Eye is нэ and hand is Iэ in both dialects; head is щхьэ in Kabardian and шъхьэ in Adyghe.
Many body words are short, and several are the same in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian): eye, nose, hand and heart. Here they are as the Circassian app teaches them in its “Body Parts” unit.
Every word here is a word the app teaches, checked against a second source: the Kabardian–Russian dictionary (Apazhev and Kokov, 2008), the app’s Adyghe dictionary, the app’s audio course (its scripts were reviewed by a native speaker of each dialect) or the Kabardian and Adyghe Wikipedias. A word that could not be checked this way is not on the page.
Body parts in Kabardian and Adyghe
Kabardian (East Circassian) is on the left, Adyghe (West Circassian) on the right. Tap the speaker button to hear a word: the audio is the app’s own, the same as in its lessons. The Latin line under each word is the app’s spelling.
| In English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| head | щхьэshchkh'e | шъхьэshshhe |
| eye | нэne | нэne |
| ear | тхьэкIумэtkh'ek'ume | тхьакIумthak'um |
| nose | пэpe | пэpe |
| mouth | жьэzh'e | – |
| hand, arm | Iэ'e | Iэ'e |
| leg, foot | лъакъуэlaqwe | лъакъоlhaqo |
| heart | гуgu | гуgu |
An empty cell means no second source confirmed the app’s word there; “Good to know” says why.
The words on this page are from the “Body Parts” unit (Section 4, Describing the World) in the Circassian app’s Kabardian and Adyghe courses. The lessons teach them with audio and short quizzes, and bring back the ones you miss sooner.
In a sentence
These sentences are from the app’s audio course, with the course’s own translation. Its scripts were reviewed by a native speaker of each dialect.
My leg hurts
Good to know
The mouth and the language. The Kabardian–Russian dictionary gives жьэ first as “mouth” and second as “language, as a means of speaking” (p. 119). The Adyghe lesson word for mouth is not in the table: the app’s Adyghe dictionary has it only as “sled”, so it waits for a native speaker’s check.
Leg or foot? The lessons gloss лъакъуэ as “foot”, and the audio course uses it in “My leg hurts”, so the table gives both.
Test yourself
Five questions with this page’s words. Pick a dialect, then choose the right word.
The quiz needs JavaScript.
In the app, questions like these are in every lesson, and the words you get wrong come back for review sooner.
More Circassian words by topic
Questions
How do you say head in Circassian?
щхьэ in Kabardian and шъхьэ in Adyghe.
How do you say hand and eye?
Hand is Iэ and eye is нэ, in both dialects.
How do you say “My leg hurts”?
Си лъакъуэр мэуз. in Kabardian and Слъакъо мэузы. in Adyghe, as the app’s audio course says it.
How do you say heart?
гу, in Kabardian and in Adyghe alike.
Free on iPhone & Android
Learn Circassian a few minutes a day
Pick Kabardian or Adyghe and learn everyday words with audio, quizzes and review.
4.9 on the App Store 50,000+ people in 100+ countries
Sources
- Circassian App lessons, Kabardian and Adyghe courses (October 2026), units: Body Parts.
- Circassian App audio course (Beginner), Kabardian lessons 22, 23, 26 and 28; Adyghe lessons 22, 23, 26 and 28. Each lesson’s script was reviewed by a native speaker of its dialect before the course was recorded; the translations are the course’s own.
- M.L. Apazhev, Dzh.N. Kokov, Kabardino-cherkessko-russky slovar (Kabardino-Cherkess–Russian Dictionary), Nalchik: Elbrus, 2008, the Kabardian dictionary in the app’s Translate screen: щхьэ (p. 585), нэ (p. 334), тхьэкIумэ (p. 435), пэ (p. 347), жьэ (p. 119), Iэ (p. 637), гу (p. 57).
- Adyghe dictionary in the app’s Translate screen (3,499 entries, from dovlet.info): шъхьэ, нэ, тхьакIум, пэ, Iэ, лъакъо, гу.
Learn Circassian in a few minutes a day
Short lessons in Kabardian or Adyghe. Hear how the words sound, learn to read the alphabet, then practice with an AI tutor who replies in Circassian.
Download free50,000+ people in 100+ countries
