Dothraki Greetings and Phrases from Game of Thrones

Dothraki Greetings and Phrases from Game of Thrones

Quick Answer: The four essential Dothraki greetings are Hash yer dothrae chek? ("are you riding well?" — the everyday hello), M'athchomaroon ("with respect" — the formal greeting), Athchomar chomakaan ("respect to one who is respected" — the high-formal version for khaleesis/khals), and Fonas chek ("hunt well" — the farewell). Every form is documented in Living Language Dothraki (David J. Peterson, 2014).

Dothraki greetings are rooted in the culture of a people constantly in motion — they greet by asking if you're riding well, bid farewell by wishing you a successful hunt, and express respect through a word that's more oath than pleasantry. Learning these phrases is the most immediate way to feel the texture of the language.

Core Greetings

M'athchomaroon — "With respect" or "I greet you with respect." The formal Dothraki greeting. The m' at the start is a contracted preposition (from me, with), athchomaroon relates to the concept of choroon (to respect). This greeting acknowledges the person across from you as deserving of consideration — not as an enemy to overcome or a resource to exploit.

Hash yer dothrae chek? — "Are you riding well?" The casual, everyday greeting. Hash is the question marker, yer is "you," dothrae is the present form of "to ride," chek is "well/good." This phrasing reveals how central riding is to Dothraki identity — to greet someone is to ask about their riding.

M'ath — A shortened version of m'athchomaroon, used between friends or in informal settings.

Common Responses and Conversational Phrases

Fonas chek — "Hunt well." The standard farewell. See our dedicated article for full cultural context.

Athchomar chomakea — "Respect to you who are respected." A reciprocal greeting formula used when someone of high standing greets you — you return their respect by acknowledging them.

Me nem nesa — "It is known." Perhaps the most famous Dothraki phrase in popular culture, used by Khal Drogo's bloodriders as an affirmation when something is declared true. Often preceded by a declaration: "The khal is the strongest — me nem nesa." It functions as a collective endorsement of shared truth.

Dothras chek — "Ride well." A farewell variant of the greeting, wishing someone safe passage.

Essential Everyday Phrases

Dothraki	English
Anha zhilak yera	I love you
Anha vazhak yera	I give you...
Yer chomoe anha	You honor me
Hash yer ray che?	Do you understand?
Anha geme yera	I see you / I recognize you
Jalan atthirari anni	Moon of my life (term of endearment)
Shekh ma shieraki anni	Sun and stars (reciprocal term of endearment)

The last two — jalan atthirari anni and shekh ma shieraki anni — became famous as the terms of endearment between Daenerys and Khal Drogo in the series. They're poetic and evocative: to call someone your "moon of my life" in a culture where the open sky dominates everything is an intimate act.

The Role of Greetings in Dothraki Culture

Unlike Klingon (which has virtually no small talk) or English (where greetings are often formulaic), Dothraki greetings carry genuine social information. How you greet someone — formally with m'athchomaroon or casually with hash yer dothrae chek? — signals your assessment of their status and your relationship with them.

Getting the register wrong isn't just awkward; it can be an insult. Using a casual greeting with someone who expects formal acknowledgment suggests you don't consider them worthy of full respect.

Practice These Phrases

The best way to internalize Dothraki greetings is to use them in context. Find a learning partner, watch Game of Thrones scenes with the dialogue active, and practice responding to hash yer dothrae chek? with an appropriate answer.

Begin your full Dothraki learning journey at learningelvish.com.

People Also Ask

What's the most common Dothraki greeting in the show? Hash yer dothrae chek? ("are you riding well?") — used in over 30 instances across Seasons 1–6. Daenerys says it constantly once she becomes a khaleesi. The informal m'ath appears in close-friend contexts. Formal Athchomar chomakaan is reserved for high-rank scenes (meeting another khal, addressing the dosh khaleen).

How do I respond to "Hash yer dothrae chek?"? The expected answer is Hash yer dothrae chek! with the question mark dropped — affirming that you too are riding well. This mutual-affirmation pattern is the standard Dothraki greeting exchange. A negative answer (vos, "no") signals you're injured, exhausted, or in trouble — and the asker is culturally obligated to help.

Is there a Dothraki word for "thank you"? Not directly. Dothraki doesn't have a single-word equivalent. Instead, gratitude is expressed through respect: San athchomari yeraan ("much respect to you") functions as the de facto thank-you. The cultural value Dothraki encode in language is respect, not gratitude — they assume help is given freely and acknowledge the giver's honor rather than the act of giving.

Can I greet a Dothraki child the same way as an adult? Functionally yes — Dothraki children use the same greetings as adults from young ages (the language doesn't have a "baby talk" register the way English does). However, the cultural expectation is that adults initiate; a child waiting to be greeted first is normal Dothraki etiquette.

Do different khalasars have different greetings? Functionally no — Dothraki is mostly homogeneous across khalasars. Minor accent variations exist (the show's coaching gave each main Dothraki character slightly different stress patterns), but the greeting vocabulary is universal. A khal from the eastern grass sea would greet a khal from the west with the same m'athchomaroon used everywhere.

Are Dothraki greetings gendered? Mostly not. Hash yer dothrae chek? and m'athchomaroon are gender-neutral. The "moon of my life" / "sun and stars" endearment pair is gendered by tradition (moon for women, sun for men) but the greeting words themselves aren't. The formal Athchomar chomakaan takes a number/gender suffix when addressing a group (-kea) but stays neutral for individuals.

Related Reading

• The Dothraki Language in Game of Thrones: Facts & History
• Dothraki Insults: How Warriors Demean Their Enemies
• Dothraki Tattoo Phrases: Warrior Words Worth Wearing
• M'athchomaroon: The Dothraki Greeting of Respect
• Dothraki Greetings: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything Between

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