Timo Schmitz - My Archive of Languages (2021 Edition)

nbang blai, bang plai – bar, small pub

mox – hide

nyhang – a bit, a while

rieng lai – picture

meug – tattoo (loan word from Shan)

niieb – how on earth can one …?

ngie – only

nie – many, much, a lot

goui – have

ang goui – not have

jie – need to (Chinese Wa?)

ang jie – don’t need to (Chinese Wa?)

moh – to be (Chinese Wa)

ang moh – not to be (Chinese Wa)

ngu – fire, electricity

a – numb (don’t mix up with a: (short for a:lo) which means wow or oh my god)

a:viex – ouch!

nyhap – trouble, bother. FUN FACT: nyhap mao – tired

mhai een – memory, commemoration

a rang: vhaik – black list

phan: – if, when, divide, distribute, make, create, longevity, life (human life)

gawx, kawx – even though, also

mgoh – even though, also (Chinese Wa)

beuh – poor (of poor quality)

nbeh – poor (of poor quality) (Chinese Wa)

hot – poor

hot coax – impoverished

ju: – age

leem – diaper

sigrhah – clean, wash

yeung – be patient

caw – to be hit or struck by something

jo – to be hit or struck by something (Chinese Wa)

heue – serves as an exclamation particle

Caw heue! – I’m surprised!, I’m struck by that!

thao luing – discussion

ot – be in a state or condition

pex – win, overcome

tawng – know, recognise

ang tawng – not recognise, not know

lox – language

Si daing nyawm jhiak tete heue – someone is really the best

eu:/ e – yes

eu: aih/ e aih – oha, like Chinese ‘aiyo‘

dud – not, not at all, break

ndud – not, not at all, break (Chinese Wa)

dud rhawm – to die

dud hrom – to die (Chinese Wa)

pe rhawm – tired of

paung rhawm – to rely on

priex rhawm – to pay attention

rhawm rhi – mind, idea, thought

ceux siox – philosophy (from Chinese “zhexue”)

daux – in

dung – well

daux dung – in a well

grawng – about, of

sigrit – cricket

cag – wheel (loan word from Shan)

pi: – flute (loan word from Shan)

cawng: – umbrella (loan word from Shan)

reu – boat (loan word from Shan)

phat – drive (loan word form Shan)

lak – thief (loan word from Shan)

ceuk – owe somebody something (loan word from Shan)

mhai – symbol

lax – the way in which the Wa are called by the Dai people

ot plak paix yam in – I am outside now

plak paix – outside

kheu – because of (ex.: Kheu yuh maix)

yuh – do

jhi: – point out (from Shan: tsi)

nqi – point out (Chinese Wa)

mhawm: tix – should

sawm: – teach (cp. Shan: son, Zhuang: son)

son – teach (Chinese Wa)

tham: – scripture (from Shan: taan)

pon maix – you get

ceu pa nie lheu – reach the goal

kheu moh maix – because you did and love

Awm paox – You too!

ceuceu – actually (probably a Shan loan)

jiiet – really

lheung – yellow (Shan loan word)

ceu – thing, matter

lheu: – exceed

lhee – exceed (Chinese Wa)

khaing: – from, after all

ju – life

nju – life (Chinese Wa)

koi rhawm cuix nye – little desires

rawt – tie

nyoi – waist

rawt nyoi – to tie a waist

sibex lang tai – coat

Lox kab – proverb

raux – deep

ang: koe: - there isn’t, hasn’t

ang koe dong keud – has no idea

bang praix pa yi – chaos

pakpeung – form, shape

pa faik – darkness

pla – cry

vung viang - surrounding

kheem – cover (like in cover sth. Up)

kapaox – marriage

dee – place

tong na – farmland

kala – Westerner (like Chinese: Bairen – a white person)

piang – on top of

ka piang – on the top, high

piao ciex – to vote on something

tok – (1) light, (2) to begin, to start

tom – therefore

Time-related

Ngaix an nhaw – That day

ngaix – today

pau: – now

pon sax – tomorrow

Plants

hlax qax – tea leafs (Chinese Wa)

kaox qax – tea plant (Chinese Wa)

nya – herb, grass (loan word from Shan)

rao ox – bamboo tip

tux vung – forest banana

Numbers

tix – one

ndaix – eight (Chinese Wa)

kao sip kao – ninenty nine

rheng: – thousand (from Shan ‘heng’)

mheen: – ten thousand (probably a loan word from Shan)

