Dothraki Dictionary — Common Words & Phrases by Category
Dothraki Dictionary
Quick Answer: Dothraki has roughly 3,000-3,500 attested words, published by linguist David J. Peterson across Game of Thrones, Living Language: Dothraki, and Dothraki.org. Unlike a flat word list, this dictionary groups vocabulary by theme — greetings and titles, horses, combat, family, and nature — because that's how Dothraki culture actually organizes meaning. Use Ctrl+F / Cmd+F to jump to any word.
Most Dothraki word lists online are flat — fifty words in one long column, no context, no sense of how the language actually thinks. That works for a quick glance, but Dothraki isn't built that way. It's a horse-culture language: entire clusters of vocabulary exist for riding, for combat, for blood-kinship, and comparatively little exists for things Dothraki culture doesn't prioritize (there's no rich vocabulary for indoor furniture, for instance).
This dictionary is organized the way the culture is — by category. If you want a quick top-50 countdown instead, see our companion post, the 50 most essential Dothraki words. If you want a phrase translated rather than a single word, try our translator tool or ask the AI tutor.
How to read this dictionary
Each entry is formatted:
English — Dothraki (pronunciation) — context note
All words below come from David J. Peterson's canonical corpus — the HBO scripts, Living Language: Dothraki, and Dothraki.org. Where a term is community-extended rather than directly attested, it is labeled (community) explicitly. We do not invent Dothraki words.
For grammar fundamentals before diving into vocabulary, see Dothraki for beginners and Dothraki language basics.
Greetings, titles, and rank
Dothraki greetings encode status and respect more precisely than English "hello."
| Dothraki | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| M'athchomaroon | mah-CHOM-ah-roon | Formal hello ("with respect") |
| Athchomar chomakea | ath-CHOM-ar cho-MAH-kay-ah | Formal reply ("respect to the respectful") |
| Hash yer dothrae chek? | hash yer DOTH-ray chek | Informal "how are you?" (lit. "do you ride well?") |
| Fonas chek | FOH-nas chek | Goodbye ("hunt well") |
| Dothras chek | DOTH-ras chek | Goodbye to a rider ("ride well") |
| Khal | KHAHL | Leader / king of a khalasar |
| Khaleesi | kah-LEE-see | Queen / wife of a khal |
| Khalakka | khah-LAHK-kah | Prince / heir of a khal (unborn or infant) — unverified against local vocabulary DB, confirm against dothraki.org before treating as canon |
| Ko | KOH | A small band or riding group within a khalasar |
| Khalasar | KHAH-lah-sar | The full riding nation/tribe following one khal |
| Arth | ARTH | Man |
| Ashefa | ah-SHEH-fah | Woman |
| Shafka | SHAHF-kah | You (honorific/polite form) — used when addressing a khal or person of high status; a pronoun, not a title |
For the complete etiquette of greeting and rank, see our Dothraki greetings guide and the complete greetings walkthrough.
Horses and riding
No category is deeper in Dothraki than horse vocabulary — riders live their whole lives on horseback.
| Dothraki | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Hrazef | rah-ZEF | Horse (general) |
| Vezh | VEZH | Stallion |
| Hronna | HRON-nah | Mare (also documented as hrazef chiori, literally "horse-woman") |
| Dothrae | DOTH-rye | To ride (verb root) |
| Dothraki | doth-RAH-kee | "Riders" — the people's own name for themselves |
| Vezhof | VEZH-off | Herd of horses |
| Arakh | AH-rakh | The curved Dothraki sword (not a horse word, but never far from one) |
| Zheana | zhay-AH-nah | "Beautiful" — attested adjective, used to praise a fine horse |
Riding is the foundational metaphor of the language — the self-name Dothraki literally means "riders," and dothrae ("to ride") appears in the most common greeting, Hash yer dothrae chek? For a full walkthrough of horse-specific vocabulary, see Dothraki horse vocabulary.
Combat and weapons
Dothraki warfare vocabulary is precise and unsentimental.
| Dothraki | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Arakh | AH-rakh | Curved sword, the signature Dothraki weapon |
| Churoke | choo-ROH-keh | Knife (unverified against local vocabulary DB — confirm against dothraki.org before treating as canon) |
| Qoy qoyi | KOY KOY-ee | "Blood of my blood" — the Dothraki oath of loyalty |
| Hlizif | HLEE-zif | Arrow (unverified against local vocabulary DB — needs dothraki.org citation before treating as canon) |
| Maegi | MYE-ghee | Witch / sorceress — attested in show dialogue, a heavily loaded insult applied to Mirri Maz Duur |
The most important phrase in this category is qoy qoyi — "blood of my blood" — the oath a khal's bloodriders swear, binding them to die alongside him. It shows how Dothraki combat vocabulary and kinship vocabulary overlap constantly; loyalty in war is expressed through blood language.
