The Na’vi language intentionally has a rare and diverse assortment of sounds found in many languages of Earth. Because of this, there is no unanimous agreement among people as to which earthly language it sounds like. Some say German, Some say Japanese, some say Hawaiian. This certain mix of familiar and unfamiliar sounds and combinations of sounds are among many things that make Na’vi unique and fun to learn and speak.There are no sounds her are impossible for humans to pronounce, though some might be more difficult than others to pronounce for some people. The key is good practice. A good place to find help learning the Na’vi sound system is in our Forums, where you can also get help translating specific words, including names.
Phonetics and Phonology
Na’vi has 20 consonants, 7 vowels, 4 diphthongs, and 2 syllabic “pseudovowels,” rr and ll.
| Na’vi | IPA | Literal | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | a | aah | “father” |
| ä | æ | ahh | “cat”, “pack” |
| aw | aw | aou | “noun” |
| ay | aj | eye | “eye”, “fly” |
| ts | c | tSS | “send” |
| e | ɛ | eh | “then” |
| ew | ɛw | Eh-w | “heyo” |
| ey | ɛj | aey | say |
| f | f | ff | “fool” |
| ng | ŋ | nng | “sing” |
| h | h | hh | “ham” |
| i | i | ee | “machine”, “city” |
| ì | ɪ | iih | “thin”, “bit” |
| k | k | k’ | “cat”, “skill” |
| l | l | ll | “left”, “bell” |
| ll | - | ldl | “table” |
| m | m | mm | “man”, “ham” |
| n | n | nn | “no”, “tin” |
| o | o | oh | “mow” |
| p | p | p’ | “pen”, “spin” |
| r | r | rrd | More info |
| rr | - | trtrtr | Strongly trilled “r” |
| s | s | ss | “see”, “city” |
| t | t | t’ | “two” |
| u | u | oou | “dude” |
| v | v | vv | “voice”, “have” |
| w | w | w’ | “we” |
| tx | t! | More info | |
| kx | k! | More info | |
| px | p! | More info | |
| y | j | y’ | “yes” |
| z | z | zz | “zoo” |
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ejective | px [p'] | tx [t'] | kx [k'] | ||
| Plosive | p [p] | t [t] | k [k] | ‘ | |
| Affricate | ts (c) [ts] | ||||
| Voiceless fricatives | f [f] | s [s] | h [h] | ||
| Voiced fricatives | v [v] | z [z] | |||
| Nasals | m [m] | n [n] | ng (g) [ŋ] | ||
| Liquids | r [r] l [l] |
||||
| Glides | w [w] | y [j] |
- The green consonants can occur as the first element of a syllable-initial consonant cluster.
- The red consonants can occur in syllable-final position.
Vowels, Diphthongs, and “Pseudovowels”
Vowels
There are seven simple vowels: a [a], ä [æ], e [?], i [i], ì [?], o [o], u [u] or [?].
| front | English Example | back | English Example | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | i [i] | “machine” | u [u] ~ [?] |
“dude” “put” |
| ì [ɪ] | “thin”, “bit” | |||
| mid | e [ɛ] | “then”, “set” | o [o] | “more” |
| low | ä [æ] | “cat”, “pack” | a [a] | “father” |
Dipthongs
Na’vi has 4 diphthongs: aw, ew, ay, ey.
(A “diphthong” is when a vowel sound glides from one to another, as in “boy.”)
| Dipthon | English Example |
|---|---|
| aw [aw] | “house” |
| ay [ay] | “fly” |
| ew [ew] | “heyo” |
| ey [ey] | “say” |
Vowels, Diphthongs, and “Pseudovowels”
Every syllable has a single vowel or diphthong at its center. Each vowel or diphthong in a word corresponds to a separate syllable. A single vowel or diphthong may be a syllable by itself.
Within syllables, Na’vi vowels and diphthongs can be preceded by either one or two consonants. They can also be followed by one consonant. That is, the syllable structure is (C)(C)V(C), where V represents a vowel or a diphthong. Restrictions on which consonants can occur in which positions are given below.
Initial Consonants
Any consonant can occur at the beginning of a syllable.
