Polski
Polish
Indo-European (Slavic, West)
Polish (język polski) is a West Slavic language with ~45M speakers, the official language of Poland and one of 24 official languages of the European Union. Famous for complex consonant clusters (źdźbło "blade of grass") and a 7-case system (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative, vocative). Uses a Latin alphabet with distinctive diacritics (ą, ę, ł, ó, ś, ć, ń, ź, ż) and digraphs (sz, cz, dz, dź, dż, rz). Major literary tradition since Mikołaj Rej (16th c.), with Nobel laureates Henryk Sienkiewicz, Władysław Reymont, Czesław Miłosz, Wisława Szymborska, and Olga Tokarczuk.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Polish
Water
woda
/ˈvɔda/
Fire
ogień
/ˈɔɡɛɲ/
Sun
słońce
/ˈswɔɲtsɛ/
Moon
księżyc
/ˈkɕɛ̃ʐɨts/
Star
gwiazda
/ˈɡvjazda/
Mother
matka
/ˈmatka/
Father
ojciec
/ˈɔjtɕɛts/
I
ja
/ja/
You
ty
/tɨ/
Name
imię
/ˈimʲɛ/
Eye
oko
/ˈɔkɔ/
Hand
ręka
/ˈrɛŋka/
Heart
serce
/ˈsɛrtsɛ/
Love
miłość
/ˈmiwɔɕtɕ/
Tree
drzewo
/ˈdʐɛvɔ/
House
dom
/dɔm/
Dog
pies
/pjɛs/
Cat
kot
/kɔt/
Eat
jeść
/jɛɕtɕ/
Drink
pić
/pitɕ/
One
jeden
/ˈjɛdɛn/
Two
dwa
/dva/
Hello
cześć
/tʂɛɕtɕ/
Thank you
dziękuję
/dʑɛŋˈkujɛ/
Good
dobry
/ˈdɔbrɨ/
Cuckoo
kukułka
/kuˈkuwka/
Woof
hau hau
/xau xau/
Computer
komputer
/kɔmˈpu.tɛr/
Sushi
sushi
/ˈsu.ɕi/
Dopamine
dopamina
/dɔpaˈmina/
At sign (@)
małpa
/ˈmawpa/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Slavic, West) languages
| Meaning | Polish | Silesian | Lower Sorbian | Kashubian | Upper Sorbian | Macedonian | Czech |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | woda /ˈvɔda/ | woda /ˈvɔda/ | woda /ˈvɔda/ | woda /ˈvɔda/ | woda /ˈvɔda/ | вода /ˈvɔda/ | voda /ˈvoda/ |
| Fire | ogień /ˈɔɡɛɲ/ | ôgyń /ˈɔɡɨɲ/ | wogeń /ˈvɔɡɛɲ/ | òdżin /ˈwɛdʒin/ | woheń /ˈvɔhɛɲ/ | оган /ˈɔɡan/ | oheň /ˈoɦɛɲ/ |
| Sun | słońce /ˈswɔɲtsɛ/ | słōńce /ˈswoɲtsɛ/ | słyńco /ˈswɨntsɔ/ | słuńce /ˈswuɲtsɛ/ | słónco /ˈswʊntsɔ/ | сонце /ˈsɔntsɛ/ | slunce /ˈsluntsɛ/ |
| Moon | księżyc /ˈkɕɛ̃ʐɨts/ | miesiōnczek /mʲɛˈɕɔ̃tʂɛk/ | mjasec /ˈmʲasɛts/ | ksãżëc /ˈksɔ̃ʐɨts/ | měsac /ˈmʲɛsats/ | месечина /mɛˈsɛtʃina/ | měsíc /ˈmɲɛsiːts/ |
| Star | gwiazda /ˈɡvjazda/ | gwiŏzda /ˈɡvjɔzda/ | gwězda /ɡvʲɛzda/ | gwiôzda /ˈɡvjɔzda/ | hwězda /ˈɦwʲɛzda/ | ѕвезда /ˈdzvɛzda/ | hvězda /ˈɦvjɛzda/ |
| Mother | matka /ˈmatka/ | matka /ˈmatka/ | maś /maɕ/ | mëma /ˈmɜma/ | mać /matɕ/ | мајка /ˈmajka/ | matka /ˈmatka/ |
| Father | ojciec /ˈɔjtɕɛts/ | fater /ˈfatɛr/ | nan /nan/ | tatk /tatk/ | nan /nan/ | татко /ˈtatkɔ/ | otec /ˈotɛts/ |
| I | ja /ja/ | jŏ /jɔ/ | ja /ja/ | jô /jɔ/ | ja /ja/ | јас /jas/ | já /jaː/ |
| You | ty /tɨ/ | ty /tɨ/ | ty /tɨ/ | të /tɜ/ | ty /tɨ/ | ти /ti/ | ty /tɪ/ |
