High Valyrian Dictionary — Common Words & Phrases by Category

Quick Answer: High Valyrian, created by linguist David J. Peterson for HBO's Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, has several thousand attested words organized around a distinctly formal, aristocratic register — the "Latin of Westeros." Unlike a casual conlang, its vocabulary clusters heavily around mortality and philosophy (valar morghulis, "all men must die"), dragons and fire (dracarys), and power and politics (āeksio, "lord"). Below, canon words organized by theme: mortality and philosophy, love and family, dragons and fire, power and politics, and common verbs. Look up any category, or jump straight to the 50 essential High Valyrian words if you want a shorter flat list.

High Valyrian doesn't have a dictionary in the sense English speakers expect — there's no centuries-old Oxford compilation, no organic evolution through generations of speakers. Every word traces back to one linguist, David J. Peterson, who built the language for HBO starting in 2012 and has been expanding it ever since through show dialogue, published grammar notes, and the official Duolingo and Living Language courses.

That means the vocabulary is smaller than a natural language's, but it is unusually coherent — the language was designed from the ground up to feel like the prestige tongue of a fallen empire, and nearly every word reinforces that register. This is the comprehensive thematic reference: words grouped by category, not alphabetically, so you can see how the vocabulary reflects Valyrian civilization and Targaryen culture.

If you want the flat "top 50 most useful words" version instead, see 50 common High Valyrian words. If you need a full phrase or sentence, use our translator tool or ask the AI tutor.

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How to read this dictionary

Each entry is formatted:

English — High Valyrian (pronunciation) — usage note

High Valyrian is written here with the standard macron notation Peterson uses for long vowels (ā, ē, ī, ō, ȳ) — these are held roughly twice as long as their unmarked counterparts, and the distinction is phonemic, meaning it can change a word's meaning (see our High Valyrian pronunciation guide for the full breakdown). Every entry below is attested in on-screen dialogue or Peterson's published grammar and vocabulary notes.

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Mortality and philosophy

The Valar exchange is the organizing philosophical statement of the entire language — nearly every serious High Valyrian conversation eventually touches its themes.

All men must die — Valar Morghulis (VAH-lar mor-GYOO-lis) — the ritual phrase of the Faceless Men of Braavos, always answered with Valar Dohaeris All men must serve — Valar Dohaeris (VAH-lar doh-HAY-ris) — the ritual response, completing the Faceless Men's creed Death — morghon (MOR-gon) — root of morghulis To die — morghulis (as a conjugated form) / infinitive uncertain in public sources — appears specifically in the Valar construction To serve — dohaeragon (doh-hay-RAH-gon) — root of dohaeris If death comes for all — Lo morghon valoti (LOH MOR-gon vah-LOH-tee) — an attested construction building on morghon and valar, carrying the same philosophical register To weep / to grieve — ñāqon (NYAH-kon) — used in constructions about mourning, e.g. Sȳz ñāqon daor ("grief is not good" / "do not grieve") All men / all people — valar (VAH-lar) — the noun underlying the entire mortality register

For the full grammatical breakdown of these phrases, see High Valyrian Tattoo Phrases, which covers the mortality-and-philosophy theme in depth.

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Love and family

Romantic and kinship vocabulary is one of the most-searched corners of High Valyrian, especially since House of the Dragon expanded it into a full domestic register.

To love — jorrāelagon (jor-rah-EL-ah-gon) — infinitive; a distinct root for deep, cherishing love, not casual affection I love (1st person) — jorrāelan (jor-RAY-eh-lan) — as in Avy jorrāelan, "I love you" — see I Love You in High Valyrian You (accusative, object of love) — avy (AH-vee) — the object form of "you," used because in "I love you," you are the one receiving the love You (nominative, subject) — ao (OW) — used when "you" is the subject rather than the object Mother — muña (MOO-nya) — standard Targaryen family address, prominent throughout House of the Dragon Father — kepa (KEH-pa) — counterpart to muña, in the solar noun-gender class Dear / beloved — tubī (TOO-bee) — an intimate term of address rather than a kinship title, marking a private, emotionally significant moment Younger sibling — valonqar (va-LON-kar) — originally from Game of Thrones, part of the kinship vocabulary expanded in House of the Dragon Queen — dāria (DAH-ree-ah) — lunar-gender noun, from the same root as dāeron (king) She is my queen — Ziry issa ñuha dāria (ZIH-ree IH-sah NYOO-hah DAH-ree-ah) — demonstrates gender agreement between ñuha (my) and the lunar-gender dāria

For the full romantic-phrase breakdown, see How to Say "I Love You" in High Valyrian.

