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 the smallest West Slavic language and has been continuously documented since 16th-century Reformation translations.

Where it is spoken

20 core words in Upper Sorbian

Water

woda

/ˈvɔda/

Fire

woheń

/ˈvɔhɛɲ/

Sun

słónco

/ˈswʊnt͡sɔ/

Moon

měsac

/ˈmʲɛsat͡s/

Mother

mać

/mat͡ɕ/

Father

nan

/nan/

Eat

jěsć

/jɛst͡ɕ/

Drink

pić

/pit͡ɕ/

Love

lubosć

/ˈlubɔst͡ɕ/

Heart

wutroba

/ˈvutrɔba/

Tree

štom

/ʃtɔm/

House

dom

/dom/

Dog

pos

/pɔs/

Cat

kóčka

/ˈkʊt͡ʃka/

Hand

ruka

/ˈruka/

Eye

woko

/ˈvɔkɔ/

Hello

witaj

/ˈvitaj/

Thank you

dźakuju so

/ˈd͡ʑakuju sɔ/

One

jedyn

/ˈjɛdɨn/

Good

dobry

/ˈdɔbrɨ/

Words compared

Compared with related Slavic (West, Sorbian) languages

Meaning Upper SorbianLower SorbianPolishSilesianSlovakCzechKashubian
Water woda /ˈvɔda/ woda /ˈvɔda/ woda /ˈvɔda/ woda /ˈvɔda/ voda /ˈvoda/ voda /ˈvoda/ woda /ˈvɔda/
Fire woheń /ˈvɔhɛɲ/ wogeń /ˈvɔɡɛɲ/ ogień /ˈɔɡɛɲ/ ôgyń /ˈɔɡɨɲ/ oheň /ˈoɦeɲ/ oheň /ˈoɦɛɲ/ ogniô /ˈɔɡɲɔ/
Sun słónco /ˈswʊnt͡sɔ/ słyńco /ˈswɨnt͡sɔ/ słońce /ˈswɔɲt͡sɛ/ słōńce /ˈswɔɲt͡sɛ/ slnko /ˈsl̩nko/ slunce /ˈslunt͡sɛ/ słuńce /ˈswuɲt͡sɛ/
Moon měsac /ˈmʲɛsat͡s/ mjasec /ˈmʲasɛt͡s/ księżyc /ˈkɕɛ̃ʐɨt͡s/ miesiōnczek /mʲɛˈɕɔ̃t͡ʂɛk/ mesiac /ˈmɛsɪat͡s/ měsíc /ˈmɲɛsiːt͡s/ ksãżëc /ˈksɔ̃ʐɨt͡s/
Mother mać /mat͡ɕ/ maś /maɕ/ matka /ˈmatka/ mamulka /maˈmulka/ matka /ˈmatka/ matka /ˈmatka/ mëma /ˈmɨma/
Father nan /nan/ nan /nan/ ojciec /ˈɔjt͡ɕɛt͡s/ fater /ˈfatɛr/ otec /ˈotɛt͡s/ otec /ˈotɛt͡s/ tatk /tatk/
Eat jěsć /jɛst͡ɕ/ jěsć /jɛɕt͡ɕ/ jeść /jɛɕt͡ɕ/ jeść /jɛɕt͡ɕ/ jesť /jɛsc/ jíst /jiːst/ jesc /jɛst͡s/
Drink pić /pit͡ɕ/ piś /piɕ/ pić /pit͡ɕ/ pić /pit͡ɕ/ piť /pɪc/ pít /piːt/ pic /pit͡s/
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