Hornjoserbšćina

Upper Sorbian

Slavic (West, Sorbian)

FamilySlavic (West, Sorbian) Speakers~13K ScriptLatin (with č š ž ć ł ó ě ń ŕ) CountriesGermany (Lusatia) Official inSaxony / Brandenburg (regional) Vitalityvulnerable ISO 639-3hsb

Upper Sorbian is the more vital of the two Sorbian languages, spoken in Catholic Lusatia near Bautzen. It is one of the smallest West Slavic languages—though its sister language Lower Sorbian is smaller still—and has been continuously documented since 16th-century Reformation translations.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Upper Sorbian

Water

woda

/ˈvɔda/

Fire

woheń

/ˈvɔhɛɲ/

Sun

słónco

/ˈswʊntsɔ/

Moon

měsac

/ˈmʲɛsats/

Star

hwězda

/ˈɦwʲɛzda/

Mother

mać

/matɕ/

Father

nan

/nan/

I

ja

/ja/

You

ty

/tɨ/

Name

mjeno

/ˈmjɛnɔ/

Eye

woko

/ˈwɔkɔ/

Hand

ruka

/ˈruka/

Heart

wutroba

/ˈvutrɔba/

Love

lubosć

/ˈlubɔstɕ/

Tree

štom

/ʃtɔm/

House

dom

/dom/

Dog

pos

/pɔs/

Cat

kóčka

/ˈkʊtʃka/

Eat

jěsć

/jɛstɕ/

Drink

pić

/pitɕ/

One

jedyn

/ˈjɛdɨn/

Two

dwaj

/dwaj/

Hello

witaj

/ˈvitaj/

Thank you

dźakuju so

/ˈdʑakuju sɔ/

Good

dobry

/ˈdɔbrɨ/

Cuckoo

kokula

/ˈkɔkula/

Computer

kompjuter

/ˈkɔmpjutɛr/

Words compared

Compared with related Slavic (West, Sorbian) languages

Meaning Upper SorbianLower SorbianPolishSilesianSlovakKashubianCzech
Water woda /ˈvɔda/ woda /ˈvɔda/ woda /ˈvɔda/ woda /ˈvɔda/ voda /ˈvoda/ woda /ˈvɔda/ voda /ˈvoda/
Fire woheń /ˈvɔhɛɲ/ wogeń /ˈvɔɡɛɲ/ ogień /ˈɔɡɛɲ/ ôgyń /ˈɔɡɨɲ/ oheň /ˈoɦeɲ/ òdżin /ˈwɛdʒin/ oheň /ˈoɦɛɲ/
Sun słónco /ˈswʊntsɔ/ słyńco /ˈswɨntsɔ/ słońce /ˈswɔɲtsɛ/ słōńce /ˈswoɲtsɛ/ slnko /ˈsl̩nko/ słuńce /ˈswuɲtsɛ/ slunce /ˈsluntsɛ/
Moon měsac /ˈmʲɛsats/ mjasec /ˈmʲasɛts/ księżyc /ˈkɕɛ̃ʐɨts/ miesiōnczek /mʲɛˈɕɔ̃tʂɛk/ mesiac /ˈmɛsɪats/ ksãżëc /ˈksɔ̃ʐɨts/ měsíc /ˈmɲɛsiːts/
Star hwězda /ˈɦwʲɛzda/ gwězda /ɡvʲɛzda/ gwiazda /ˈɡvjazda/ gwiŏzda /ˈɡvjɔzda/ hviezda /ˈɦvjezda/ gwiôzda /ˈɡvjɔzda/ hvězda /ˈɦvjɛzda/
Mother mać /matɕ/ maś /maɕ/ matka /ˈmatka/ matka /ˈmatka/ matka /ˈmatka/ mëma /ˈmɜma/ matka /ˈmatka/
Father nan /nan/ nan /nan/ ojciec /ˈɔjtɕɛts/ fater /ˈfatɛr/ otec /ˈotɛts/ tatk /tatk/ otec /ˈotɛts/
I ja /ja/ ja /ja/ ja /ja/ /jɔ/ ja /ja/ /jɔ/ /jaː/
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