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Dragons and fire

This is the register most casual fans recognize first — the vocabulary that gives dragon-riding scenes their weight.

Dragonfire (and the command to breathe it) — dracarys (DRAK-a-ris) — simultaneously the noun for the substance and the imperative addressed to a dragon; first spoken by Daenerys in Season 2 To fly / soar — sōvegon (soh-VEH-gon) — infinitive verb of motion Fly! (imperative) — sōvēs (SOH-vays) — a key House of the Dragon addition, used by Rhaenyra commanding Syrax Calm / easy / be still — lykirī (li-KI-ree) — used to soothe an agitated dragon, distinct in register from a direct order To come / to go, move — gaomagon (gao-MAH-gon) — a directional verb used both in riding contexts and ordinary speech Fire (elemental, general) — qrinuntos (kri-NUN-tos) — distinct from dracarys, which specifically denotes dragonfire Of blood and fire — Ondosos qrinuntoso (on-DOH-sos kri-NUN-to-so) — a ceremonial genitive-case epithet, "the dynasty of blood and fire," capturing Targaryen self-conception To grow — rōvāgon (ROH-vah-gon) — thematically tied to the growth of Valyrian power and empire

For the full episode-by-episode breakdown, see High Valyrian Phrases in House of the Dragon.

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Power and politics

High Valyrian's formal register carries the weight of empire — the vocabulary of the "Latin of Westeros."

Master / lord — āeksio (AEK-see-oh) — standard formal address for someone in power Lord of the Flames — Āeksion Ondos (AYK-see-on ON-dos) — a religious/ceremonial epithet tied to Valyrian fire-worship traditions, distinct from but parallel to the R'hllor religion depicted on screen Kingdom / realm — bantis (BAN-tis) — appears in succession-crisis dialogue during the Dance of the Dragons The kingdom is hers — Bantis zābrie issa (BAN-tis ZAB-rye IS-sa) — a political declaration used by Rhaenyra's supporters; follows SOV word order with the copula issa arriving last for rhetorical finality Powerful / strong — kostōba (kos-TOH-ba) — predicate adjective Power / strength — kostys (KOS-tis) — the noun root underlying kostōba I am powerful — Kostōba iksan (kos-TOH-ba IK-san) — a warrior's assertion, with the first-person copula iksan placed after the adjective for emphasis King — dāeron (dah-EH-ron) — shares a root with dāria (queen)

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Common verbs and function words

The backbone vocabulary that appears across nearly every attested sentence.

To be — sagon (SAH-gon) — the copula infinitive, conjugating to issa (is) and iksan (I am) Is (3rd person) — issa (IH-sah) — extremely common, as in Sȳz issa ("it is good") I am — iksan (IK-san) — first-person present of sagon, used in identity statements To have — emagon (eh-MAH-gon) — core possession verb; central to a civilization built around who controls which dragon To come — māzīgon (mah-ZEE-gon) — verb of movement and summons No / not — daor (DAY-or) — functions as both a negative particle and a standalone refusal Good — sȳz (SEEZ) — one of the most versatile adjectives in the language; note the long ȳ This — kesir (KEH-seer) — common demonstrative Where — skoriot (SKOH-ree-ot) — common question word Please — kostilus (KOS-tih-lus) — politeness marker Thank you — kirimvose (kee-RIM-voh-seh) — the standard expression of gratitude My / mine — ñuha / ñuhe (NYOO-hah) — possessive, agreeing in gender and case with the noun it modifies Upon / on — bē (BEH) — common preposition Other / another — lue (LOO-eh) — also doubles as the number "two"

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Numbers one through ten

Number	High Valyrian
1	hen
2	lue
3	hāre
4	izula
5	tōma
6	bȳre
7	sīkuda
8	jēnqa
9	vōre
10	ampa

Want to see these words in a working phrase generator? Try the translator tool — it draws on canon-sourced vocabulary the same way this dictionary does.

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Ten words every beginner should memorize first

If you only remember ten words from this whole dictionary, memorize these — they cover most casual High Valyrian exposure across both shows.

1. issa — is
2. daor — no / not
3. sȳz — good
4. nyke — I
5. avy jorrāelan — I love you
6. dracarys — dragonfire
7. valar morghulis — all men must die
8. āeksio — master / lord
9. muña — mother
10. kirimvose — thank you

For a longer flat list with more everyday coverage, see the companion piece: 50 common High Valyrian words.

