tsyìmawnùn’i, trrmuve, trrpuve, tsùkyom, vospxìpuk
Verbs with infixes:
rolun, tìkusar, tìtusaron, tìwusem, tìyuson
Update: The community found that Tsumongwi is not a canon word (the name of the Omatikaya in now-uncanon Project 880 script) and decided to remove it from the dictionary. It doesn’t need ù-clarification.
I was really hoping that there would be crystal or gem in there! I tried to make my own Na’vi word for crystal, mixing colourful (pxayopin) and stone (tskxe) together. Making pxayotskxe. I mean, crystals do have some significance as they can be used on songcords.
Anyway, I am still very happy at these new Na’vi words. You did great! 😀
Thanks for your suggestions! I’ll put “crystal” and “gem” on my list of needed terms.