Travel phrases

Essential Uzbek travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Uzbek phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Assalomu alaykum to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Uzbek speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Uzbek travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Assalomu alaykum (hello), Iltimos (please), Rahmat (thank you), and Hojatxona qayerda? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Uzbek phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Uzbek speakers really use, not an English list translated into Uzbek, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Uzbek phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Assalomu alaykum Hello as-sa-LOH-mu a-lay-KUM The everyday hello to anyone, not only a religious one; answered Vaalaykum assalom
  2. 2 Salom Hi sa-LOM The short form, for friends and anyone younger than you
  3. 3 Yaxshimisiz? How are you? yakh-SHI-mi-siz Part of the greeting; several such questions follow and none needs a real answer
  4. 4 Xayr Goodbye HAYR The plain goodbye, usually followed by Sog' bo'ling
  5. 5 Sog' bo'ling Keep well (thanks and goodbye) sogh bo-LING Said on parting and as warm thanks, to a driver, a seller, a host; it often follows Xayr
  6. 6 Rahmat Thank you rah-MAT Answered with Arzimaydi, it is not worth mentioning
  7. 7 Ha / Yo'q Yes / no hah / YOK
  8. 8 Kechirasiz Excuse me ke-chi-ra-SIZ An apology, and the way you stop a stranger to ask something
  9. 9 Iltimos Please il-ti-MOS Uzbek softens a request with the verb, so iltimos is used less than English please
  10. 10 Tushunmadim I don't understand tu-SHUN-ma-dim
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Assalomu alaykum Hello as-sa-LOH-mu a-lay-KUM The everyday hello to anyone, not only a religious one; answered Vaalaykum assalom
Salom Hi sa-LOM The short form, for friends and anyone younger than you
Yaxshimisiz? How are you? yakh-SHI-mi-siz Part of the greeting; several such questions follow and none needs a real answer
Xayr Goodbye HAYR The plain goodbye, usually followed by Sog' bo'ling
Sog' bo'ling Keep well (thanks and goodbye) sogh bo-LING Said on parting and as warm thanks, to a driver, a seller, a host; it often follows Xayr

Basics

Rahmat Thank you rah-MAT Answered with Arzimaydi, it is not worth mentioning
Ha / Yo'q Yes / no hah / YOK
Kechirasiz Excuse me ke-chi-ra-SIZ An apology, and the way you stop a stranger to ask something
Iltimos Please il-ti-MOS Uzbek softens a request with the verb, so iltimos is used less than English please
Tushunmadim I don't understand tu-SHUN-ma-dim
Ingliz tilini bilasizmi? Do you speak English? in-GLIZ ti-li-NI bi-la-SIZ-mi Rare outside hotels; Russian still carries in Tashkent, much less in the valley

Getting around

Hojatxona qayerda? Where is the toilet? ho-jat-ho-NA ka-yer-DA
Aka, shu yerda to'xtating Stop right here, please a-KA shu yer-DA tokh-ta-TING To a shared taxi or a marshrutka driver; Aka, older brother, is how you address any man older than you, Opa a woman
Metro qayerda? Where is the metro? met-RO ka-yer-DA Tashkent's metro is the quickest way across town and the stations are worth it
Markazga qanday boraman? How do I get to the centre? mar-kaz-GA kan-DAY bo-ra-MAN
Uzoqmi? Is it far? u-ZOK-mi

Eating out

Bitta osh bering One plov, please BIT-ta osh be-RING Plov is called osh and is a midday dish; an oshxona often sells out by afternoon
Menyuni bering The menu, please men-yu-NI be-RING A choyxona often has none; ask Bugun nima bor?, what is there today
Ko'k choy bering Green tea, please kok choy be-RING Green tea comes with every meal; the host pours a bowl back into the pot three times
Juda mazali It's delicious ju-DA ma-za-LI
Hisobni bering The bill, please hi-sob-NI be-RING

Shopping

Qancha turadi? How much is it? kan-CHA tu-ra-DI
Arzonroq bo'ladimi? Can it be cheaper? ar-zon-ROK bo-la-DI-mi Real at a bazaar such as Chorsu; a shop with price tags does not move
Karta o'tadimi? Do you take card? KAR-ta o-ta-DI-mi Hotels, chains and supermarkets take Visa and Mastercard; many small shops take only the local Uzcard and Humo, so carry som
Shunchaki ko'ryapman I'm just looking shun-cha-KI kor-yap-MAN

Emergencies

Yordam bering! Help! yor-DAM be-RING
Tez yordam chaqiring! Call an ambulance! tez yor-DAM cha-ki-RING
Militsiya chaqiring! Call the police! mi-LIT-si-ya cha-ki-RING Everyone still says militsiya, the Soviet word, whatever the official name is
Adashib qoldim I'm lost a-da-SHIB kol-DIM

Locals say

Arzimaydi Don't mention it ar-ZI-may-di The answer to Rahmat; literally it is not worth it
Marhamat Go ahead, help yourself mar-ha-MAT Said as you are handed something or waved in through a door
Mayli All right MAY-li Agreeing to anything: OK, fine, go ahead; Mayli, xayr also winds up a conversation
Osh bo'lsin Enjoy your meal osh bol-SIN Said to anyone you find eating, who will then wave you over to join; osh here means any food. Yoqimli ishtaha is the newer, Russian-style wish
Charchamang Don't get tired char-CHA-mang Said to anyone you find working; a greeting and a compliment in one

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Assalomu alaykum next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Iltimos and Rahmat feel automatic, the next step is a real Uzbek sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Uzbek phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Assalomu alaykum (hello), Iltimos (please), Rahmat (thank you), Hojatxona qayerda? (where is the toilet?), and Yordam bering! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Uzbek locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Uzbek for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Arzimaydi (don't mention it), Marhamat (go ahead, help yourself), Mayli (all right). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Uzbek phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Assalomu alaykum and Rahmat a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Uzbek?

In Uzbek, hello is Assalomu alaykum (pronounced as-sa-LOH-mu a-lay-KUM) and thank you is Rahmat (rah-MAT). Add Iltimos (please) and Xayr (goodbye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Uzbek?

Ask Hojatxona qayerda? (pronounced ho-jat-ho-NA ka-yer-DA), which means "where is the toilet?" in Uzbek. If you only catch part of the reply, Tushunmadim (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Uzbek before traveling?

No, but a dozen Uzbek phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Assalomu alaykum and Rahmat instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Uzbek is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.