Mountain is бгы in Kabardian and къушъхьэ in Adyghe; forest is мэз and мэзы; the moon is мазэ in both.
These are the words of the Circassian app’s “Elements” and “Landscape” units in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian): the sky above, and the mountains, forests and rivers of the land below.
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.
Nature words 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.
Sky and elements
| In English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| sun | дыгъэdyghe | тыгъэtyghe |
| moon | мазэmaze | мазэmaze |
| star | вагъуэvaghwe | жъуагъоzhhwagho |
| sky | уафэwafe | уашъоwasho |
| fire | мафIэmaf'e | машIоmashIo |
| earth, land | щIыshch'y | чIыгуch'əgu |
Land and water
| In English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| mountain | бгыbgy | къушъхьэqwshshhe |
| forest | мэзmez | мэзыmezə |
| tree | жыгzhyg | чъыгыchəgə |
| river | псыежэхpsyezhekh | псыхъоpsəkho |
| sea | хыkhy | хыkhə |
| flower | гъэгъаghegha | къэгъагъqeghagh |
| field | губгъуэgubghwe | губгъоgubgho |
| stone | мывэmyve | мыжъоməzhho |
The words on this page are from the “Elements” and “Landscape” units (Section 2, My 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.
I like the sun
Beautiful moon
Beautiful tree
Good to know
Moon and month. мазэ is the moon and also the month, in both dialects (Kabardian–Russian dictionary, p. 313). The months have their own page.
The sea and the seagull. The Kabardian–Russian dictionary gives хы as “ocean” and calls the seagull хы тхьэрыкъуэ, literally “sea pigeon” (p. 496).
Earth and the Earth. щIы is the ground and the planet: the dictionary’s example ЩIыр Дыгъэм йокIэрэхъуэкI means “the Earth turns around the Sun” (p. 102).
Test yourself
Five questions with this page’s words. Pick a dialect, then choose the right word.
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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 mountain in Circassian?
бгы in Kabardian and къушъхьэ in Adyghe.
How do you say sun and moon?
Sun is дыгъэ in Kabardian and тыгъэ in Adyghe; moon is мазэ in both.
How do you say “I like the sun”?
Дыгъэ сфIэфIщ. in Kabardian and Тыгъэ сикIас. in Adyghe, as the app’s audio course says it.
How do you say river and sea?
River is псыежэх in Kabardian and псыхъо in Adyghe; sea is хы in both.
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Sources
- Circassian App lessons, Kabardian and Adyghe courses (October 2026), units: Elements, Landscape.
- Circassian App audio course (Beginner), Kabardian lessons 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30; Adyghe lessons 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30. 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: дыгъэ (p. 91), мазэ (p. 313), вагъуэ (p. 52), уафэ (p. 443), мафIэ (p. 317), щIы (p. 102), бгы (p. 37), мэз (p. 319), жыг (p. 115), псыежэх (p. 366), хы (p. 496), губгъуэ (p. 59), мывэ (p. 327).
- Adyghe dictionary in the app’s Translate screen (3,499 entries, from dovlet.info): тыгъэ, мазэ, жъуагъо, уашъо, машIо, чIыгу, къушъхьэ, мэзы, чъыгы, псыхъо, хы, къэгъагъ, губгъо, мыжъо.
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