New Klingon Words

The words listed here were revealed or expanded upon after the publication of The Klingon Dictionary and Klingon for the Galactic Traveler. This list was originally compiled and maintained for many years by Will Martin (a.k.a. charghwI'), then it was curated by Alan Anderson (a.k.a. ghunchu'wI'), and has now been handed over to a team of volunteers lead by Tali Smith (a.k.a. tIjey). Note that not all of these words are perfectly defined, and the list is subject to additions, deletions, and emendations as our knowledge increases. The choice of what words deserve to be included in this list is up to the team. Send them suggestions for additional entries, realizing that only words from confirmed Okrand sources will be accepted, and the source must be cited. See the explanation at the bottom of this list for source abbreviation descriptions.

In order not to compete with Dr. Okrand's income via royalties, the vocabulary of TKD and KGT will not be reproduced here. For a complete word list, combine this list with the ones in those two books.

Last updated: 2025-04-14

[ 'a | b | ch | D | 'e | gh | H | 'I | j | l | m | n | ng | 'o | p | q | Q | r | S | t | tlh | 'u | v | w | y | ' | all | date added | date modified | source ]

jaDchu'

juggle (objects, not tasks)

qepHom 15

jaghIv

rhythm [Request]

qep'a' 26

jaghla'

enemy commander

TKD p64-65

jaj

day (from dawn to dawn)

TKW p69 - jajvam

jaj wa'

Sunday

qepHom 12

jajlo' chum

sunrise (colorful sky) [Friends of Maltz: Quvar]

qep'a' 23

jajlo' Qa'

a noisy animal (not a bird) known for making a ruckus at dawn, like a rooster

HolQeD v10n4p5

jajvam

today

TKW p69 - jajvam

jal

imagine, envision

qepHom 2015 p.14

jamjuD

bounty [A reward offered for the completion of a challenging task.] [Request]

qep'a' 30

jamtlhach

phosphorus

qepHom 2023

janbI'

slope [mathematical term]

qep'a' 25

janluq pIqarD HoD

proper n

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

HolQeD v5n3p15 - S25

jantor

witness [one who has actually seen or been part of an event, eyewitness]

qepHom 17

jang

react (to something chemically) [Request]

qep'a' 32

jangchuq

react (chemically) to/on each other [Request]

qep'a' 32

jaqtala'

puberty, /jak'tahla/ (Klingon)

qepHom 2019

jaQ

be deep [Marc Okrand email 2012-01-15]

qepHom

jaQHa'

be shallow [Marc Okrand email 2012-01-15]

qepHom

jarjaj

anniversary in months [Any unit of time can be used, though some are only used as wordplay.]

ta'puq mach

jaSrob

cable

qepHom 2024

jat Hol

gibberish

qepHom 2019

jatlh; ghughughwI' rur

speak with vocal fry [Sometimes ghughugh alone suffices] [Request]

qep'a' 27

javtIm

virus

qep'a' 23

jay

sound of letter j [alphabet]

qep'a' 16

adv

also [described in grammar section. It follows the verb it modifies.]

TKD

jejSIp

acetylene

qepHom 2020

jel

shake, tremble [as in the buildings are shaking because there's an earthquake, or everything in the house shakes when you slam the door, or I'm nervous or afraid so I'm shaking (Klingons have never experienced this, but they've seen it in others)]

qep'a' 24

jelwaS

iodine (element)

qepHom 2019

jem

sense, feel, perceive, detect

qepHom 2017

jem'IH

castle (a building built for protection or fortification)

1 January 2018 email to Lieven

jentel

tassel [From chabal tetlh: "a bundle of loosely hanging threads, cords, or other material knotted at one end and attached for decoration to home furnishings, clothing, or other items".] [Request]

qep'a' 31

jentu'

bird, type of bird (aquatic, flightless) [Marc Okrand's Sea World visit with Pat Duff @pduff1964 2013-08-11]

Twitter

jeqpel

push-up [goes with the verb mI'] [Request]

qepHom 2021

jer

surge (aircraft suddenly moves forward or backward) [It is unknown if this has meaning outside of the context of aircraft attitude descriptions]

