How to Say Thank You in High Valyrian: Kirimvose Explained

Quick Answer: "Thank you" in High Valyrian is kirimvose (kee-RIM-voh-seh). It is the standard word of gratitude in David J. Peterson's High Valyrian. Pair it with kostilus (please) to cover both basic courtesies, or make it warmer with Kirimvose, ñuha sȳr — "thank you, my joy."

If you have watched Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, you have heard High Valyrian used for commands, threats and ritual phrases. Dragons are told to burn, slave masters are insulted, and Braavosi assassins trade the words valar morghulis. What you hear less often on screen is the language being polite. But High Valyrian has ordinary courtesy words too, and the most useful of them is the one this post is about.

This guide explains what kirimvose means, how to say it so a High Valyrian speaker would recognise it, and which other words you can attach to it without inventing anything.

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Kirimvose: The Word for Thank You

Kirimvose means "thank you." It is the word Peterson's High Valyrian uses for plain, everyday gratitude, and it appears across the vocabulary references fans and learners use, from the Duolingo course to the word lists on this site.

A few things make it easy to use:

• It works on its own. You do not need to build a sentence around it. Someone hands you something, you say kirimvose. That is a complete and correct reply.
• It does not change for the person you thank. In English, "thank you" stays the same whether you are thanking a friend or a queen, and kirimvose is used the same way. Politeness level comes from what you add around it, not from the word itself.
• It is one word. English splits the idea into "thank" plus "you." High Valyrian packs it into a single form, which is part of why it sounds so formal and finished.

Compare that with Dothraki, the other language Peterson built for the same show. The Dothraki have no direct word for "thank you" at all, and gratitude is expressed through other phrases — see How to Say Thank You in Dothraki for that story. High Valyrian, the language of an old and courtly civilisation, has the word ready-made.

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How to Pronounce Kirimvose

Put together: kee-RIM-voh-seh.

Why does the stress land on rim? High Valyrian follows a stress rule much like Latin's. Look at the second-to-last syllable first. If it is heavy — it has a long vowel or ends in a consonant — it takes the stress. If it is light, the stress moves back one more syllable. In kirimvose, the second-to-last syllable is vo: short vowel, no closing consonant, so it is light. The stress moves back to rim.

Three tips:

1. Tap the R. High Valyrian R is a quick tap or light roll, as in Spanish or Italian. The American R makes the word sound wrong straight away.
2. Keep the last vowel. English speakers tend to drop or blur a final unstressed vowel. In High Valyrian, every vowel keeps its full sound, so the final -e is clearly "eh."
3. Do not rush the middle. Rim carries the stress, but vo still needs its own clear "oh."

The full system of long vowels, stress and consonants is in the High Valyrian Pronunciation Guide.

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Please: Kostilus

Gratitude has a partner: the request that comes before it. In High Valyrian that word is kostilus (KOS-tih-lus), a politeness marker meaning "please."

The stress rule works the same way. In kos-ti-lus, the second-to-last syllable ti is short and open, so the stress moves back to kos.

With kostilus and kirimvose you have the two basic courtesies of any language: asking nicely and thanking afterwards. They are the first two words worth learning if your aim is to use High Valyrian socially rather than just quote dragon scenes.

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Making It Personal: Kirimvose, Ñuha Sȳr

You can make your thanks warmer by adding a term of address. One attested pairing is:

Kirimvose, ñuha sȳr. "Thank you, my joy."

Ñuha (NYOO-hah) is the possessive "my." It changes form to agree with the noun it describes — you will also see ñuhe in other phrases — so it is safest to copy attested pairings like this one rather than building new ones from scratch. This phrase is covered in more detail, with other affectionate forms, in I Love You in High Valyrian.

If you want to address someone of rank, the formal word for "master" or "lord" is āeksio (AEK-see-oh). In the shows it is the standard respectful way to speak to someone in power.

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Other Polite Words Worth Knowing

These are all from Peterson's published High Valyrian vocabulary and already appear in this site's word lists. They are not "thank you" substitutes, but they let you build simple, courteous exchanges.