Consonant Clusters
Clusters of two consonants can occur, but only in syllable-initial position and only in the following combinations:
f, s, ts + {p, t, k, px, tx, kx, m, n, ng, r, l, w, y}
There are thus 39 possible initial C-clusters, all of which are attested in the lexicon.
Final Consonants
| Ejectives | px | tx | kx | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stops | p | t | k | ‘ |
| Nasals | m | n | ng | |
| Liquids | r , l |
Pesudovowels
In CV syllables, the liquids l and r can replace the vowel. When they are syllabic they are lengthened (the r is very strongly trilled, the l always front and “light”) and written ll and rr respectively.
Note: Sequences of stop + liquid, though they cannot occur initially, may be found medially. In such cases, however, a syllable boundary intervenes.
Vowel clusters
Na’vi allows unlimited sequences of vowels in a word. If no glottal stop intervenes, the vowels in such clusters glide smoothly from one to another. Each such vowel represents a separate syllable.
- (6 syllables)
- (8 syllables)
Phonetic detail and phonology
Voiceless stops are unaspirated. In final position they are unreleased.
Na’vi r is a flap, as in Spanish pero or Indonesian surat.
Word stress in Na’vi is unpredictable and distinctive. Stress must thus be specified for each word. (In learning materials only, the stressed syllable in a word is underlined.)
- (person)
- (female person)
Lenition
Following certain adpositions and prefixes, initial consonants mutate as follows:
| px, tx, kx | -> | p, t, k |
| p, t/ts, k | -> | f, s, h |
| Glottal stop | ||
| ‘ | -> | Ø |
| 8 Cs participate in rule: px, tx, kx, ‘, p, t, ts, k |
||
| 12 Cs participate do not: f, s, h, v, z, m, n, ng, r, l, w, y |
||
How do I write my name ( Calvin ) in Na’vi ?
Kälvìn
How would you pronounce and wrie my name? Ajani
It depends on how you pronounce your j.
How can you spell my name in Na’vi?
Alina, as it is, is already perfectly valid as a Na’vi first name. :)
Kaltxi.
I really, really love this language, but since I couldn’t even pass grammar exams in my own mother tongue (English), I am finding this all to be a wonderful mystery. However, I am learning the Na’vi dialogue from the film and can say many things quite convincingly! But what I really wanted to say here is that there are three languages in Zambia that have many similarities to Na’vi. Lunda and Kikaonde in Northern Zambia, and Citonga in the South. There are even some identical words – albeit with different meanings!
Kiyevame.
Eltur tìtxen si! Interesting. It’s been said, as this page says, that Na’vi sounds like several Earth languages. It was intended to be unique and alien but yet familiar and approachable enough to pronounce.
Yes, this language is totally awesome. And it’s really not that difficult. IMO it’s far easier than even Spanish. There are programs and people within the forums here which aim to teach the language in a super simple way. Not everyone likes it technical. ;)
disculpa, me podrias decir que significa esto
” oe miss nga si za´u ne´im ne nga ”
me lo mando un amigo pero no se que significa y apenas me dijeron que era idioma na´vi
No es correcto, pero al parecer la persona estaba tratando de decir, “te echo de menos y vuelvo a vosotros.” (sorry my Español is not so good.)
How do you spell my name in Na’vi and how do you pronouns it ?
“Karin” as it is, is already perfectly valid spelling to be a Na’vi first name. It would be pronounced something like KAH-reen(by an American like me). But I think your name would probably be spelled as Karìn (with ì instead of i) and therefore pronounced as KAH-rinn.
By the way, the letter r in Na’vi is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alveolar_flap
Hope this helps. :)
Really much ! Thanks :)
How do I say My name is Na’vi?
Markì
How do you say my hole name in Na’vi ?
Karin Emilie Nesteby Grette ?? I’m Norwegian :P
Karìn Emilie Nestepi Kìrete
it’s hardly different. :)
Now, there’s THAT, OR translate the meaning of your name. Which is a bit time consuming.
What is clean or cleaned in Na’vi ?
clean is laro.
Our vocabulary page is here and our dictionary is over here. :)
Do you have any websites that allowes you to download a program that learns you Na’vi ?
Our forum is totally awesome. You’ve gotta check it out.
