qep'a' cha'maH SochDIch Canon
This page contains a list of newly translated words provided by Dr. Okrand and Maltz. It also contains some clarifications for words and grammar.
Please refer any errors, issues, or questions to qurgh on Discord.
Clarifications
Requested Term | Explanation | Original Request |
burden | For this meaning of "burden" (a heavy load that is carried but is considered useless), one can probably make use of 'ugh, qeng, and/or tu'HomI'raH. Those words would normally not be appropriate if "burden" means something like "onus." | Request |
turn | Make use of baQ and jop. For example: jopDI' 'ovwI' veb, 'echletHom tlhap "When the next player takes his/her turn, he/she takes a card"; ngop yISay'moH! yIjop! "Clean the plates! It's your turn!" | Request |
fantasy | Make use of rorgh "be fantasy" | Request |
faucet | use bIQ SeHjan or the like Regarding {bIQ SeH jan}, a suggested way to refer to a "faucet" — Maltz says this is really two words: {bIQ SeHjan} ("water control-device" or "water controlling-device").</>The question, based on the three-word version, was whether the suffix {-meH}, following {SeH}, was missing or deleted or could be added. And a followup question was, if so, could other similar phrases be formed by simply dropping -{meH}. Speaking historically or etymologically, a formation such as {bIQ SeHjan} was no doubt formed by reducing the phrase {bIQ SeHmeH jan} ("device for controlling water") by dropping the{-meH}. And, still speaking historically or etymologically, this could happen again for other words. It is not, however, a productive process — that is, you can't, on the fly, just drop the -meH. In everyday conversation, people may do this anyway, and some other constructions may well have come about this way (or may come about this way in the future), but, except for the set, accepted expressions (which, of course, may increase in number as time goes along and speakers accept newer formations), dropping the {-meH} is considered odd. So does the existence of {SeHjan} imply that there's a noun {SeH} (meaning "control" or "controller") that exists alongside the verb {SeH} (meaning "control")? There may be such a noun, but, if so, Maltz says he's never heard it used. He said the {SeH} in {SeHjan} and {SeHlaw} ("control panel") and {'eDSeHcha} ("take-off/landing thrusters") and elsewhere is clearly related to the verb {SeH}, but using {SeH} (a noun) as an independent word felt weird to him. But he's changed his mind before… Having said all of that, referring to a faucet as {bIQ SeHmeH jan} is fine. And the original three-word phrase that led to the confusion, {bIQ SeH jan}, is a well-constructed sentence meaning "the device controls the water." | Request |
fish, be fishing | use wam or jon | Request |
New Word List
Language Users and Body Part are both types of Noun. They are listed separately for the purposes of identifying the correct plural suffixes.
tlhIngan Hol | Type | English | Description/Notes | Original Request |
(wa')maHSaghan or (wa')netlh'uy' | Number | 10 billion | Any 1-9 digit, of course, can appear in the wa' slot | Request |
(wa')maH'uy' or (wa')vatlhbIp | Number | 10 million | Any 1-9 digit, of course, can appear in the wa' slot | Request |
(wa')vatlhSaghan or (wa')bIp'uy' | Number | 100 billion | Any 1-9 digit, of course, can appear in the wa' slot | Request |
(wa')vatlh'uy' or (wa')SaDbIp or (wa')SanIDbIp | Number | 100 million | Any 1-9 digit, of course, can appear in the wa' slot | Request |
(wa')SaDSaghan or (wa')SanIDSaghan | Number | trillion | Any 1-9 digit, of course, can appear in the wa' slot | Request |
baSta' | Noun | vector | mathematics | Request |
bettI' | Noun | aluminum | Request | |
bo'DIj qaD | Noun | lawsuit | Request | |
bom; puq rur | Verb | sing falsetto | Request | |
boqyIn | Noun | symbiont | Could take -pu' or -mey. | Request |
buj | Verb | be neither warm nor cool (temperature) | Request | |
bum | Verb | absorb | e.g. absorb liquid, not absorb information | Request |