Weather

praix – weather

lhiex – rain

Seasons

yam vaw – spring

yam rao – summer

yam kaux – autumn, fall

yam kuat – winter

bawg sidap – winter

Jobs and Work

coh yuh ka mawx? – How to sell it?

Ot aux tix yuh kaing /ɔt a: di ju gɒıŋ/ – I am working.

cao: thut lih – translator

cao: pawd been – writer

cao: piien – editor (piien comes from Chinese “bianzhe”)

cang lhek – blacksmith (loan word from Shan)

lai geu – business

lai mgee – business (Chinese Wa)

nong ming – peasant, farmer

cong nong – middle-class farmer

fu nong – rich farmer, peasant with a good income

yuh gaing – work

cao kaing si die – instructor

kawn gau: – student

paox: gau: – fellow classmate

sa la – teacher

tao se – teacher (from Chinese ‘daoshi’, Yunnan dialect ‘daosi’)

lao see – teacher (from Chinese ‘laoshi’, Yunnan dialect ‘laosi’)

ming se – teacher in a school designed for ethnic minorities (cp. Chinese ‘minshi’) – probably a Chinese loan word

cao liang – shepherd

cao puan – cook

cao sidah – doctor

Food

blauh: tom – cake

blauh: lang – Youtiao

kawng rawm hax – hot water

houn oi – sweet potato

ih – to eat

ang ih – don’t eat

jai hrom ex – I’m hungry (Chinese Wa)

jai hrom – to be hungry (Chinese Wa)

nyaex qax soung – to drink bitter tea (Chinese Wa)

Hoik sawm maix? – Did you eat well?

Hoik! – I ate well. (like Chinese ‘chihao’)

Hoik sawm aux. – I have eaten (well).

sawm – to eat (like Chinese ‘chifan’)

Maix kawx hoik sawm lie? – You also ate well?

Sawm mai taux tix lie? – What do you eat? (lit.: Which vegetables did you eat? – from Chinese: ni chi shenme cai?)

taux – vegetables

Sawm mhawm mhawm – Eat well!

hoig sag – I’m full, I’ve eaten enough

Animals

gax – fish

beix – sheep

sim – bird

la – chicken

lig – pig

soux/ sox – dog

nbrung – horse

moi – cow, ox

sipawn or ja rah – frog

khieet – frog (from Shan ‘khet’)

Religion

meung yum – hell

tiex – earth

cao kaing gau: – priest

yi – belief

haktiex – earth

Siyiex – God

raoma – heaven, sky

yamjah – beginning

yam njaeh – beginning (Chinese Wa)

laig li – believe in a religion

li vad – Buddhism

Li Yie Su – Christianity

Li Silax, Li Sirhax – Christianity (used in Myanmar)

Li Khrit/ Li Krid – Christianity

pawp – demon

bob – demon (Chinese Wa)

phi – demon, ghost, spirit (loan word from Shan)

phicaox – devil, evil spirit

Mawh maix pa pon bwan son – You are getting blessed

mawh maix – you are

moh maix – you are (Chinese Wa)

pa pon – get

bwan son – be blessed, be thanked

cao: pih – shaman

khwan – spirit

Khwan Siyiex – the spirit of God (Ruach Elohim)

Personal pronouns

aex, ex – I

ax – we (dual form inclusive: me and you)