50 Essential Circassian Words and Phrases

Updated October 5, 2026 · 10 min read

Learning a new language always starts the same way: with the basics. And when it comes to the Circassian language, even a few key words open doors. Whether you are reconnecting with your Adyghe roots or learning Kabardian from scratch, these 50 words and phrases are your starting point.

The list is in Kabardian (East Circassian), with the Adyghe (West Circassian) form beside it. Every word comes from the lessons of the Circassian app, which has a separate course for each dialect. There is no machine translation here, and you can listen to almost every word: it is the same sound as in the lessons. The Latin spelling under a word is the one the app shows.

The letter I in words like тIу and хьэщIэ is called the palochka. Keyboards often replace it with the digit 1 or a Latin I, so online you will see spellings like т1у and хьэщ1э: they are the same words. Not sure which dialect your family speaks? The difference is explained in Kabardian vs Adyghe.

Greetings

ФIэхъус is the everyday “hello” in Kabardian; the Kabardian–Russian dictionary built into the app calls it a greeting to guests. The Adyghe course teaches Сэлам, and the same word is in the Kabardian dictionary too, meaning “hello”. Упсэу means “thank you”, one of the first words every learner remembers.

Here is how these words sound together, in a short dialogue from the very first lesson of the Kabardian course:

Family Words

Family is at the heart of Circassian culture and of Habze traditions. The course’s third unit, “Family”, is all about it.

Notice how Kabardian builds grandmother and grandfather: анэшхуэ and адэшхуэ are “mother” and “father” with the ending -шхуэ. And sister is the same word in both dialects: шыпхъу. Read how Circassian families keep the language alive.

Numbers (1-10)

gold frame: numbers spelled differently in the two dialects

The first ten numbers are almost the same in both dialects. Four (плI and плIы), five (тху and тфы) and ten (пщI and пшIы) differ. To count on up to a hundred, see Circassian numbers from 1 to 100.

Everyday Words

Learn махуэ (“day”) early: in the Kabardian lessons other words are built from it. гъэмахуэ (“summer”) is гъэ (“season”) plus махуэ, щIымахуэ (“winter”) is щIы (“earth”) plus махуэ, and тхьэмахуэ (“Sunday”) is тхьэ (“god”) plus the same “day”.

In the dictionary мазэ means both “moon” and “month”. The Adyghe course translates чIыгу as “soil”.

Common Phrases

These phrases come from the first two units of the course, “Hello!” and “About Me”. After a name, the next question is often Дэнэ ущыщ?, “Where are you from?”. And Адыгэбзэ пщIэра? is a question you will one day want to answer with “yes”. That is a good reason to start.

For more phrases, from “how are you” to “happy birthday”, see how to say hello, thank you and happy birthday in Kabardian and Adyghe.

Cultural and Habze Words

Habze is the unwritten Circassian code of conduct; the Kabardian dictionary translates the word itself as “law; custom, tradition”. In the app’s Habze lessons, Адыгагъэ is described as the whole embodiment of what it means to be Circassian, while Напэ and Нэмыс belong to the first unit, “Core Values”. Напэ literally means “face”, but it stands for honor and dignity.

хьэщIэ, “guest”, is one of the most important words in Circassian culture. Here is how a guest is welcomed in lesson 29 of the app’s audio course, in Kabardian:

More on how Circassians welcome a guest in Circassian hospitality, and on the biggest gathering of all in Circassian wedding traditions.

Nature Words

These words reflect the bond between Circassians and the nature of the Caucasus. “River” differs between the two courses, псыежэх and псыхъо, but both begin with псы, “water”. The Kabardian псыхъуэ is in the dictionary too, meaning “river valley”.

The horse, шы, has a special place in Circassian culture and in the Circassian warrior tradition. Read about the breed still known today in the Kabardian horse.

Useful Adjectives

дахэ, “beautiful”, is also a girl’s name: Dakha. Read about it and other names in Circassian girl names and Circassian names and their meanings. And хьэщIэ дахэ from the dialogue above literally means “beautiful guest”. The word быдэ, sometimes given as “strong”, means “firm, hard, solid” in the dictionary; for strong, the lessons say лъэщ.

Test Yourself

Five random words from this list, in the same kind of question as in the app’s lessons. Pick a dialect and tap an answer: you will hear the word.

Tips for Learning These Words

The Circassian language has sounds that English does not have, for example the ejectives кI, пI, тI and фI, which are written with the palochka mentioned above. A Latin spelling only approximates these sounds, so listening to the words matters more than reading them in Latin letters.

1. Start with the alphabetIt is easier to read a word correctly once you know the letters. All the letters, with explanations, are in the Circassian alphabet, and the app has a separate alphabet course with the sound of every letter.
2. Greetings and family firstThey are the first units of the course and the first words you will use in any Circassian company. Visit a Circassian home and “Уи махуэ фIыуэ” and “Упсэу” will make a good impression straight away.
3. Listen and repeat out loudIn the app’s lessons a new word plays by itself, and the tortoise button repeats it slowly.
4. A little every dayA few minutes a day work better than one long session. Every lesson adds words for review, and the ones you got wrong come back sooner.
5. Talk to peopleCircassians from Turkey, Jordan, Russia and other countries talk every day in the app’s community chats. Try your first phrases there.

These 50 words are just the beginning, but they cover the essentials: greetings, family, numbers, everyday life, culture and nature. Mastering them gives you a real foundation for learning Circassian. If you chose the eastern dialect, here is a separate guide to learning Kabardian. And for every other word there is the Circassian translator and dictionary.

More words by topic, each with both dialects, audio and a quiz: all topics.

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Circassian words: frequently asked questions