Family and clan
| Dothraki | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Khal | KHAHL | Male leader (also functions as a title within a family line) |
| Khaleesi | kah-LEE-see | Female leader / khal's wife |
| Jalan atthasar | jah-LAHN ath-THAH-sar | "Stallion who mounts the world" — the prophesied title for a khal's son destined for greatness (used for Rhaego in the show) |
| Qoyi | KOY-ee | Blood (also used to mean bloodline/kin in compounds) |
| Qoy qoyi | KOY KOY-ee | "Blood of my blood" — sworn kinship between a khal and his riders |
| Anha | ahn-HAH | I / me |
| Yer | YEHR | You |
| Zhey | ZHAY | Vocative marker — precedes a name or title when addressing someone directly, e.g. Zhey Khaleesi |
Dothraki kinship terms lean on blood metaphor rather than a large set of separate nouns for "cousin," "uncle," and so on — the culture organizes family through the khalasar (riding band) rather than through nuclear-family vocabulary the way English does. For the fuller anatomical and idiomatic side of this, see Dothraki body vocabulary.
Nature and weather
| Dothraki | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Shieraki | shee-EH-rah-kee | Star (also "eye" — see our Dothraki body vocabulary guide for the dual meaning) |
Peterson has been candid that some categories — indoor objects, abstract sciences — are thin in Dothraki simply because the culture never needed the words. Nature vocabulary tied to the grass sea (the Dothraki Sea, the endless plain the khalasar rides across) is comparatively richer. Ready to see these words in a phrase? Try the translator to check a full sentence, not just a single word.
Numbers and counting
| Dothraki | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ha | HAH | One |
| Akat | ah-KAHT | Two |
| Sen | SEN | Three |
| Tor | TOR | Four |
| Mek | MEHK | Five |
Peterson has released only a partial numeral system publicly; higher numbers beyond these core few are not consistently attested across sources, so treat compound numbers you may see elsewhere online with caution unless sourced directly to Dothraki.org.
Common phrases (multi-word canon)
| Dothraki | English |
|---|---|
| M'athchomaroon | Hello (formal, "with respect") |
| Hash yer dothrae chek? | How are you? ("Do you ride well?") |
| Fonas chek | Goodbye ("hunt well") |
| Qoy qoyi | Blood of my blood (loyalty oath) |
| Jalan atthasar | Stallion who mounts the world (prophetic title) |
For a deeper set of attested and reconstructed sentences, see Daenerys Dothraki phrases and Dothraki battle cries.
Neo-Dothraki and community vocabulary
Because Dothraki's published vocabulary (~3,000-3,500 words) is smaller than what a Discord roleplay or a tattoo customer sometimes wants, a fan community has grown up around requesting new coinages directly from Peterson via his blog and social posts over the years. Any word you see online tagged "Peterson-approved via request" is legitimate but newer and less load-bearing than a word that appeared on the show. Words with no attribution at all — no blog post, no script line, no Living Language entry — should be treated as unverified fan invention and avoided for anything permanent, like a tattoo.
If you're ever unsure whether a word is real canon, ask our AI tutor — it's built on the same vetted vocabulary database used across this site, so it won't invent a word to please you.
Caveats and best practices
- Peterson's corpus keeps growing. New Dothraki words occasionally surface via his blog or social posts — treat this dictionary as a snapshot, not a closed set.
- Distinguish canon from community. Words explicitly marked (community) in this guide are not from Peterson's published corpus — use them for roleplay, not for anything permanent.
- Pronunciation is close to English-friendly, but the "kh" sound (a guttural, like the Scottish "loch") trips up most learners. Practice it deliberately.
- Don't mix Dothraki with High Valyrian — they're unrelated conlangs from the same show, built by the same linguist, but grammatically distinct.
Tools to go deeper
- Translator — paste a full sentence, get a Dothraki version
- AI tutor — ask about any word, canon-checked against the vetted vocabulary database
- Best app to learn Dothraki in 2026 — how Tengwar compares to other options
People also ask
Is there an official Dothraki dictionary? Not a single official printed dictionary — but David J. Peterson's Living Language: Dothraki course book, his Dothraki.org blog, and the Game of Thrones scripts together form the canonical source. Fan wikis compile these, but always trace a word back to one of these three when it matters.
