𑀳𑁆𑀯𑀢𑀦𑀽
Khotanese
Indo-European (Iranian, Middle, Eastern, Saka) · historical / hidden variety
Khotanese (also Khotanese Saka) is a Middle Iranian language of the Eastern (Saka) group, attested in extensive Buddhist manuscripts from the kingdom of Khotan on the southern Silk Road (5th-10th c. CE). It is closely related to Tumshuqese (also Saka, attested at nearby Tumshuq) and more distantly to Sogdian and other Eastern Iranian languages. Texts include translations of Mahayana sutras (Suvarṇabhāsa, Saṅghāṭa), the indigenous Book of Zambasta, medical treatises, and Khotan-Tibetan-Khotan glossaries. Like Tocharian, Khotanese disappeared as Turkic peoples (Karakhanids, then Uyghurs) occupied the Tarim Basin from the 11th century, with the Khotanese converting to Islam.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Khotanese
Water
𑀊𑀤𑀸
/uːdaː/
Fire
𑀆𑀢𑀭
/aːtar/
Sun
𑀉𑀭𑁆𑀫
/urma/
Moon
𑀫𑀸𑀲𑁆𑀢
/maːsta/
Mother
𑀫𑀸𑀢
/maːta/
Father
𑀧𑀺𑀢
/pita/
Eat
𑀧𑀭𑀢
/parætæ/
Drink
𑀧𑀻𑀅
/piːa/
Love
𑀅𑀭𑁆𑀭𑀽
/arːuː/
Heart
𑀬𑀲𑀻
/jasiː/
Tree
𑀤𑁆𑀭𑀼
/drːu/
House
𑀩𑁆𑀬𑀸𑀳
/bjaːha/
Dog
𑀰𑀼
/ʂu/
Cat
𑀰𑁆𑀰𑁆𑀭𑀅𑀼
/ʂʂarau/
Hand
𑀤𑀲𑁆𑀢
/dasta/
Eye
𑀘𑁂𑀰𑁆𑀫𑀦𑁆
/tʃʰeʃman/
Hello
𑀤𑁆𑀭𑀽𑀤𑀻
/drːuːdiː/
Thank you
𑀧𑁆𑀬𑀰𑁆𑀢
/pjaʃta/
One
𑀰𑁆𑀰𑀅𑀼
/ɕːau/
Good
𑀯𑀺𑀭𑀢𑁆𑀢
/viratːa/
Sources
- Bailey (1979) Dictionary of Khotan Saka
- Emmerick (1992) A Guide to the Literature of Khotan
- Glottolog: khot1251
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Iranian, Middle, Eastern, Saka) languages
| Meaning | Khotanese | Parthian | Sogdian | Old Persian | Middle Persian (Pahlavi) | Avestan | Persian (Classical) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 𑀊𑀤𑀸 /uːdaː/ | āb /aːb/ | ʾāp /aːp/ | 𐎠𐎱 /aːpi/ | 𐭠𐭯 /aːb/ | 𐬁𐬞 /aːp/ | آب /aːb/ |
| Fire | 𑀆𑀢𑀭 /aːtar/ | ādar /aːdar/ | ʾātar /aːtar/ | 𐎠𐎫𐎼 /aːtar/ | 𐭠𐭲𐭱 /aːtaʃ/ | 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /aːtar/ | آتش /aːtaʃ/ |
| Sun | 𑀉𑀭𑁆𑀫 /urma/ | xwar /xwar/ | xwr /xwar/ | 𐏃𐎢𐎺𐎼 /huwar/ | 𐭧𐭥𐭫𐭱𐭩𐭲 /xwarʃeːd/ | 𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 /huwarə/ | خورشید /xʷarʃeːd/ |
| Moon | 𑀫𑀸𑀲𑁆𑀢 /maːsta/ | māh /maːh/ | mʾx /maːx/ | 𐎶𐎠𐏃 /maːha/ | 𐭬𐭠𐭧 /maːh/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬵 /maːh/ | ماه /maːh/ |