There is also:
* Memrise Na’vi Vocabulary
* My Easy Grammar Website
names Tsu’tey, Eytukan, Mo’at and Neytiri mean?
As far as I know, they are just names. It is not known if these names have any meaning.
I know that Mo’at means ‘Dream Catcher’. Tsu’tey was called Tsu Te Rongloa in the original script, meaning ‘eats the heart’. it’s not translated literally but names usually aren’t. I don’t know the meaning behind Eytukan or Neytiri or any other names, sorry.
I actually have NO IDEA how those names got those etymologies except that James Cameron may have felt like assigning them that way. They contradict existing vocabulary. I think it has been speculated that there is maybe some kind of coincidental significance of the name Eytukan, and the word eyktan which means leader.
wow! this site is awesome. I appreciate all the work you put into putting this language together.
also, I noticed names like Mark you translated into Markí, why. what about names with Kr sounds?
Markì because consonant clusters like rk or kr cannot come at the end of a syllable or word in Na’vi. It’s a phonetics rule.
“kr” is not a legal consonant cluster in Na’vi. (Another phonetics rule) an ì would have to be inserted between. For example, someone called Chris or Kris would be called Kìrìsì (another thing is that Na’vi words or syllables cannot end in sounds like s/f/z/h/ts etc.)
Irayo :D Thanks for stopping by! Come hang out on the forums if you get the chance.
Nice work with the names an the language of na’vi would like to know how to spell my name and properly pronounce it in na’vi if you could thank you
Kaltxì! Irayo. :) (Hi! Thanks.)
Jason most likely would be Tsyeyson or maybe even Tsyeysen or tsyeysìn. Which really, just like most written Na’vi, is pronounced exactly as it looks.
ts is that sound at the end of the word pants
y is the same as English y,
ey is pretty much the same as in English hey!
s of course is the same
o is more like the one in Mexican spanish than English.
e is always that e from English ten, then, when. meh.
ì is that sound from English fit, sit, limit.
n is the same as usual.
Does the material above on this page make sense? It lists out what sounds are in Na’vi and mostly all the phonetics rules we have. :) I’d be happy to simplify technicalities into everyday speech if necessary.
I wonder, as a brazilian, it is quite easy for me to pronnounce the spanish language correctly, when comparing to people from some other countries (not all of the of course). So, which language, in a phonetic point of view, is the closest to the Na’vi language? Of all peoples, which one could speak Na’vi more easily? Thanks for everything, I’ve really enjoyed this website!
Hi Tirea. Is there a possible answer for my question? Sorry to bother you, thanks :)
… there is no unanimous agreement among people as to which earthly language it sounds like. Some say German, Some say Japanese, some say Hawaiian. …
I’m really sorry for missing this, it’s the answer to my question! Thanks, and sorry for bothering, again, hehehe. ;)
I do agree with all of the ideas you have presented to your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for starters. Could you please extend them a bit from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.
I don’t know. I think these posts are quite well enough descriptive. What kind of information do you feel is lacking?
So, how to write my name? It is the Spanish version of ‘Moses’, it would be two syllables in Spanish, but three in Na’vi, right?
Or I could translate the meaning? If I ain’t wrong, it means “He who was saved from the water”, correct?
Right. The only thing is, in Na’vi, syllables and words can’t end in s. Now, from watching the film, it is evident that it is possible for the Na’vi to say words that end in s or whatever.
So if you stick to native Na’vi phonetics rules, you get something like Moiseysì or Moisey. (though I think a Na’vi, copying how you say it, would be able to say Moiseys)
The phrase “He who was saved from the water” would translate probably as “Tsapo a fkol zamong wä fay” I suppose how you shorten this into a name is up to you, as long as it fits in the rules for building native words.
Kaltxi,
Queria que esse site tivesse tradução para português, quero muito aprender na’vi, só achei esse site que ensina a língua… Sou péssima em inglês… Quero aprender a pronuncia do Na’vi..
Aqui é a última Dicionário Português do Brasil. É velho, infelizmente. http://eanaeltu.learnnavi.org/dicts/NaviDictionary_ptbr.pdf
http://eanaeltu.learnnavi.org/dicts/DictionaryNavi_ptbr.pdf
Sinto muito, meu Português não é tão bom. Infelizmente, os nossos documentos e site são em sua maioria Inglês. :( seria bom para traduzi-los.
