Lëtzebuergesch
Luxembourgish
Germanic (West)
Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch) is a West Germanic language classified within Moselle Franconian, spoken primarily in Luxembourg. In 1984 it was declared the national language of Luxembourg, alongside French and German, which remain the country's administrative (official) languages, with French serving as the language of legislation. The language has ~400,000 native speakers and is also spoken in surrounding regions of Belgium, France, and Germany. IPA transcriptions are provided without brackets per the request format. One word (eye/Auge) lacks documented IPA in accessible sources and is marked as undocumented.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Luxembourgish
Water
Waasser
/vaːsɐ/
Fire
Feier
/fɑɪ̯ɐ/
Sun
Sonn
/zon/
Moon
Mound
/məʊ̯nt/
Star
Stär
/ʃtɛːɐ/
Mother
Mamm
/mɑm/
Father
Papp
/pɑp/
I
ech
/ɛç/
You
du
/duː/
Name
Numm
/num/
Eye
—
/—/
Hand
Hand
/hɑnt/
Heart
Häerz
/hɛrts/
Love
Léift
/lɜɪ̯ft/
Tree
Bam
/baːm/
House
Haus
/hɑʊ̯s/
Dog
Hond
/hont/
Cat
Kaz
/kaːts/
Eat
iessen
/iə̯sən/
Drink
drénken
/dʀeŋkən/
One
een
/eːn/
Two
zwee
/tsveː/
Hello
Moien
/moɪ̯ən/
Thank you
Merci
/mɛʀsiː/
Good
Gutt
/ɡut/
Cuckoo
Guckuck
/ˈɡukuk/
Computer
Computer
/komˈpjuːtɐ/
Sushi
Sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Dopamine
Dopamin
/dopaˈmiːn/
At sign (@)
Afeschwanz
/ˈafəʃvants/
Words compared
Compared with related Germanic (West) languages
| Meaning | Luxembourgish | Low German | German (Austrian) | German | Pennsylvania German | Kölsch | German (Luxembourgish) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Waasser /vaːsɐ/ | Water /vɑːtɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ |
| Fire | Feier /fɑɪ̯ɐ/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Feier /faɪər/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ |
| Sun | Sonn /zon/ | Sünn /zʏn/ | Sonne /sɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sonn /zɔn/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ |
| Moon | Mound /məʊ̯nt/ | Maan /maːn/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Muun /muːn/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Star | Stär /ʃtɛːɐ/ | Steern /steːrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Schteern /ʃteːrn/ | Stään /ʃtɛːn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ |
| Mother | Mamm /mɑm/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mudder /mʊdər/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ |
| Father | Papp /pɑp/ | Vader /fɑːdɐ/ | Vater /fɑːtɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Daadi /daːdi/ | Vatter /fatɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ |
| I | ech /ɛç/ | ik /ɪk/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪɕ/ | ich /ɪç/ |
| You | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ | do /doː/ | du /duː/ |
| Name | Numm /num/ | Naam /naːm/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Naame /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ |
| Eye | — /—/ | Oog /oːx/ | Auge /aːɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Aag /aːk/ | Auch /aʊx/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ |
| Hand | Hand /hɑnt/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hɑnt/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ |
| Heart | Häerz /hɛrts/ | Hart /haɐt/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Hatz /hats/ | Hätz /hɛts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ |
| Love | Léift /lɜɪ̯ft/ | Leev /leːf/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | liewe /liːvə/ | Leev /leːf/ | Liebe /liːbə/ |
| Tree | Bam /baːm/ | Boom /boːm/ | Baum /baːm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baam /baːm/ | Boum /baʊm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ |
| House | Haus /hɑʊ̯s/ | Huus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ |
| Dog | Hond /hont/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hongk /hoŋk/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | Kaz /kaːts/ | Katt /kat/ | Katze /kɑtsə/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ | Katze /katsə/ |
| Eat | iessen /iə̯sən/ | eten /eːtn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | esse /ɛsə/ | esse /ɛsə/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ |
| Drink | drénken /dʀeŋkən/ | drinken /drɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkŋ/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | drinke /dɾɪŋkə/ | drinke /dʁɪŋkə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ |
| One | een /eːn/ | een /eːn/ | oans /ɑːns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eens /eːns/ | ein /aɪn/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ |
| Two | zwee /tsveː/ | twee /tveː/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwee /tsveː/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ |
| Hello | Moien /moɪ̯ən/ | Moin /mɔɪn/ | Servus /zɛɐvʊs/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Tach /tax/ | Hallo /haloː/ |
| Thank you | Merci /mɛʀsiː/ | Dankschöön /daŋkʃøːn/ | Danke /daŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ | Denki /dɛŋki/ | Dankeschön /daŋkəʃøːn/ | danke /daŋkə/ |
| Good | Gutt /ɡut/ | good /ɡoːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | joot /joːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
| Cuckoo | Guckuck /ˈɡukuk/ | Kukuk /ˈkuːkuk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | — | — | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ |
| Computer | Computer /komˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /ˈkɔmpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtɐ/ | — |
| Sushi | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈzuːʃi/ | — | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ | — |
| Dopamine | Dopamin /dopaˈmiːn/ | Dopamin /dopaˈmiːn/ | — | Dopamin /dopaˈmiːn/ | — | — | — |
| At sign (@) | Afeschwanz /ˈafəʃvants/ | — | — | Klammeraffe /ˈklamɐʔˌafə/ | — | — | — |
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