| Mother | 𑀫𑀸𑀢 /maːta/ | mād /maːd/ | mʾtr /maːtar/ | 𐎶𐎠𐎫𐎼 /maːtar/ | 𐭬𐭠𐭲𐭫 /maːdar/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /maːtar/ | مادر /maːdar/ |
| Father | 𑀧𑀺𑀢 /pita/ | pid /pid/ | ptr /pitar/ | 𐎱𐎡𐎫𐎠 /pitaː/ | 𐭯𐭩𐭲𐭫 /pidar/ | 𐬞𐬌𐬙𐬀𐬭 /pitar/ | پدر /pidar/ |
| Eat | 𑀧𑀭𑀢 /parætæ/ | xward- /xward/ | xwartan /xwartan/ | 𐎧𐎼 /xar/ | 𐭧𐭥𐭫𐭲𐭭 /xwardan/ | 𐬑𐬬𐬀𐬭 /xwar/ | خوردن /xʷurdan/ |
| Drink | 𑀧𑀻𑀅 /piːa/ | pī- /piː/ | pi- /pi/ | 𐎱𐎠 /paː/ | 𐭭𐭥𐭱𐭩𐭲𐭭 /noːʃiːdan/ | 𐬞𐬁 /paː/ | آشامیدن /aːʃaːmiːdan/ |
| Love | 𑀅𑀭𑁆𑀭𑀽 /arːuː/ | friyādan /frijaːdan/ | frytk /friːtak/ | 𐎳𐎼𐎡𐎹 /frija/ | 𐭲𐭥𐭱𐭩 /doːʃiː/ | 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 /frija/ | عشق /ʔiʃq/ |
| Heart | 𑀬𑀲𑀻 /jasiː/ | zyrd /zird/ | dyl /dil/ | 𐏀𐎼𐎭 /zard/ | 𐭣𐭩𐭫 /dil/ | 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 /zərəd/ | دل /dil/ |
| Tree | 𑀤𑁆𑀭𑀼 /drːu/ | dār /daːr/ | drxt /draxt/ | — /—/ | 𐭣𐭫𐭧𐭲 /draxt/ | 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬀 /waesa/ | درخت /diraxt/ |
| House | 𑀩𑁆𑀬𑀸𑀳 /bjaːha/ | xānag /xaːnaɡ/ | kṯʾk /kaθaːk/ | 𐎶𐎠𐎴𐎡𐎹 /maːnija/ | 𐭧𐭠𐭭𐭪 /xaːnaɡ/ | 𐬥𐬨𐬁𐬥𐬀 /nmaːna/ | خانه /xaːna/ |
| Dog | 𑀰𑀼 /ʂu/ | spag /spaɡ/ | ʾkw /aːkuː/ | 𐎿𐎱𐎣 /spaka/ | 𐭮𐭢 /saɡ/ | 𐬯𐬞𐬁 /spaː/ | سگ /saɡ/ |
| Cat | 𑀰𑁆𑀰𑁆𑀭𑀅𑀼 /ʂʂarau/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | 𐭢𐭥𐭫𐭡𐭢 /ɡurbaɡ/ | — /—/ | گربه /ɡurba/ |
| Hand | 𑀤𑀲𑁆𑀢 /dasta/ | dast /dast/ | dst /dast/ | 𐎭𐎿𐎫 /dasta/ | 𐭣𐭮𐭲 /dast/ | 𐬰𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀 /zasta/ | دست /dast/ |
| Eye | 𑀘𑁂𑀰𑁆𑀫𑀦𑁆 /tʃʰeʃman/ | čašm /tʃaʃm/ | cšm /tʃaʃm/ | 𐏂𐏁𐎶𐎴 /tʃaʃman/ | 𐭰𐭱𐭬 /tʃaʃm/ | 𐬗𐬀𐬱𐬨𐬀𐬥 /tʃaʃman/ | چشم /t͡ʃaʃm/ |
| Hello | 𑀤𑁆𑀭𑀽𑀤𑀻 /drːuːdiː/ | drōd /droːd/ | drwd /druːd/ | — /—/ | 𐭣𐭫𐭥𐭲 /droːd/ | — /—/ | درود /duruːd/ |
| Thank you | 𑀧𑁆𑀬𑀰𑁆𑀢 /pjaʃta/ | spās /spaːs/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | 𐭮𐭯𐭠𐭮 /spaːs/ | — /—/ | سپاس /sipaːs/ |
| One | 𑀰𑁆𑀰𑀅𑀼 /ɕːau/ | ēw /eːw/ | yw /jɛw/ | 𐎠𐎡𐎺 /aiwa/ | 𐭠𐭩𐭪 /eːk/ | 𐬀𐬉𐬬𐬀 /aewa/ | یک /jak/ |
| Good | 𑀯𑀺𑀭𑀢𑁆𑀢 /viratːa/ | nēw /neːw/ | nyk /neːk/ | 𐎴𐎡𐎲 /naiba/ | 𐭥𐭩𐭧 /weh/ | 𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬎 /vohu/ | نیک /neːk/ |
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