Hello in Circassian is ФIэхъус (F'eĥus) in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Сэлам (Selam) in Adyghe (West Circassian). Both are the first word the Circassian app’s audio course teaches.
Hello in Kabardian and Adyghe
The audio course starts with a single word: “Here’s how to say hello. Listen.” In the Kabardian course that word is ФIэхъус, in the Adyghe course it is Сэлам. The answer to a hello is the same word said back, which is exactly how the course’s first conversation begins.
For a more formal greeting there is “good day”: Уи махуэ фIыуэ. in Kabardian and Уимафэ шIу. in Adyghe. Both are built the same way, “your” plus “day” plus “good”: махуэ is day in the Kabardian dictionary, and the Adyghe dictionary in the app translates Уимафэ шIу. as “good day”.
The I in ФIэхъус is the palochka, a Circassian letter that looks like a capital I. More about the letters in the Circassian alphabet.
The first conversation in Circassian
Lesson 1 of the course is a meeting between two strangers in the street, Aslan and Madina. Here it is in both dialects. Tap a line to hear it.
Kabardian · lesson 1
Adyghe · lesson 1
Notice the word for Circassian inside the questions: адыгэ is what Circassians call themselves. The page what does Adyghe mean explains the name.
Greetings for every time of day
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| good morning | Уи пщэдджыжь фIыуэ.Wi pshcheddzhyzh f'ywe. | Уипчэдыжь шIу.Wipchedyzh sh'u. |
| good day | Уи махуэ фIыуэ.Wi makhwe f'ywe. | Уимафэ шIу.Wimafe sh'u. |
| good evening | Уи пщыхьэщхьэ фIыуэ.Wi pshchyheshchhe f'ywe. | Уипчыхьэ шIу.Wipchyhe sh'u. |
| good night | Уи жэщ фIыуэ.Wi zheshch f'ywe. | Уичэщ шIу.Wicheshch sh'u. |
Lesson 16 of the course teaches all four in a row. Once you know one, the others follow the same pattern: only the word for the time of day changes. Each one has its own page with scenes from the course: good morning and good night.
Saying hello back
The simplest reply is to say the same greeting back, as Madina does in the scene above. Kabardian has one more option: the dictionary in the app lists Упсэу, the word for thank you, also as a greeting said in reply. After hello usually comes how are you?: Дауэ ущыт? in Kabardian, Сыдэу ущыт? in Adyghe.
More Circassian phrases
Each page has both dialects with audio. The Circassian phrasebook puts them all on one page, and how to say it in Circassian has the most-searched words.
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Hello in Circassian: questions
How do you say hello in Circassian?
In Kabardian (East Circassian) it is ФIэхъус. In Adyghe (West Circassian) it is Сэлам.
How do you say hello in Adyghe?
Сэлам For “good day” the Adyghe course uses Уимафэ шIу.
How do you say hello in Kabardian?
ФIэхъус For “good day” the Kabardian course uses Уи махуэ фIыуэ.
How do you answer hello in Circassian?
Say the greeting back. In Kabardian, Упсэу can also be used as a reply to a greeting.
How do you say good morning in Circassian?
Уи пщэдджыжь фIыуэ. in Kabardian and Уипчэдыжь шIу. in Adyghe.
Sources
- Circassian App audio course (Beginner), Kabardian lessons 1, 16 and 17; Adyghe lessons 1, 16 and 17. Each lesson’s script was reviewed by a native speaker of its dialect before the course was made; the audio on this page is the app’s own.
- M.L. Apazhev, Dzh.N. Kokov, Kabardino-cherkessko-russky slovar (Kabardino-Cherkess–Russian Dictionary), Nalchik: Elbrus, 2008, the Kabardian dictionary built into the app’s Translate screen: упсэу (p. 455), махуэ (p. 317).
- Adyghe dictionary built into the app’s Translate screen (3,499 entries, from dovlet.info): уимафэ шIу, уипчэдыжь шIу, уичэщ шIу.
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