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

20 core words in Romani

Water

pani

/ˈpani/

Fire

jag

/jaɡ/

Sun

kham

/kʰam/

Moon

čhon

/tʃʰon/

Mother

daj

/ˈdaj/

Father

dad

/ˈdad/

Eat

xal

/ˈxal/

Drink

pijel

/pijɛl/

Love

kamiben

/kamibɛn/

Heart

jilo

/dʒilo/

Tree

rukh

/ɾukʰ/

House

kher

/kʰɛɾ/

Dog

žukel

/ʒukɛl/

Cat

mačka

/matʃka/

Hand

vast

/ˈvast/

Eye

jakh

/jakʰ/

Hello

lačho dives

/latʃʰo divɛs/

Thank you

nais tuke

/najs tukɛ/

One

jekh

/jɛkʰ/

Good

lačho

/latʃʰo/

Sources

Words compared

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

Meaning RomaniVlax RomaniFinnish RomaniMacedonianDotyaliKulluiMarwari
Water pani /ˈpani/ pani /pani/ paani /paːni/ вода /ˈvɔda/ पानी /paːniː/ पाणी /paːɳiː/ पाणी /paːɳiː/
Fire jag /jaɡ/ jag /jaɡ/ jaak /jaːk/ оган /ˈɔɡan/ आगो /aːɡo/ आग /aːɡ/ आग /aːɡ/
Sun kham /kʰam/ kham /kʰam/ kham /kʰam/ сонце /ˈsɔnt͡sɛ/ सूर्य /suːɾjə/ सूरज /suːɾədʒ/ सूरज /suːɾədʒ/
Moon čhon /tʃʰon/ čhonut /tʃʰonut/ choon /tʃʰoːn/ месечина /mɛˈsɛt͡ʃina/ जुनेली /dʒuneliː/ चांद /tʃãːd/ चांद /tʃãːd/
Mother daj /ˈdaj/ dej /dej/ daij /daij/ мајка /ˈmajka/ आमा /aːmaː/ आमा /aːma/ मा /maː/
Father dad /ˈdad/ dad /dad/ daad /daːd/ татко /ˈtatkɔ/ बाजी /baːdʒiː/ बाबा /baːba/ बाप /baːp/
Eat xal /ˈxal/ xav /xav/ xal /xal/ јаде /ˈjadɛ/ खानु /kʰaːnu/ खाणु /kʰaːɳu/ खाणो /kʰaːɳo/
Drink pijel /pijɛl/ pijav /pijav/ piel /piel/ пие /ˈpiɛ/ पिउनु /piunu/ पीणु /piːɳu/ पीणो /piːɳo/
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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
हम होटल के सामने दुकान में देखल सूट पहिन के देखे के चाहत बानी
Аз искам да пробвам костюм който видях в магазин срещу хотела

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