Kaltxi,
Greice, eu acredito que não exista uma versão traduzida ainda porque são poucas as pessoas que falam a nossa língua (português brasileiro eu presumo) que tem interesse por esse assunto. Mas vale a pena você ter comentado, quanto mais pessoas querendo que isso aconteça e divulgando, mais chances temos de ter a nossa própria escola Na’vi aqui no Brasil :).
I really want to learn how to pronounce Na’vi properly but I must listen to an audio or hear a person actually pronounce it. I have watched 3 clips about Na’vi language on YouTube, but they are not enough. :(
Please help me.
Right. A nice place to go to hear such clips is here at the Na’vi Word of the Day twitter page. You do not need a Twitter account to view that page or listen to the recordings it posts. :)
Another good place to go is here
nivume nìltsan! Learn well. :)
Kaltxi,
The link suggested by Tirea is really good: http://www.tyger.org/~tiger/navi/wordlist.php?filterlevel=1
Although the best way to learn how to pronnounce Na’vi is with a teacher, for the sound projected by the computer might be sometimes misunderstood. If you have someone to teach you how to move your mouth and tongue, literally, the learning would be much easier, don’t you think? :)
Sorry, for the late reply, but yes. You are right. It is often a great idea to have an actual person to be your teacher.
Updated Consonants Chart for correctness.
How do I write my name in Na’vi ?
Nìkol
How my name is in na’vi ( Eric )
Erìk
How would you say my name? ( Rachel )
Probably one of the following: Reytsll, Reytsyll, Reytsel, Reytsyel
how would you spell and pronounce my name, as it isnt a familiar one??
I think Tayrasyey or Tayrasey which is very closely pronounced to the original except the fact sh sound does not exist in Na’vi, so next best closest sound is used.
How do you write and pronounce my name in Na’vi?
Bridget Róisín Ivers
It’s Irish :) Róisín is pronounced row-sheen if that helps? Xxx
I wanna say that a Na’vi would be able to pronounce your name as is, but by technical rules of the native phonology, we’re lookin at something like
Pìrìtsyet Rosin Ayverzì
The first word there is actually not a whole lot different than Bridget, just basically softening things a little bit because b dg sound don’t exist. Neither does sh sound, so s used. Assuming Ivers sounds like “eye verz”.
FOR EVERYONE WANTING TO KNOW HOW TO SPELL AND PRONOUNCE THEIR NAME:
It’s a pretty simple process:
1)Scroll up and check out which letters and sounds Na’vi has.
2)Try to write your name as closely as possible using those letters.
3) to get an idea of pronunciation, search wikipedia for the technical term. Such as Velar nasal (ng) on alveolar ejective. (tx) Wikipedia has audio samples for each of these.
Kaltxì!
I just found this website and everything of it made me want to learn this amazing language. I think it will be difficult at first, but trying is the first step :)
I won’t bother you about my na’vi name, though xD I’ve follow the process you gave and apparently Isel is a perfectly valid name (correct me if I’m wrong)!
In conclusion, congrats for this amazing site you built. I hope I won’t bother you too much, and sorry for my english :)
Irayo!
Kaltxì ma Isel!
It’s great to hear that you have an interest in the Na’vi language! :) It is just a tiny bit difficult at first, but if you take it step by step, it’s a breeze. It really is the easiest language I have ever learned. I can guarantee that it is easier than English.
Yes. :) Isel is a perfectly valid name indeed.
Congrats for finding us and having interest. Please, join our forum and the discussion there, we’d love to help you out in any way. You are no bother at all, no worries. And your English is very good. I appreciate your enthusiasm. :)
Nìprrte’ (a usual response to irayo along the lines of “my pleasure/you’re welcome”)
Hello,
I’m Hungarian & I’d like to ask: how would you spell my hometown in Na’vi. It’s Szeged (sz is like s in English (e.g. sleep)..) e is almost like ä in Na’vi, so æ.
(I know Na’vis don’t have g (alone) or d, that’s why it’s difficult..)
By the way, my first name is Nóra but my Na’vi name is Nrra since I know it means pride. (But it’s a long story..)
