удиэ кэйэвэни
Udege
Tungusic (Northern, Udege-Oroch subgroup — sister to Oroch and Negidal)
Udege (autonymously "удиэ кэйэвэни" Udihe Keyeveni or "Udeγe") is a Northern Tungusic language of the Russian Far East spoken by traditional taiga hunter-gatherers known as "tiger-and-taiga people". The Udege were romanticized in Vladimir Arsenyev's "Dersu Uzala" (1923) — Dersu was an Udege hunter-guide. Severely endangered: only ~100 fluent speakers remain among ~1,500 ethnic Udege, with younger generations Russian-dominant. The Bikin Valley Udege community in Krasnyy Yar is the largest contemporary settlement and the focus of cultural preservation through the Bikin National Park established 2015. Linguistically, Udege has rich vowel harmony, complex spatial case morphology, and distinctive evidentiality marking.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Udege
Water
уй
/uj/
Fire
тогбо
/toɡbo/
Sun
даигаси
/daiɡasi/
Moon
биа
/bia/
Mother
энэ
/ene/
Father
амэ
/amə/
Eat
джевэ
/d͡ʒevə/
Drink
омимэ
/omimə/
Love
чисанай
/t͡ʃisanaj/
Heart
миаван
/miavan/
Tree
мо
/mo/
House
дзугди
/d͡zuɡdi/
Dog
инай
/inaj/
Cat
кошк
/koʃk/
Hand
нала
/nala/
Eye
писа
/pisa/
Hello
бандиба
/bandiba/
Thank you
нюхча
/ɲuxt͡ʃa/
One
омо
/omo/
Good
ая
/aja/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Tungusic (Northern, Udege-Oroch subgroup — sister to Oroch and Negidal) languages
| Meaning | Udege | Nanai | Evenki | Jurchen | Even (Lamut) | Sibe | Manchu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | уй /uj/ | муэ /mue/ | му /mu/ | muke /muke/ | му /mu/ | ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ | ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ |
| Fire | тогбо /toɡbo/ | това /tova/ | того /toɡo/ | tuwa /tuwa/ | тоог /toːɡ/ | ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ | ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ |
| Sun | даигаси /daiɡasi/ | сиун /siun/ | дылача /dɯlatɕa/ | šun /ʃun/ | нөлтэн /nølten/ | ᠰᡠᠨ /sun/ | ᡧᡠᠨ /ʃun/ |
| Moon | биа /bia/ | биа /bia/ | бега /beɡa/ | biya /bija/ | бяг /bjaɡ/ | ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ | ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ |
| Mother | энэ /ene/ | энин /enin/ | эни /eni/ | eme /eme/ | эньэн /eɲen/ | ᡝᠨᡞᠶᡝ /ənije/ | ᡝᠨᡳᠶᡝ /ənijə/ |
| Father | амэ /amə/ | ама /ama/ | ама /ama/ | ama /ama/ | ама /ama/ | ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ | ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ |
| Eat | джевэ /d͡ʒevə/ | депу /depu/ | дептэ /depte/ | jefu /dʒefu/ | дьэб /dʒeb/ | ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡞ /d͡ʒəmbi/ | ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳ /dʒəmbi/ |
| Drink | омимэ /omimə/ | омичи /omitʃi/ | умӣ /umiː/ | omi /omi/ | ум /um/ | ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡞ /omibi/ | ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡳ /omibi/ |
| Love | чисанай /t͡ʃisanaj/ | эйини /ejini/ | аявдави /ajavdavi/ | gosi /ɡosi/ | аякан /ajakan/ | ᠴᡳᠯᡨᡠᠮᠪᡳ /t͡ʃiltumbi/ | ᡥᠠᡳᡵᠠᠮᠪᡳ /xairambi/ |
| Heart | миаван /miavan/ | миаван /miavan/ | меван /mevan/ | niyaman /nijaman/ | мяван /mjavan/ | ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠮᠠᠨ /nijaman/ | ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠮᠠᠨ /nijaman/ |
| Tree | мо /mo/ | мо /mo/ | мо /mo/ | mo /mo/ | мо /mo/ | ᠮᠣᠯᠣ /molo/ | ᠮᠣᠣ /moː/ |
| House | дзугди /d͡zuɡdi/ | дё /dʒo/ | дю /dʒu/ | boo /boː/ | дьу /dʒu/ | ᠪᠣᠣ /boː/ | ᠪᠣᠣ /boː/ |
| Dog | инай /inaj/ | инда /inda/ | нгинакин /ŋinakin/ | indahǔn /indahuːn/ | нгин /ŋin/ | ᠨᡳᠨᠳᠠᡥᡡᠨ /nindaxun/ | ᡳᠨᡩᠠᡥᡡᠨ /indaxuːn/ |
| Cat | кошк /koʃk/ | коси /kosi/ | кошка /koʂka/ | kesike /kesike/ | кошка /koʂka/ | ᡴᡝᠰᡳᡴᡝ /kəsikə/ | ᡴᡝᠰᡳᡴᡝ /kəsikə/ |
| Hand | нала /nala/ | нгала /ŋala/ | нгалэ /ŋale/ | gala /ɡala/ | нгал /ŋal/ | ᡤᠠᠯᠠ /ɡala/ | ᡤᠠᠯᠠ /ɡala/ |
| Eye | писа /pisa/ | насал /nasal/ | эса /esa/ | yasa /jasa/ | яса /jasa/ | ᠶᠠᠰᠠ /jasa/ | ᠶᠠᠰᠠ /jasa/ |
| Hello | бандиба /bandiba/ | банди-банди /bandi bandi/ | дорообо /doroːbo/ | — /—/ | дорова /dorova/ | ᠨᡳᠩᡤᡝ ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /niŋɡe sain/ | ᠰᡳ ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /si sain/ |
| Thank you | нюхча /ɲuxt͡ʃa/ | банихан /banihan/ | пасиба /pasiba/ | — /—/ | пасиба /pasiba/ | ᠪᠠᠨᡳᡥᠠ /banixa/ | ᠪᠠᠨᡳᡥᠠ /banixa/ |
| One | омо /omo/ | эмун /emun/ | умун /umun/ | emu /emu/ | омэн /omen/ | ᡝᠮᡠ /əmu/ | ᠡᠮᡠ /əmu/ |
| Good | ая /aja/ | ая /aja/ | ая /aja/ | sain /sain/ | ай /aj/ | ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /sain/ | ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /sain/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.