Language and useful phrases

Which languages are spoken

Uzbek is the state language and is officially written in the Latin alphabet, though Cyrillic signs are still everywhere. In Karakalpakstan, Karakalpak also has official status, and many families in Samarkand and Bukhara speak Tajik.

Russian is widely used in the cities, on transport and in business — a few Russian words go a long way: «Здравствуйте» (zdrastvuyte, hello), «Спасибо» (spasibo, thank you), «Сколько стоит?» (skolko stoit, how much?). Hotel and tourism staff and young people often speak good English, but it is rarely understood in villages.

Pronunciation tips

x is a throaty «kh» as in Scottish «loch»; q is a hard «k» from the back of the throat; oʻ sits between «o» and «u»; gʻ is a soft, throaty «gh», close to a French «r»; ch and sh are as in «church» and «shop».

Greetings and courtesies

Assalomu alaykum — hello (the reply is Vaalaykum assalom).

Rahmat / katta rahmat — thank you / thank you very much. Iltimos — please. Kechirasiz — excuse me, sorry.

Ha — yes. Yoʻq — no. Xayr — goodbye. Yaxshimisiz? — how are you?

Bazaar, restaurant and road

Qancha turadi? — how much is it? Qimmat — expensive. Arzonroq boʻladimi? — can you make it cheaper?

Hisobni olib keling — the bill, please. Mazali! — delicious! Suv, non, choy — water, bread, tea.

…qayerda? — where is …? Hojatxona — toilet. Vokzal, aeroport, bekat — station, airport, stop. Mehmonxona — hotel.

In an emergency

Yordam bering! — help! Dorixona — pharmacy. Shifoxona — hospital. Politsiya — police.

Tushunmadim — I don't understand. Inglizcha gapirasizmi? — do you speak English?

Numbers: bir (1), ikki (2), uch (3), toʻrt (4), besh (5), olti (6), yetti (7), sakkiz (8), toʻqqiz (9), oʻn (10), yuz (100), ming (1000).