Klingon Vocabulary List: 100 Essential Words in tlhIngan Hol
Klingon Vocabulary List: 100 Essential Words in tlhIngan Hol
This is a working vocabulary list of 100 essential Klingon words drawn from Marc Okrand's The Klingon Dictionary (1985, revised 1992). Each entry shows the Klingon spelling (with mandatory capitalization), a rough pronunciation guide, and the English meaning.
A note before you start: Klingon transliteration is case-sensitive. The capital I is not the same sound as lowercase i, and Q is not the same as q. Type carefully — tlhIngan is the language; tlhingan is not a word.
People and Relationships
| Klingon | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| tlhIngan | TLIN-gahn | Klingon (person) |
| jIH | jih | I, me |
| SoH | sohh | you |
| ghaH | ghahh | he/she |
| 'oH | ohh | it |
| maH | mahh | we |
| tlhIH | tlihh | you (plural) |
| chaH | chahh | they |
| vav | vav | father |
| SoS | sohss | mother |
| puqloD | POOK-lohd | son |
| puqbe' | POOK-beh | daughter |
| loDnI' | LOHD-nih | brother |
| be'nI' | BEH-nih | sister |
| jup | joop | friend |
| jagh | jahgh | enemy |
| HoD | hohd | captain |
| Sa' | sahh | general |
| SuvwI' | SOOV-wih | warrior |
| 'utlh | OOTLH | elder, veteran |
Body
| Klingon | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| nach | nahch | head |
| mIn | min | eye |
| teS | tehss | ear |
| ghIch | ghihch | nose |
| nujDu' | NOOJ-doo | mouth |
| Ho' | hoh | tooth |
| jat | jaht | tongue |
| qogh | qohgh | ear (alternative; older form) |
| tlhon | tlhohn | nostril |
| tlhej | tlhehj | back |
| ro' | roh | fist |
| ghop | ghohp | hand |
| qam | qahm | foot |
| 'uS | oosh | leg |
| DeS | dehss | arm |
| tIq | tihq | heart |
Food and Drink
| Klingon | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Soj | sohj | food |
| HIq | hihq | alcoholic drink |
| 'Iw HIq | iw hihq | bloodwine |
| qa'vIn | qah-VIN | coffee |
| chab | chahb | pie |
| ngat | ngaht | gunpowder (eaten as seasoning) |
| qagh | qahgh | gagh (serpent worms) |
| tlhIq | tlihq | broth/sauce |
| Doqra' | DOHQ-rah | breakfast |
| bIQ | bihq | water |
| naH | nahh | fruit, vegetable |
| Ha'DIbaH | hah-DIH-bahh | animal, meat |
Nature
| Klingon | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Qo'noS | qoh-NOHSS | the Klingon homeworld |
| qIj | qihj | black |
| Doq | dohq | red/orange |
| SuD | sood | green/blue |
| chIS | chihss | white |
| jul | jool | sun |
| maS | mahss | moon |
| Hov | hohv | star |
| muD | mood | atmosphere, weather |
| chal | chahl | sky |
| tlhoy' | tlhoy | wall, cliff |
| HuD | hood | mountain |
| bIQ'a' | bih-QAH | ocean |
| Sor | sohr | tree |
Action Verbs
| Klingon | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| jatlh | jahtlh | to speak |
| jach | jahch | to shout |
| Sov | sohv | to know |
| legh | lehgh | to see |
| Qoy | qoy | to hear |
| Sop | sohp | to eat |
| tlhutlh | tlhootlh | to drink |
| Qong | qohng | to sleep |
| yIt | yiht | to walk |
| qet | qeht | to run |
| Suv | soov | to fight |
| HoH | hohh | to kill |
| Hegh | hehgh | to die |
| yIn | yin | to live |
| muSHa' | MOOSH-hah | to love |
| muS | mooss | to hate |
| neH | nehh | to want |
| ghaj | ghahj | to have |
| Daq | dahq | to chase |
| ghob | ghohb | to do battle, behave |
Common Adjectives (technically stative verbs)
| Klingon | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| QaQ | qaq | good |
| mIgh | migh | evil |
| tIn | tihn | big |
| mach | mahch | small |
| Doy' | doy | tired |
| 'IQ | ihq | sad |
| Quch | qooch | happy |
| val | vahl | clever |
| Hem | hehm | proud |
| Sub | soob | brave |
Numbers (1–10)
| Klingon | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| wa' | wah | one |
| cha' | chah | two |
| wej | wehj | three |
| loS | lohss | four |
| vagh | vahgh | five |
| jav | jahv | six |
| Soch | sohch | seven |
| chorgh | chohrgh | eight |
| Hut | hoot | nine |
| wa'maH | WAH-mahh | ten |
For larger numbers, see the full Klingon numbers guide.