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Caveats and best practices

1. High Valyrian is a single-author conlang with an active creator. Unlike Elvish (Tolkien, deceased) or the reconstructed corners of other conlangs, David J. Peterson is still actively expanding High Valyrian for new House of the Dragon seasons — meaning gaps you find today may be filled in official sources tomorrow.
2. Vowel length is grammatical, not stylistic. The macron (ā, ē, ī, ō, ȳ) marks a phonemically distinct long vowel — don't drop it when writing or reading the word aloud.
3. Case endings change word forms. The same root word looks different depending on whether it's a subject, object, or possessor — ao vs. avy for "you" is the clearest example. Don't assume a dictionary form is always correct in a sentence.
4. Distinguish attested vocabulary from fan speculation. Peterson's official corpus, on-screen dialogue, and the Living Language course are reliable sources. Community-assembled phrases not directly confirmed by Peterson should be treated as plausible reconstructions, not guaranteed canon — this dictionary flags every entry's usage context so you can judge for yourself.

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Tools to go deeper

• Translator tool — paste English, get canon-sourced High Valyrian vocabulary context
• Duolingo for High Valyrian — how the official course compares for structured study
• AI tutor — ask about any word's etymology or usage — free, 10 messages per day
• High Valyrian Grammar Guide — the case-and-gender system behind every word above

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Want structured lessons instead of a word list? High Valyrian itself isn't taught on Tengwar, but David J. Peterson's other Game of Thrones conlang — Dothraki — is, with gamified lessons, an AI tutor, and a free tier. Start learning Dothraki free →

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People also ask

How many words are in High Valyrian? Several thousand attested words, all created by David J. Peterson for HBO's Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, plus grammar documentation through the Living Language series. It's smaller than a natural language's vocabulary but dense in exactly the registers fans use most — mortality, love, dragons, and power.

Is High Valyrian vocabulary still growing? Yes, actively. Peterson continues to add words for each new House of the Dragon season, and the show's family-and-politics focus has meaningfully expanded the domestic and emotional vocabulary beyond what Game of Thrones ever needed.

What's the difference between this dictionary and the "50 common words" post? This page is organized thematically — by mortality and philosophy, love and family, dragons and fire, power and politics, and common verbs — so you can browse a category and see how vocabulary reflects Valyrian civilization. The 50 common High Valyrian words post is a flat ranked list of the single most useful words for a total beginner. Use this dictionary as the deeper reference; use that post as a quick-start.

What's the High Valyrian word for "I love you"? Avy jorrāelan — literally "you (accusative) I-love." The verb jorrāelagon was deliberately built as a distinct root for deep, cherishing love, giving the language more romantic precision than a casual borrowed word would.

Why does High Valyrian have so much vocabulary about death and service? Because Peterson built the Valar Morghulis / Valar Dohaeris exchange as the central axiom of the Faceless Men's worldview — mortality is universal, so service in life is the correct response. It's a linguistic mirror of a specific in-world philosophy, not an accident of vocabulary gaps.

Can I use High Valyrian words for a tattoo? Yes, for the canon-attested words and phrases in this dictionary — valar morghulis, dracarys, and avy jorrāelan are among the most common choices. Avoid self-assembled phrases beyond simple word substitution, since the case system means word endings shift with grammatical role — see High Valyrian Tattoo Phrases for canon-verified options and common mistakes.

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Learn a Constructed Language with Tengwar

High Valyrian isn't a taught language on Tengwar, but its sibling Game of Thrones conlang — Dothraki, also created by David J. Peterson — is, alongside Elvish and Klingon, through Duolingo-style lessons and an AI tutor. Start free → — 5 lessons per language, no credit card required.

Further reading

• 50 common High Valyrian words — the flat quick-start list companion to this dictionary
• High Valyrian Grammar Guide — the case system, genders, and verb conjugation fundamentals
• High Valyrian Pronunciation Guide — vowel length and stress rules
• I Love You in High Valyrian — the full romantic-register breakdown
• High Valyrian Tattoo Phrases — canon phrases worth permanently wearing
• High Valyrian Phrases in House of the Dragon — every attested phrase from HotD with context
• Daenerys High Valyrian Quotes — every canon line from Game of Thrones explained

If you can't find the word you need, ask our AI tutor — it can walk you through canon High Valyrian vocabulary and point you to Peterson's published sources.