Sȳz is especially handy. On its own it means "good," which works as a short, friendly acknowledgement — the High Valyrian equivalent of "good" or "fine" when someone tells you something is done.

For greetings that go with these words — how to say hello and how the Braavosi exchange works — see High Valyrian Greetings: Hello, Goodbye and Polite Phrases.

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Why High Valyrian Has a Word for Thanks

The difference between High Valyrian and Dothraki here is not an accident. Peterson designs vocabulary to fit the culture that speaks it.

The Dothraki are a nomadic horse people with a warrior code, and the Dothraki vocabulary reflects a culture that frames gratitude through respect and obligation rather than polite thanks. High Valyrian is the opposite case. In the world of the books and shows, it is the old language of the Valyrian Freehold — a wealthy, literate empire of dragonlords. By the time of Game of Thrones it survives mainly as a learned language, the "Latin of Westeros," studied by nobles and maesters. A language like that naturally carries the polite vocabulary of a court.

You can hear the difference in sound, too. High Valyrian was built to sound aristocratic and smooth, with clear vowels and few harsh clusters, while Dothraki is percussive and guttural. Kirimvose fits the High Valyrian pattern: four soft syllables, no harsh sounds, and a formal rhythm. For the full comparison, see High Valyrian vs Dothraki.

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Thank You in Peterson's Languages and Beyond

If you collect "thank you" across fictional languages, High Valyrian sits in an interesting middle position.

• High Valyrian: a single, standard word — kirimvose.
• Dothraki: no direct equivalent; gratitude is shown through other phrases and actions.
• Klingon: a real word exists, qatlho', but Klingon culture treats spoken thanks as slightly odd between warriors — see How to Say Thank You in Klingon.
• Elvish: Tolkien's languages have their own story — see How to Say Thank You in Elvish.

It is a good reminder that a constructed language is not just a word list. Whether a culture even has a word for "thank you" says something about the people who speak it, and conlang designers make those choices on purpose.

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Using Kirimvose Correctly

A short checklist before you use the word in a message, a cosplay line or a fan project:

• Spell it as one word, no space and no hyphen: kirimvose.
• Keep it unchanged. You do not need to add endings for the person you thank.
• Add warmth with attested phrases, like Kirimvose, ñuha sȳr, rather than inventing new possessive forms.
• Do not translate word by word from English. "Thank you very much" or "thanks a lot" have no attested High Valyrian equivalents in our sources, so we do not offer one. Kirimvose on its own is the correct, complete phrase.

If you want to practise Peterson's languages with structured lessons, High Valyrian itself is not on Tengwar, but Dothraki — his other Game of Thrones language — is. You can start learning Dothraki free, and try our Elvish translator for Tolkien's languages.

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People Also Ask

How do you say thank you in High Valyrian? Thank you in High Valyrian is kirimvose, pronounced roughly kee-RIM-voh-seh. It is the standard word of gratitude in David J. Peterson's High Valyrian, the language he built for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.

How do you pronounce kirimvose? Say kee-RIM-voh-seh, with the stress on the second syllable. The second-to-last syllable, vo, is short and open, so High Valyrian's stress rule moves the stress back one syllable to rim.

How do you say please in High Valyrian? Please is kostilus, pronounced KOS-tih-lus. Together with kirimvose it covers the two basic courtesies, asking and thanking.

Can you say "thank you, my joy" in High Valyrian? Yes. Kirimvose, ñuha sȳr means "thank you, my joy." Ñuha is "my" and sȳr is "joy."

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Related Reading

• High Valyrian Greetings: Hello, Goodbye and Polite Phrases
• 50+ High Valyrian Words & Phrases (With Meanings)
• How to Say "I Love You" in High Valyrian
• High Valyrian Pronunciation Guide — Sound Like a Targaryen
• How to Say Thank You in Dothraki: Gratitude in the Language of the Horse Lords
• How to Say Thank You in Klingon (and Why Klingons Barely Do)
• The High Valyrian Language: A Complete Guide