| Name | imię /ˈimʲɛ/ | miano /ˈmʲano/ | mě /mʲɛ/ | miono /ˈmjɔnɔ/ | mjeno /ˈmjɛnɔ/ | име /ˈime/ | jméno /ˈjmɛːno/ |
| Eye | oko /ˈɔkɔ/ | ôko /ˈwɔkɔ/ | woko /ˈwɔkɔ/ | òkò /ˈwɛkwɛ/ | woko /ˈwɔkɔ/ | око /ˈɔkɔ/ | oko /ˈoko/ |
| Hand | ręka /ˈrɛŋka/ | rynka /ˈrɨŋka/ | ruka /ˈruka/ | rãka /ˈrãka/ | ruka /ˈruka/ | рака /ˈraka/ | ruka /ˈruka/ |
| Heart | serce /ˈsɛrtsɛ/ | serce /ˈsɛrtsɛ/ | wutšoba /ˈvutʃɔba/ | serce /ˈsɛrtsɛ/ | wutroba /ˈvutrɔba/ | срце /ˈsərtsɛ/ | srdce /ˈsr̩tsɛ/ |
| Love | miłość /ˈmiwɔɕtɕ/ | miyłość /ˈmʲɨwɔɕtɕ/ | lubosć /ˈlubɔɕtɕ/ | lubota /luˈbɔta/ | lubosć /ˈlubɔstɕ/ | љубов /ˈʎubɔv/ | láska /ˈlaːska/ |
| Tree | drzewo /ˈdʐɛvɔ/ | strōm /strɔm/ | bom /bɔm/ | drzewo /ˈdʐɛvɔ/ | štom /ʃtɔm/ | дрво /ˈdərvɔ/ | strom /strom/ |
| House | dom /dɔm/ | chałpa /ˈxawpa/ | dom /dɔm/ | chëcz /xɨtʃ/ | dom /dom/ | куќа /ˈkutɕa/ | dům /duːm/ |
| Dog | pies /pjɛs/ | pies /pjɛs/ | pjas /pʲas/ | pies /pjɛs/ | pos /pɔs/ | куче /ˈkutʃɛ/ | pes /pɛs/ |
| Cat | kot /kɔt/ | kot /kɔt/ | kócka /ˈkɛtska/ | kòt /kʷɔt/ | kóčka /ˈkʊtʃka/ | мачка /ˈmatʃka/ | kočka /ˈkotʃka/ |
| Eat | jeść /jɛɕtɕ/ | jeść /jɛɕtɕ/ | jěsć /jɛɕtɕ/ | jesc /jɛsts/ | jěsć /jɛstɕ/ | јаде /ˈjadɛ/ | jíst /jiːst/ |
| Drink | pić /pitɕ/ | pić /pitɕ/ | piś /piɕ/ | pic /pits/ | pić /pitɕ/ | пие /ˈpiɛ/ | pít /piːt/ |
| One | jeden /ˈjɛdɛn/ | jedyn /ˈjɛdɨn/ | jaden /ˈjadɛn/ | jeden /ˈjɛdɛn/ | jedyn /ˈjɛdɨn/ | еден /ˈɛdɛn/ | jeden /ˈjɛdɛn/ |
| Two | dwa /dva/ | dwa /dva/ | dwa /dva/ | dwa /dva/ | dwaj /dwaj/ | два /dva/ | dva /dva/ |
| Hello | cześć /tʂɛɕtɕ/ | serwus /ˈsɛrvus/ | witaj /ˈvitaj/ | witôj /ˈvitwɔj/ | witaj /ˈvitaj/ | здраво /ˈzdravɔ/ | ahoj /ˈaɦoj/ |
| Thank you | dziękuję /dʑɛŋˈkujɛ/ | dziynkuja /ˈdʑɨŋkuja/ | źěkujom se /ˈdʑɛkujɔm sɛ/ | dzãki /ˈdzɔ̃ki/ | dźakuju so /ˈdʑakuju sɔ/ | благодарам /blaˈɡɔdaram/ | děkuji /ˈɟɛkuji/ |
| Good | dobry /ˈdɔbrɨ/ | dobry /ˈdɔbrɨ/ | dobry /ˈdɔbrɨ/ | dobri /ˈdɔbri/ | dobry /ˈdɔbrɨ/ | добар /ˈdɔbar/ | dobrý /ˈdobriː/ |
| Cuckoo | kukułka /kuˈkuwka/ | kukawka /kuˈkafka/ | kukawa /ˈkukawa/ | kùkówka /kuˈkovka/ | kokula /ˈkɔkula/ | кукавица /kuˈkavitsa/ | kukačka /ˈkukatʃka/ |
| Woof | hau hau /xau xau/ | — | — | — | — | ав ав /af af/ | haf haf /ɦaf ɦaf/ |
| Computer | komputer /kɔmˈpu.tɛr/ | kůmputer /kumˈputɛr/ | computer /ˈkɔmpjutɛr/ | kómpùter /ˈkompwutɛr/ | kompjuter /ˈkɔmpjutɛr/ | компјутер /kɔmˈpjutɛr/ | počítač /ˈpotʃiːtatʃ/ |
| Sushi | sushi /ˈsu.ɕi/ | — | — | — | — | суши /ˈsuʃi/ | suši /ˈsuʃɪ/ |
| Dopamine | dopamina /dɔpaˈmina/ | — | — | — | — | допамин /ˈdopamin/ | dopamin /ˈdopamɪn/ |
| At sign (@) | małpa /ˈmawpa/ | — | — | — | — | мајмунче /ˈmajmuntʃe/ | zavináč /ˈzavɪnaːtʃ/ |
Word order compared
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