Oh, and how do you say “Best wishes” or “all the best” in Na’vi?
Thanks a lot. :) irayo.
‘Best wishes’ would probably be Eywa ngahu (Eywa be with you). As to the spelling of the town name, that’s a bit of a poser. Phonetically, in my mind it comes up as Sä’et or Sä’ät.
ta Markì
t or tx is pretty close to d. Just like k or kx is close to g.
säkät?
What a wonderful and imaginative movie. I have been learning to speak Lakota. I see so much of the Native American ideals here in this movie…It to me was magic on hte screen. I’m currently also teaching myself to speak Na vi…at two years old I spoke Swedish & English.. I was hoping someone could tell me if there is a Na vi equivalent to my name (Ingrid) and spelling of it?…If there isnt for Ingrid…I’d be happy with my middle name (Ann)….. I love fantasy films…but I think this is absolutely my favorite of all times…Thank you for sharring your talents with us…I’m looking forward to sequals!
*Ingrid
Kaltxì! You should join us on the LearnNavi forums to help further your learning of the Na’vi language. I bet some of the folks there could help you “Na’vify” your name!
ta Markì
Kaltxi ! I’m french. Sorry. How to write my firstname in Na’vi ? Thank you !
The ‘d’ in your name doesn’t have an equivalent sound in Na’vi. I suggest you head over to the forums and see what suggestions you can get on what your name would be in Na’vi.
ta Markì
I have wanted to learn Na’vi for several years now and after finally getting around to it, this seems like the perfect site for it. ^^
So, I just have two questions:
1) How would I write my name into Na’vi? It’s Alyssa.
2) Is there a way to find a bit of a “teacher” willing to help me learn it via email, skype, FB, etc…
Thanks!
We have lots of teaching materials and interactive learning projects that you can find out about on our forum. You can also help on names there!
1) Alìsa
2) I could do email, Skype, or FB. Your choice.
3) Sorry for how late this reply is.
i want to learn na’vi but this word are to difficult……what i should do to make this language more easier???
The learning materials on the site should give you good reference material. Join us on the forum for more interactive help!
thnx!!!!!!!!!
I really want to learn Na’vi and become fluent in it. It’s just really hard for me, what are ways that I can make it easier? Also, how would you write and pronounce my name in Na’vi? And how long would it take someone to become fluent? Thanks :)
That’s a pretty deep question. People learn at a pace that is determined by many variables. Learning the Na’vi language is not entirely like learning a natural language, because there are so few fluent speakers to practice with. However, there is a lot of good learning material on this site that is the result of the tireless collaboration between Dr. Frommer and some very dedicated fans and linguistic experts at LearnNavi.org. For folks that are just getting started, we recommend looking through the forum, particularly the introduction and beginner boards for some good advice on the best way to use the materials we have to start learning Na’vi. Best of luck and hope to see you on the forums!
How would you say my name, Alfredo, in Na’vi? Also I want to learn Na’vi but I don’t know where to start. Where would be the best place to start? At the moment I’ve been looking at the pronunciation but without hearing it I’m finding it somewhat difficult.
Thanks! :)
The ‘d’ in your name is a problem since there is no d in Na’vi. See the reply to Jazmine above, I bet there are some folks on the beginner board that could help you come up with your Na’vi name pretty quickly!
Oh ok, thanks!!
what is my name in navi and have you thought of makeing a rosetta stone program for this language
One way to translate your name is to literally just pronounce it in a Na’vi accent: Maykll. (this is literally pronounced nearly exactly like “Michael”.) You could also look up the meaning and translate that.
Yes, a Na’vi Rosetta Stone program was thought of. We have a few community projects that are free to download and use but aren’t quite as good as the real Rosetta Stone. The one that comes to mind is the Tree of Voices program.
hey whats my name in na’vi (kitty) :)
Kìti
If anyone was wondering about how Na’vi is pronounced, I’ve made a post at http://tirea.learnnavi.org/posts/sounds.html
how would you spell and say my name in Na’vi?
Hi there. :) This is a super popular question, isn’t it? *scrolls up the comments*
Paris is already in our dictionary as the capital of France. so since it’s basically the same word, your name would be Pari. For recordings on what the letters sound like see here