Itzaj T'an
Itzá Maya
Mayan
Itzá Maya (autonymously Itzaj T'an, also spelled Itza or Itzá) is a Yucatecan Mayan language of Petén, Guatemala — the last surviving language of the historic Itzá Maya, the people who founded the kingdom of Tayasal at Lake Petén Itzá. The Tayasal kingdom was famously the last independent Maya state, conquered by the Spanish only in 1697 — more than 200 years after the rest of the Maya world had fallen. The Itzá kingdom maintained pre-Columbian political continuity from the Postclassic Maya era through the colonial period via geographic isolation in the Petén jungle. Today, only around 1,000 elderly speakers remain, primarily in San José village on the northern shore of Lake Petén Itzá; younger Itzá Maya generations have shifted to Spanish. Linguistically, Itzá is closely related to Yucatec Maya (yua) but with distinct vocabulary preserving Postclassic Yucatecan features lost in the modern Yucatec dialect.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Itzá Maya
Water
jaʼ
/haʔ/
Fire
kʼakʼ
/kʼakʼ/
Sun
kʼin
/kʼin/
Moon
uj
/uh/
Star
ekʼ
/ekʼ/
Mother
naʼ
/naʔ/
Father
tat
/tat/
I
ten
/ten/
You
tech
/tetʃ/
Name
kʼabaʼ
/kʼaɓaʔ/
Eye
ich
/itʃ/
Hand
kʼab
/kʼab/
Heart
pukʼsikʼal
/pukʼsikʼal/
Love
yakunti
/jakunti/
Tree
cheʼ
/tʃeʔ/
House
nah
/nah/
Dog
pekʼ
/pekʼ/
Cat
mis
/mis/
Eat
jant
/hant/
Drink
ukʼ
/ukʼ/
One
jun
/hun/
Two
kaʼ
/kaʔ/
Hello
bʼix a tʼan
/biʃ a tʼan/
Thank you
dios bʼotik
/dios botik/
Good
malobʼ
/malob/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Mayan languages
| Meaning | Itzá Maya | Yucatec Maya | Classical Maya | Tabasco Chontal | Chol | Tojolabal | Uspanteko |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | haʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ |
| Fire | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ | kʼáakʼ /kʼaːkʼ/ | kʼahkʼ /kʼahkʼ/ | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ | kʼajk /kʼahk/ | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ | qʼaqʼ /qʼaqʼ/ |
| Sun | kʼin /kʼin/ | kʼiin /kʼiːn/ | kʼin /kʼin/ | kʼin /kʼin/ | kʼiñ /kʼiɲ/ | kʼakʼu /kʼakʼu/ | qʼiij /qʼiːh/ |
| Moon | uj /uh/ | uj /uh/ | uh /uh/ | ä /æ/ | uw /uw/ | ixaw /iʃaw/ | ikʼ /ikʼ/ |
| Star | ekʼ /ekʼ/ | eekʼ /eːkʼ/ | ek' /eːkʼ/ | ekʼ /ʔekʼ/ | ekʼ /ʔekʼ/ | kʼanal /kʼanal/ | ch'umil /tʃʼumil/ |
| Mother | naʼ /naʔ/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | ñaʼ /ɲaʔ/ | nan /nan/ | nan /nan/ |
| Father | tat /tat/ | taata /taːta/ | yuum /juːm/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ |
| I | ten /ten/ | teen /teːn/ | hiin /hiːn/ | noʼon /noʔon/ | joñoñ /hoɲoɲ/ | keʼn /keʔn/ | in /in/ |
| You | tech /tetʃ/ | teech /teːtʃ/ | hat /hat/ | neʼet /neʔet/ | jatyet /hatʲet/ | weʼn /weʔn/ | at /at/ |
| Name | kʼabaʼ /kʼaɓaʔ/ | kʼaabaʼ /kʼaːɓaʔ/ | k'aba' /kʼaˈɓaʔ/ | kʼabaʼ /kʼaɓaʔ/ | kʼabaʼ /kʼaɓaʔ/ | bʼiʼil /ɓiʔil/ | b'ii /ɓiː/ |
| Eye | ich /itʃ/ | ich /itʃ/ | ich /itʃ/ | wich /witʃ/ | wut /wut/ | satej /sateh/ | wach /watʃ/ |
| Hand | kʼab /kʼab/ | kʼabʼ /kʼaɓ/ | kʼab /kʼab/ | kʼä /kʼæ/ | kʼabʼ /kʼaɓ/ | kʼabʼ /kʼaɓ/ | qʼab /qʼab/ |
| Heart | pukʼsikʼal /pukʼsikʼal/ | puksiʼikʼal /puksiʔikʼal/ | pixan /piʃan/ | pixan /piʃan/ | pusʼikʼal /pusʼikʼal/ | altzil /altsil/ | kʼuʼx /kʼuʔʃ/ |
| Love | yakunti /jakunti/ | yaakuntej /jaːkunteh/ | yaah /jaːh/ | kʼuxbe /kʼuʃbe/ | kʼuxbiñ /kʼuʃbiɲ/ | skʼana /skʼana/ | lóqʼ /lóqʼ/ |
| Tree | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ |
| House | nah /nah/ | naj /nah/ | otoch /otoːtʃ/ | otot /otot/ | otyot /otjot/ | naj /nah/ | jaa /haː/ |
| Dog | pekʼ /pekʼ/ | peekʼ /peːkʼ/ | peekʼ /peːkʼ/ | pekʼ /pekʼ/ | tsʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tsʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ |
| Cat | mis /mis/ | miis /miːs/ | miis /miːs/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ |
| Eat | jant /hant/ | jaant /haːnt/ | weʼ /weʔ/ | weʼ /weʔ/ | kʼux /kʼuʃ/ | waʼel /waʔel/ | waʼ /waʔ/ |
| Drink | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ukʼul /ukʼul/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ukʼe /ukʼe/ | ucʼ /utsʼ/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ |
| One | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | un /un/ | juñ /huɲ/ | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ |
| Two | kaʼ /kaʔ/ | kaʼ /kaʔ/ | cha' /tʃaʔ/ | chaʼ /tʃaʔ/ | chaʼ /tʃaʔ/ | chabʼ /tʃaɓ/ | quiib' /kiːɓ/ |
| Hello | bʼix a tʼan /biʃ a tʼan/ | baʼax ka waʼalik /baʔaʃ ka waʔalik/ | bix a beel /biʃ a beːl/ | bin a bel /bin a bel/ | kabʼ /kaɓ/ | lekilukʼ /lekilukʼ/ | saʼbʼal /saʔbal/ |
| Thank you | dios bʼotik /dios botik/ | dios boʼotik /dios boʔotik/ | nibʼoolal /nibʼoːlal/ | dios boʼtik /dios boʔtik/ | wokox /wokoʃ/ | yuj /juh/ | maltyox /maltjoʃ/ |
| Good | malobʼ /malob/ | maʼalob /maʔalob/ | utz /uts/ | tsʼak /tsʼak/ | utsat /utsat/ | lek /lek/ | utz /uts/ |
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