HolQeD v11n2p9

jergh

spasm [to cause something to spasm is jerghmoH] [Request]

qep'a' 27

jergh

twitch, spasm [involuntary motion] [Request]

qep'a' 27

jeS, jeS QoQ

jazz (music) [loanword from DIvI' Hol]

qepHom 15

jetlhurgh tay

Rite of Reclamation/Ritual of J'ethurgh [or maybe Rite of Recovery]

qepHom 2024

jev

storm, [wheeze, breathe noisily] [The verb to Storm is in TKD, but this new meaning "wheeze" arrived in HolQeD.]

HolQeD, v12n4p8

jey'

tin

qepHom 15

jey' Sorpuq

bronze

qepHom 15

jey'naS ghoqwI'

double agent [Marc Okrand email 2012-01-02]

qepHom 10

je'

v.t.

feed (someone else)[, enrich (spirit)]

TKW p7

je'ton

counter / workbench [Request]

qep'a' 27

je'wagh'en

louse [This, of course, is a Terran creature, not a Klingon one. A similar Klingon bug is a je'wagh'en.]

qepHom 2023

jIb

lynch, execute by hanging [Maltz thought maybe an early form of torture or execution was hanging people by their hair, but he wasn't totally sure about this and may have just been reacting to the homophony.]

Hamletmachine

jIb Ho'Du'

comb

TN!LK

jIb yachwI'

hairbrush

TN!LK

jIb'egh

suicide by hanging

Hamletmachine

jIj

cooperate [jIj is listed only in the Klingon-English side of TKD while yeq is listed only in the English-Klingon side. KGT lists it as "be cooperative".]

TKD

jIltob'or

classic [Request]

qep'a' 32

jIm

shrug, heave (aircraft rising or falling without pitching)

HolQeD v11n2p9, De'vID Feb 2019 Q&A

jIn

wish

qepHom 2015 p.12

jInay'

J'naii [Request]

qep'a' 27

jInbo'

bias [There's also an idiom: ghu' neS] [Request]

qep'a' 28

jInmol pa'

studio, workspace

qepHom 15

jIqlem

strap [Request]

qep'a' 28

jIr

excl

Whoop-dee-doo!, La-dee-dah!, Who cares?!, Big deal! [When the word was first encountered it was accompanied by a gesture of pointing upward and moving the hand in a circular motion, but Marc Okrand made clear that the gesture is not an integral part of the exclamation.]

qepHom 14

jIrev

giraffe [This is a loanword.] [Request]

qep'a' 31

jIrmoH

crank [literally "cause to rotate"] [Request]

qep'a' 27

jIrmoH

pedal [From chabal tetlh: "operate a pedal attached to a wheel in a continuous circular motion". When used with this meaning, a common object is 'olDop, pedal (or qam Do Duj 'olDop, bicycle pedal), though the object need not be mentioned if the context is clear.] [Request]

qep'a' 31

jIrmoH

crank [Can be used for turning a doorknob.] [Request]

qepHom 2020

jIrwI' Duj

helicopter (slang) [This term is not used for teacups at Disneyland.] [Request]

qep'a' 29

jItuj'ep

mummy

qep'a' 24

jItuj'ep ngutlh

mummification glyph

qep'a' 24

jIvvo'

evil criminal, villain, malefactor [STID]

qepHom 12

jIy

be umami, be savory, be earthy [Request]

qep'a' 26

jIyweS

translation, gloss [a quick tag to give an idea of what the word means, not a complete definition]

Feb 2018 email to De'vID

jI'ev

handle, knob, doorknob

qep'a' 23

job

zigzag, be jagged

qep'a' 24

jolpat

transporter system

BoP Poster

jonSeH yaH

engineering (location) [where the engines are controlled]

qepHom 2017

joqwI' nagh

chip (US, like a potato chip or corn chip), crisp (UK)

qepHom 2024

jorchan

view, scene, scenery, sight, landscape

qep'a' 25

jorchan velqa'

scenery, stage decoration

Hamletmachine

jorja

Georgia [US state]

qepHom 17

jorneb

warhead (of a torpedo)

