Romani čhib

Romani

Indo-European (Indo-Aryan)

FamilyIndo-European (Indo-Aryan) Speakers~3.5M ScriptLatin CountriesEurope-wide Official inRecognized minority (multiple EU states) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3rom

Romani (rromani ćhib) is the Indo-Aryan language of the Roma people, with ~3.5M speakers across Europe and a global diaspora. Originating in northwestern India and migrating westward from c. 1000 CE through Persia, Armenia, and Byzantine Anatolia, Romani has dialect groups (Vlax, Balkan, Carpathian, Sinte, Welsh, etc.) heavily influenced by their host regions' languages, but the Indic core (basic vocabulary, retroflex consonants, Sanskrit-derived numerals) is preserved. There is no universally agreed standard; multiple Latin-script orthographies are used, including a Council of Europe recommended form.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Romani

Water

pani

/ˈpani/

Fire

jag

/jaɡ/

Sun

kham

/kʰam/

Moon

čhon

/tʃʰon/

Star

čerhaj

/tʃerˈhaj/

Mother

daj

/ˈdaj/

Father

dad

/ˈdad/

I

me

/me/

You

tu

/tu/

Name

anav

/aˈnav/

Eye

jakh

/jakʰ/

Hand

vast

/ˈvast/

Heart

jilo

/dʒilo/

Love

kamiben

/kamibɛn/

Tree

rukh

/ɾukʰ/

House

kher

/kʰɛɾ/

Dog

žukel

/ʒukɛl/

Cat

mačka

/matʃka/

Eat

xal

/ˈxal/

Drink

pijel

/pijɛl/

One

jekh

/jɛkʰ/

Two

duj

/duj/

Hello

lačho dives

/latʃʰo divɛs/

Thank you

nais tuke

/najs tukɛ/

Good

lačho

/latʃʰo/

Cuckoo

kuko

/ˈkuko/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Indo-European (Indo-Aryan) languages

Meaning RomaniVlax RomaniFinnish RomaniDotyaliSylhetiMacedonianIdo
Water pani /ˈpani/ pani /pani/ paani /paːni/ पानी /paːniː/ পানি /pani/ вода /ˈvɔda/ aquo /ˈakwo/
Fire jag /jaɡ/ jag /jaɡ/ jaak /jaːk/ आगो /aːɡo/ আগুন /aɡun/ оган /ˈɔɡan/ fairo /ˈfajro/
Sun kham /kʰam/ kham /kʰam/ kham /kʰam/ सूर्य /suːɾjə/ সুরুজ /suruz/ сонце /ˈsɔntsɛ/ suno /ˈsuno/
Moon čhon /tʃʰon/ čhonut /tʃʰonut/ choon /tʃʰoːn/ जून /dʒun/ চান /tʃan/ месечина /mɛˈsɛtʃina/ luno /ˈluno/
Star čerhaj /tʃerˈhaj/ čerhaj /tʃerˈhaj/ čerhai /tʃerhai/ तारा /t̪aːra/ তারা /tara/ ѕвезда /ˈdzvɛzda/ stelo /ˈstelo/
Mother daj /ˈdaj/ dej /dej/ daij /daij/ आमा /aːmaː/ মা /ma/ мајка /ˈmajka/ matro /ˈmatro/
Father dad /ˈdad/ dad /dad/ daad /daːd/ बाजी /baːdʒiː/ বাফ /baf/ татко /ˈtatkɔ/ patro /ˈpatro/
I me /me/ me /me/ me /me/ मु /mu/ আমি /ami/ јас /jas/ me /me/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Romani
Me kamav te prov jekh kostyùmo kai dikhlem ando butìka anglal e hotelostar
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Romani
Me kamav te prov jekh kostyùmo kai dikhlem ando butìka anglal e hotelostar
Unë dua ta provoj një kostum pashë një dyqan përballë hotelit
Ես ուզում եմ փորձել կոստում որ տեսա խանութում դիմաց հյուրանոցի
মই হোটেলৰ সন্মুখৰ দোকানত দেখা ছুটটো পিন্ধি চাব বিচাৰোঁ
हम होटल के सामने दुकान में देखल सूट पहिन के देखे के चाहत बानी

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