butnat | Noun | plutonium | Request | |
cha"etlh DaSwI' | Noun | tweezer | This is considered singular (that is, several pairs of tweezers are cha"etlh DaSwI'mey). The word was formed by analogy to cha"etlh pe'wI' "scissors," with DaS "pinch" replacing pe' "cut." | Request |
chang | Verb | be gelatinous | Request | |
chayqa' | Body Part | esophagus | Request | |
chem | Verb | prank | Request | |
chertIS | Noun | mint, menthoid plant | Request | |
chItlh | Verb | be symmetrical | Request | |
choghvat | Noun | porch | Sometimes qach choghvat, sometimes choghvat pa'. This word (which is really the word for "gangplank") is used for this part of a structure even if there are no stairs or ramps involved. | Request |
chorgh | Verb | be glossy | Request | |
chul | Verb | be wise | Refers to demonstrating good judgment based on experience, not just intelligance or book-learning. | Request |
Da'lar | Noun | dollar | Request | |
DannI' | Noun | headphones | This device covers both ears and includes a band across head. The thing Uhura wears is teS HablI'. | Request |
rI'wI' | Noun | loudspeaker | ||
Daqturaq | Language User | d'akturak | It is not clear whether this is a native Klingon word or a borrowed Trill or Kriosian word or phrase meaning "ice man," but, in any case, this is the Klingon pronunciation | Request |
DItroy' | Noun | Detroit | Request | |
Dut | Verb | stress, emphasize | literally "slam down" | Request |
ghan'ach | Noun | seizure (medicine) | Request | |
ghIchDep | Noun | fair, funfair, carnival, circus | Request | |
gho lang | Noun | oval | Request | |
gho SubmaH | Number | pi | Sometimes shortened to ghomaH. Note also bav "circumference." For "diameter," make use of juch "have a width of" | Request |
gholeq | Noun | flake | Request | |
gho"ong | Noun | magic trick | Request | |
gho"ong Ho'DoS | Noun | magic (trick) technique | ||
Hajvav | Animal | weasel-like animal | This is an animal found on Qo'noS that's sort of weasel-like | Request |
Hal | Verb | be porous | Request | |
Hampong DIr | Body Part | scab | For the plural, use –mey, even if the scab is still attached | Request |
Hampun | Verb | yodel | This is a two-syllable verb, and it's slang | Request |
HarqIn | Noun | disorder, disability, syndrome, condition | Request | |
HojnIy | Language User | teen, teenager, adolescent, youth, young adult | A slang term is yaD | Request |
HomHap tun | Body Part | cartilage | Request | |
HoS | Noun | amplitude | Literally "strength" | Request |
HoS voveng | Body Part | thyroid | Request | |
Hotnagh | Noun | basalt | Request | |
jatlh; ghughughwI' rur | Verb | speak with vocal fry | Sometimes ghughugh alone suffices | Request |
jergh | Verb | spasm | to cause something to spasm is jerghmoH | Request |
je'ton | Noun | counter / workbench | Request | |
jInay' | Noun | J'naii | Request | |
jIrmoH | Verb | crank | literally "cause to rotate" | Request |
joSraD | Noun | crater | Request | |
lech | Verb | blackmail | Request | |
lervaD | Noun | auction | Request | |
letbIng | Noun | mercury | Request | |
lI'lIy | Noun | lily | This is just borrowed in from Federation Standard; no native Klingon equivalent | Request |
lIvrI' | Noun | granite | Request | |
lIw mu' | Noun | pronoun | applies to full words only, not prefixes | Request |
luqlev | Noun | curfew | Request | |
maHnaD | Noun | protein | Request | |
may' rImbey | Body Part | adrenaline, epinephrine | Request | |
mayqar | Noun | braid, knotwork | Request | |
maySon | Noun | superconductivity | For "be superconductive," say maySon chIw "express superconductivity" or the like | Request |
mISjennegh | Noun | marble (material) | Request | |
moHbey | Noun | trapezium | American — not British — sense of "trapezium" | |
monQIv | Noun | algae | Request | |
mutwa' | Noun | protozoan | The name, literally "Species #1," turned out to be not scientifically accurate, but it stuck | Request |
namchIl | Noun | chlorophyll | Request | |