Time
| Klingon | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| jaj | jahj | day |
| ram | rahm | night |
| DaHjaj | DAH-jahj | today |
| wa'leS | WAH-lehss | tomorrow |
| wa'Hu' | WAH-hoo | yesterday |
| poH | pohh | period of time |
| rep | rehp | hour |
| tup | toop | minute |
| lup | loop | second (time unit) |
How to Use This List
Memorising 100 words in isolation is the easy part. Putting them into OVS (object-verb-subject) sentences is where Klingon gets interesting. A simple sentence like "I see the warrior" parses as SuvwI' vIlegh — literally warrior I-see-him.
Three pieces of advice:
- Drill in chunks of 10, not 100. Daily exposure beats a single cramming session.
- Always pronounce out loud. Klingon's
Q,tlh, andghsounds need muscle memory. - Use a spaced repetition system. Tengwar's lesson flow surfaces each of these words the day before you'd forget them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Klingon words exist in total? Around 3,000 canonical words documented across Okrand's books and KLI addenda.
Are there Klingon words for modern concepts like "internet"?
Some — Okrand has coined words for "computer" (De'wI') and similar. Others are coined by the community and are not strictly canonical.
Do I need to learn the pIqaD writing system? No. Latin transliteration is the canonical form. pIqaD is decorative.
What's the fastest way to learn 100 Klingon words? Spaced repetition daily. Expect 2–4 weeks for comfortable recall.
Where can I look up words not in this list? boQwI' (mobile dictionary) or Hol 'ampaS (web).
Related Reading
- Klingon Numbers: How to Count in tlhIngan Hol
- Klingon Greetings and Phrases
- Words of Honor: Klingon Vocabulary Around Batlh and Duty
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How many words are in the Klingon language?
Approximately 3,000 canonical words exist in Klingon, as documented in Marc Okrand's The Klingon Dictionary, its addenda, and subsequent Paramount-approved expansions. New words are still occasionally released by Okrand at the annual qep'a' conference.
What are the most useful Klingon words to learn first?
Start with greetings (nuqneH, Qapla'), pronouns (jIH, SoH, ghaH), the verbs 'to be' implied by suffixes, numbers 1–10, and a handful of nouns for food, body, and family. About 100 well-chosen words let you produce most beginner sentences.
Why do some Klingon words have capital letters in the middle?
Klingon uses a strict transliteration system where capital letters represent distinct sounds: D, H, I, Q, S are different from d, h, i, q, s. Writing 'tlhIngan' with a capital I is mandatory — 'tlhingan' is technically a different (incorrect) word.
Is there an official Klingon dictionary?
Yes — The Klingon Dictionary by Marc Okrand (Pocket Books, 1985, revised 1992) is the canonical source. The Klingon Language Institute publishes addenda. The free boQwI' app and Hol 'ampaS website aggregate canon vocabulary.
How do I memorize Klingon vocabulary quickly?
Use spaced repetition. Tengwar's lessons schedule each word for review just before you'd forget it, which roughly halves the time to retention compared to flat flashcard drilling.
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