KGT, in the body text and E-K

jornub

warhead (of a torpedo)

KGT, in K-E

jorngab

shoulder piece of a Klingon uniform

Klingon at Conventions

joSraD

crater [Request]

qep'a' 27

jo'

inflate, fill with air, blow up [It's not the same as SuS, which can also be used for blowing out a candle. With SuS you're blowing into/onto/at something, but the air gets out of the thing (or never goes in it). With jo', the air is trapped in the thing and can't come out until you let it out (or the thing breaks).]

qepHom 2017

jo'

zoom in on [jo' is used for "zoom in on" (the object is the image); jo'Ha' is "zoom out" (applied to something that was previously zoomed in on). In context Sach "expand, be amplified, be increased in scope" can be used for "be magnified".] [Request]

qep'a' 28

jo'ley'

tent [Request]

qep'a' 26

juch

have a width of

MSN

jul

sun [qep'a' wa'maH chorghDIch]

paq'batlh

julSIp

helium

qepHom 2015 p.13

jum

be odd, peculiar, unexpected, fishy

TKD, qepHom 2017

jung

flitter, dart

qep'a' 32

jungQu'

adventure [Request]

qep'a' 32

jungwI'

dragonfly [This is an insect found on Qo'noS. For the Terran insect, add tera' to clarify when needed.] [Request]

qep'a' 32

jungwI' ghew

dragonfly [This is an insect found on Qo'noS. For the Terran insect, add tera' to clarify when needed.] [Request]

qep'a' 32

jungwoq

China

TN!LK

jutngev

nectar [Request]

qep'a' 28

ju'Da lalDan

Judaism

qep'a' 31

ju'pIter

Jupiter (planet) [The "scientific" name of the planet is Sol vagh.]

January 2020 email to DeSDu'

Count:96

Works Cited

CK: Okrand, Marc. (1992). Conversational Klingon (audio cassette). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 5-022-73903-6391
FFN: Festival of the Spoken Nerd (2015). Full Frontal Nerdity DVD. Laughing Stock. ISBN: 0-671-79739-5
Hamletmachine: Translation by Lieven Litaer of Heiner Müller's 1977 play Die Hamletmaschine. (link)
HolQeD: (1992 to present). The quarterly journal of the Klingon Language Institute. Assorted interviews with and articles by Marc Okrand. ISSN: 1061-2327
KCD: Okrand, Marc. (1992). Star Trek: Klingon, CD-ROM. New York: Simon & Schuster Interactive. ISBN: 0-671-52873-4
Monopoly: (2011). MONOPOLY® – Star Trek Klingon Limited Edition, board game. USAopoly/Hasbro.
OZ: 'aS 'IDnar pIn'a' Dun, Jackson Bradley's translation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
PCHC: Chase Masterson (2016). Pop Culture Hero Coalition message. Facebook. (link)
PK: Levine, Barry & Okrand, Marc. (1993). Power Klingon: Master the Language of Warriors (audio cassette). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0-671-87975-8
qepHom: An annual meeting of Klingonists in Germany. The first such qepHom took place in 2002. (The word can refer to any minor gathering, but this list uses it exclusively for the organized German meeting.)
qep'a': The annual conference of the Klingon Language Institute. Marc Okrand is often in attendance. qep'a' wa'DIch was held in 1994. (The word can refer to any convention or conference, but this list uses it exclusively for the KLI's annual meeting.)
TKD: Okrand, Marc. (1985 & 1992). The Klingon Dictionary, 2nd ed. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0-671-74559-X
TKW: Okrand, Marc. (1996). Star Trek: The Klingon Way: A Warrior's Guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0-671-53755-5
TN!LK: (2011). Talk Now! Learn Klingon. EuroTalk, Ltd. ISBN: 1-846-06606-9
veS QonoS: (1990). Newsletter of Mortas-Te-Kaase, a defunct Klingon club. Some new words from Marc Okrand appeared, and a subset of these were later used in CK. The entire list was reprinted by permission of both Okrand and the club in HolQeD 1:3.