nar | Verb | reflect | This is the mirror-image / reverse-image sense of "reflect"; compare 'et. | Request |
neS | Verb | be crunchy, be crispy | Referring to texture, not sound | Request |
ngam'eQ | Noun | gluten | Request | |
ngaw | Verb | erode | This is not what rust does; this is what water, wind, and so on do. | Request |
ngIn | Verb | turbulent | Request | |
ngochjuH | Noun | quark (particle) | Request | |
ngonDer | Noun | nostalgia | Often the object of SIQ | Request |
nguy | Verb | scoff | Also Sen (slang) | Request |
nIm qulcher taD | Noun | ice cream | Ice cream is really a Terran thing; no native Klingon equivalent. | Request |
nIS | Verb | interfere (with) | for "cast/throw/make (a shadow)" QIb "shadow" would be the subject. The object, if specified, would be the surface onto which the shadow is cast. | Request |
nIve'Da' | Noun | Nevada | Request | |
pan | Verb | solve | Also SIHHa'moH (slang) | Request |
parchech | Noun | gypsum | Request | |
parmaq qep | Noun | date | Request | |
penSIlvenya' | Noun | Pennsylvania | Request | |
perletlh | Noun | stump | This applies to trees, etc., not to body parts | Request |
pIchSIv | Noun | vinegar | Request | |
pIqcho' | Noun | athlete | An athletic competition is pIqcho' qaD or pIqcho' Quj. | Request |
pIr | Verb | be fertile | Refers to both land and creatures. | Request |
popSop | Noun | sodium | Request | |
puH taD | Noun | tundra | Request | |
qarpal | Noun | trapezoid | American — not British — sense of "trapezoid" | Request |
qaytu' | Language User | parent (gender-neutral term) | Request | |
qel | Verb | nod | This means lower the head slightly whether or not the head is again raised. So, among other things, it can refer to nodding to the beat of music or nodding off (falling asleep). The subject might be, for example, nach "head" (even though this might be considered redundant) or the nodder. It does not take an object. | Request |
qeylar | Language User | K'Ehleyr | Request | |
qInut | Noun | scythe, sickle, falx | This is a tool resembling a sickle. It's for agriculture, but, of course, it could be used as a weapon. If it has a long handle, "scythe" may be a better translation, though it's not quite either of them. | Request |
qulcher | Noun | cream | ||
qunI' | Noun | adverb(ial) | The noun for the grammatical term. | Request |
quvamaq | Language User | Kuvah'magh | Request | |
QaplaStep | Noun | spool, reel, spindle | Request | |
Qep | Verb | be anxious (about) | Request | |
Qeq | Verb | aim (at) | For the idea of Face (orient towards) – The object is the one oriented toward someone or something, and the thing or person being faced is marked with –Daq. With this meaning, this verb is often used with –'egh or –chuq. | Request |
Qey' | Verb | be cool (temperature) | Request | |
QIch wab | Noun | phoneme | Request | |
QIch wab Sar | Noun | allophone | ||
QIS | Verb | stitch | The object is the thing being sewn or stitched together | Request |
Qo | Noun | tendency, propensity | Request | |
QoH | Verb | tap | Request | |
raq | Verb | be repetitive/redundant | Request | |
ravngI' | Noun | furniture, item of furniture | Stand-alone only, not built-in | Request |
rebmugh | Noun | resin | Request | |
relleghDaq | Noun | psychokinesis | Request | |
repnuj | Noun | gum (oral anatomy) | Also ghaw' (slang) | Request |
rIchwIn | Noun | directive, injunction | Request | |
rI'gheS | Noun | deflector (singular) | Request | |
rItlh vol | Noun | stencil | Request | |
rober | Noun | axis | Request | |
robwIl | Noun | nightmare | This can be the object of naj "dream" or SIQ "endure" and some other verbs, but generally not ghaj "have" (unless you somehow literally possess a nightmare). | Request |
ruH | Verb | blush | Maltz asserts that Klingons never blush…. but then again… | Request |
Sarbruqen | Noun | Saarbrücken (Germany) | Request | |
SeHjan | Noun | control device<, controller device/i> | Request | |
SImroD | Noun | power (physics) | Request | |
SInan | Noun | compass | Request | |
SIprat | Noun | bristle, stiff hair or filament | Request | |
