Thank you in Circassian is Упсэу (Upsew) in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Опсэу (Opseu) in Adyghe (West Circassian). Only the first letter differs, so once you know one, you will recognise the other.
Thank you in Kabardian and Adyghe
The Circassian app’s audio course teaches thank you in its second lesson, in a moment everyone knows: someone holds a door for you, and you thank them. After that it comes back in nearly every scene, at the table, at the door and whenever someone asks how you are.
Adyghe also has a longer form, Тхьауегъэпсэу (Thaweyeghepsey), which the Adyghe lessons teach. The Adyghe dictionary built into the app gives it as “thank you” and lists Опсэу as its short form.
What упсэу means
The Kabardian–Russian dictionary in the app gives Упсэу three uses: “thank you”, “be well”, and a greeting you say back when someone greets you. The audio course’s Kabardian goodbye, Узыншэу!, is built on the same idea of wishing someone well: the course explains that it means “stay well”. More on that on the page about goodbye in Circassian.
Yes, thank you and no, thank you
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| yes, thank you | НтIэ, упсэу.Nt'e, upseu. | Ары, опсэу.Ary, opseu. |
| no, thank you, I’ve eaten | Хьэуэ, упсэу. Сэ сышхащ.Hewe, upseu. Se syshkhashch. | Хьау, опсэу. Сэ сышхагъ.Hau, opseu. Se syshkhagh. |
| tea, thank you | Шей, упсэу.Shyey, upseu. | Щай, опсэу.Shchay, opseu. |
| fine, thank you (Kabardian) · everything’s fine, thank you (Adyghe) | Хъарзынэщ, упсэу.Kharzyneshch, upseu. | ЗэкIэ дэгъу. Опсэу.Zek'e deghw. Opseu. |
| I’m well, thank you | Сэ сыузыншэщ, упсэу.Se syuzynsheshch, upseu. | Сэ сыпсау, опсэу.Se sypsau, opseu. |
| thank you, your house is beautiful | Упсэу. Уи унэр дахэщ.Upseu. Wi uner dakheshch. | Опсэу. Уиунэр дахэ.Opseu. Wiuner dakhe. |
In these phrases the yes or no comes first and thank you follows: НтIэ, упсэу. is “yes, thank you”, and Хьау, опсэу. Сэ сышхагъ. is “no, thank you, I’ve eaten” in Adyghe. Yes is нтIэ in Kabardian and ары in Adyghe; no is хьэуэ and хьау. The last line is what a guest says in lesson 29 of the course, right after being welcomed in.
Hear it in a conversation
Two short scenes from the audio course, in the voices of its two characters, Madina and Aslan. Tap any line to hear it.
Kabardian · lesson 15 · at the table
Adyghe · lesson 16 · at the door, late in the evening
How to reply to thank you
The Kabardian lessons teach Упсэуж (Upseuzh) as the answer to thank you, in the sense of “you’re welcome”. The Adyghe lessons and the audio course don’t teach a reply yet, so none is printed here: this page only shows phrases the app teaches.
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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Thank you in Circassian: questions
How do you say thank you in Circassian?
In Kabardian (East Circassian) it is Упсэу. In Adyghe (West Circassian) it is Опсэу, and the longer Тхьауегъэпсэу is also used.
How do you say thank you in Adyghe?
Опсэу is the everyday form the audio course uses. The Adyghe lessons and the app’s Adyghe dictionary also give Тхьауегъэпсэу, with Опсэу as its short form.
How do you say no, thank you in Circassian?
In Kabardian, Хьэуэ, упсэу. Сэ сышхащ. means “no, thank you, I’ve eaten”. In Adyghe it is Хьау, опсэу. Сэ сышхагъ.
What does упсэу mean?
Thank you. The Kabardian–Russian dictionary in the app also lists it as “be well” and as a greeting said in reply.
How do you say you’re welcome in Kabardian?
The Kabardian lessons teach Упсэуж as the reply to thank you.
Sources
- Circassian App audio course (Beginner), Kabardian lessons 2, 7, 15, 16, 21 and 29; Adyghe lessons 2, 7, 15, 16, 21 and 29. 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.
- Circassian App lessons (Kabardian and Adyghe courses): Basic Greetings and Politeness (Упсэуж in Kabardian, Тхьауегъэпсэу in Adyghe).
- 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).
- Adyghe dictionary built into the app’s Translate screen (3,499 entries, from dovlet.info): тхьауегъэпсэу (with опсэу).
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