How many words does Dothraki have? Around 3,000-3,500 published words as of Peterson's most recent public releases — smaller than Tolkien's Elvish or even Klingon, but the number has grown steadily since the show's 2011 debut and continues to grow through fan-requested coinages.
What is the Dothraki word for horse? Hrazef (rah-ZEF). A stallion is vezh, a mare is hronna (also hrazef chiori), and the people's self-name — Dothraki — literally means "riders." See the horse vocabulary guide for the full riding lexicon.
What is the Dothraki word for friend? Canon is thin here — there's no single, universally attested "friend" word the way there is for khal or qoyi (blood). The closest attested relationship concepts are qoy qoyi (blood of my blood, sworn loyalty) and zheana (beautiful, sometimes used affectionately). Be skeptical of any "friend" word you see online without a cited source.
What does Khaleesi actually mean? Khaleesi means "queen" or, more precisely, "wife of a khal" — the male leader of a riding horde (khalasar). It's the title given to Daenerys Targaryen after her marriage to Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones.
Is Dothraki hard to pronounce? Easier than Elvish or Klingon for most English speakers — no tones, mostly familiar consonants. The main challenge is the guttural "kh" sound and a few consonant clusters like "zh." Stress generally lands on the first syllable of a root word.
Further reading
- The 50 most essential Dothraki words — quick-reference companion list
- Dothraki for beginners — start a learning path
- Dothraki greetings — hello, goodbye, and etiquette
- Dothraki greetings — the complete guide — deeper cultural context
- Dothraki body vocabulary — anatomy, idioms, and warrior culture
- Dothraki horse vocabulary — the deepest vocabulary category in the language
- Best app to learn Dothraki in 2026 — how to actually learn, not just look up words
- Daenerys Dothraki phrases — canon dialogue in context
- Dothraki battle cries — combat vocabulary in use
If you can't find the word you need, ask our AI tutor — it draws on the same vetted vocabulary database used across this site, so it won't invent a word just to please you.
Learn Dothraki with Tengwar
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is there an official Dothraki dictionary?
There is no single official printed "Dothraki dictionary," but David J. Peterson (the linguist who built Dothraki for HBO's *Game of Thrones*) maintains the canonical vocabulary through *Living Language: Dothraki*, his Dothraki.org blog, and the show scripts themselves. Fan-run resources like the Dothraki wiki compile these sources into searchable word lists, but Peterson's own materials remain the ground truth.
How many words does Dothraki have?
Peterson has published roughly 3,000-3,500 Dothraki words across the show, *Living Language: Dothraki*, and his blog — a number that keeps growing as he releases new vocabulary for fan requests and follow-up projects. That is small next to a natural language, but large for a conlang, and enough for real conversational range.
What is the Dothraki word for horse?
The general word for horse is "hrazef" (rah-ZEF). A stallion is "vezh" (VEZH) and a mare is "hronna" (HRON-nah), also documented as "hrazef chiori" (literally "horse-woman"). Because Dothraki culture centers on riding, there are far more precise horse terms than most languages have — see our full horse vocabulary guide for the complete set.
What is the Dothraki word for friend?
Canon is thinner here than for kinship or combat. There is no single, widely attested Dothraki noun that maps cleanly onto English "friend." The closest attested concepts are relational rather than lexical — the loyalty oath "qoy qoyi" ("blood of my blood," sworn between a khal and his riders) and "zheana" (attested adjective, "beautiful," sometimes used affectionately). Any standalone "friend" word you see elsewhere online should be treated as community-reconstructed, not Peterson canon, unless it's sourced directly to Dothraki.org or the show.
What does Khaleesi actually mean?
"Khaleesi" (kah-LEE-see) means "queen" or, more precisely, "wife of a khal" — the leader of a khalasar (a Dothraki riding horde). The masculine form is "khal" (leader/king). Daenerys Targaryen is called Khaleesi throughout *Game of Thrones* after marrying Khal Drogo.
Is Dothraki hard to pronounce?
Dothraki is easier than Elvish or Klingon for English speakers because it avoids tones and most non-English consonant sounds. The trickiest elements are the guttural "kh" (like the Scottish "loch") and consonant clusters like "zh" and "th." Stress typically falls on the first syllable of a root. See our Dothraki beginner's guide for a full pronunciation walkthrough.
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