So'chIm | Language User | soh-chim | Request | |
SupDIng | Noun | cotton-like plant | a Klingon plant, parts of which are used to make cloth | Request |
SuyDar | Noun | qubit (quantum bit) | Sometimes SuyDar San'on | Request |
tapqej | Noun | cherry | This is a fruit similar to a cherry. When clarification is needed, for the Earth fruit, precede with tera'. | Request |
telya' | Body Part | pancreas | Request | |
tera' ghIch rop | Noun | common cold | Maltz says Klingons don't get colds (though, despite what he says, Klingons are not immune from other, somewhat similar afflictions). Another way to refer to this Earth disease, generally unsympathetically, is tera' rop bIr, which is, of course, a misguided translation. | Request |
tera' tlhuH rop | Noun | common cold | Maltz says Klingons don't get colds (though, despite what he says, Klingons are not immune from other, somewhat similar afflictions). Another way to refer to this Earth disease, generally unsympathetically, is tera' rop bIr, which is, of course, a misguided translation. | |
tetyub | Noun | enamel, coating | This refers to any sort of artificial coating, not just enamel. It does not apply to teeth. | Request |
tI'rIl | Noun | Trill | Name of the planet | Request |
tIy | Verb | be curly | Request | |
tlhaw | Verb | be inflamed | medical term | Request |
jIyeStaS | Noun | inflammation | ||
tlhemqaDID | Language User | bumpkin, yokel | Request | |
tlhoqtlhal | Noun | favor | This is generally the object of a verb like tur. The recipient of the favor is marked with –vaD. | Request |
tu | Verb | blink | "blink" (involuntary); also mInDu' yIv (slang) | Request |
varghwI' | Language User | Changeling/Founder | Leader of the Dominion | Request |
valQav | Noun | iris | Part of the eye | |
vov | Verb | grapple, wrestle, tussle | For "tackle," combine with pummoH "cause to fall (down)" | Request |
voveng | Body Part | gland | Request | |
wang | Verb | wink | voluntary; for "twitch," use jergh "spasm" | Request |
we'lIS | Noun | Wales | Request | |
woD | Verb | be hollow | Request | |
wontoy | Noun | ideal | Request | |
yo | Verb | slap, hit with palm | ||
yuHSIQ | Noun | titanium | Request | |
'ub | Verb | be lonely | Request | |
'uchgha' | Noun | RNA | Request | |
'ul gho | Noun | circuit | 'ul ghomey "circuits" | Request |
'achghej | Noun | void | Request | |
'aDHom | Body Part | capillary | Request | |
'aHDuH | Noun | prototype | Request | |
'alnum | Body Part | freckle(s) | Request | |
'apraQ | Noun | calcium | Request | |
'aquta' | Noun | gourd, squash, pumpkin | Request | |
'ej De' vIchel | Adverb | by the way, parenthetically | This comes at the beginning of a sentence. This is the full form. In everyday conversation, 'ej and/or De' (and even vI-) are often omitted. Klingon grammarians argue about whether the resulting De'chel should be considered an adverbial in its own right. | Request |
'ejtlhal | Body Part | tumor | Request | |
'enteD | Noun | drug | Most 'enteDmey are used ritualistically, but recreational use is not unheard of (as with alcohol). | Request |
'ergh | Verb | hallucinate | ||
'epIn | Noun | peach | A Klingon fruit similar to a peach, plum, or apricot. When clarification is needed, for the Earth fruit, precede with tera'. | Request |
'erwI'Daq | Noun | telepathy | Request | |
'eSreH | Noun | dew | Request | |
'ev | Verb | applaud | This applies to whatever it is that Klingons do to applaud or show approval/appreciation. The most common way to refer to the clapping that Humans do is by the phrase toch yo "slap palm(s)." | Request |
'evtlhev | Noun | base | This is really "base" — not the same as "alkali," but includes alkalis | Request |
'IlHa' | Verb | be insincere | Request | |
'InDIye'na' | Noun | Indiana | Request | |
'Ipnal | Language User | spouse (gender-neutral term) | Request | |
'Ir | Verb | be creamy, pasty | in the sense of toothpaste. Describes smooth, thick liquids or liquid-like things | Request |
'oSHeQ | Body Part | spleen | Request |