Кетш мицӏ

Khinalug

NE Caucasian (isolate within Lezgic / independent branch)

FamilyNE Caucasian (isolate within Lezgic / independent branch) Speakers~3K ScriptCyrillic / Latin (recent) CountriesAzerbaijan (Quba Rayon) Official inNo (village-level local use) ISO 639-3kjj Glottocodekhin1240

Khinalug (self-name Kətş micI "Khinalug tongue") is a Northeast Caucasian language spoken by ~3,000 villagers in the isolated mountain village of Khinalug, northern Azerbaijan. Long classified within Lezgic, it is now widely treated as an independent branch — a true language isolate within the family — with four noun classes and roughly 18 cases. Cut off above 2,300 m for much of the year, the village preserved an idiosyncratic vocabulary stratum and an extremely conservative sound system; a Latin orthography was developed in 2007 by Kibrik's Moscow team with local teachers.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Khinalug

Water

хьу

xu

Fire

чӏаь

tʃʼæ

Sun

ынкь

ɨnqʼ

Moon

вацӏ

vatsʼ

Star

пхунцӏ

pχuntsʼ

Night

сан

san

Rain

кьула

qʼula

Snow

ккыза

kːɨza

Wind

кулак

kʰulakʰ

Earth

инччи

intʃːi

Stone

кӏачӏын

kʼatʃʼɨn

Mountain

мыда

mɨda

Sea

даьрйаьгь

dærjæh

Mother

даьдаь

dædæ

Father

бый

bɨj

Daughter

риши

riʃi

I

зы

zɨ

You

вы

vɨ

We

кин / йир

kʰin / jir

Name

цӏу

tsʼu

Person

хӏаьдми

ħædmi

Head

микӏир

mikʼir

Eye

пил

pʰil

Ear

тӏоп

tʼopʰ

Nose

кӏытыр

kʼɨtʰɨr

Mouth

мац

mats

Tooth

цулоз

tsuloz

Tongue

мицӏ

mitsʼ

Hand

кул

kʰul

Foot

анк

ankʰ

Heart

унг

uŋɡ

Bone

инкӏ

inkʼ

Blood

пӏи

pʼi

Love

—

—

Tree

вишаь

viʃæ

Dog

пхра

pχra

Cat

—

—

Fish

балыгъ

balɨʁ

Bird

къуш

quʃ

Butterfly

каьпаьнаьг

kʰæpʰænæɡ

Egg

кӏаз

kʼaz

Bear

псы

psɨ

Horse

пши

pʃi

House

цӏва

tsʼwa

Milk

ал

al

Honey

нуьцӏ

nytsʼ

Salt

кьаь

qʼæ

Wine

чахыр

tʃaχɨr

Rice

ппарынцӏ

pːarɨntsʼ

Iron

ура

ura

Wheel

чарх

tʃarχ

Silk

ипаьг

ipʰæɡ

Book

кичеб

kʰitʃeb

Eat

кьандаь

qʼandæ

Drink

цуври

tsuvri

Sleep

мишкири

miʃkiri

One

са

sa

Two

кӏу

kʼu

Three

пшва

pʃʷa

Four

онгъ

onʁ

Five

пхьу

pxu

Hundred

пан

pʰan

Hello

—

—

Thank you

—

—

Good

ксан

ksan

New

таза

tʰaza

Red

ццыма

tsɨma

White

хьырыцӏ

xɨrɨtsʼ

Black

мичӏаь

mitʃʼæ

Green

сыб

sɨb

Blue

цӏарцӏар

tsʼartsʼar

Cuckoo

кокку

kʰokːu

Sugar

къаьнд

qænd

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: NE Caucasian (isolate within Lezgic / independent branch)

Meaning KhinalugKrytsBudukhAndiCaucasian AlbanianTsakhurYuchi
Water хьу /xu/ xəd /xæd/ хьад /xad/ лъен /ɬen/ xe /xe/ хьян /xjan/ tse /tse/
Fire чӏаь /tʃʼæ/ tsʼə /tsʼæ/ цӏа /tsʼa/ цӏай /tsʼaj/ ow /u/ цӏа /tsʼa/ ʼyati /ʔjati/
Sun ынкь /ɨnqʼ/ virağ /viraʁ/ вирагъ /viraʁ/ миллӏи /milːi/ beɣ /beɣ/ верыгъ /werɨʁ/ tso /tso/
Moon вацӏ /vatsʼ/ vəz /væz/ вез /vez/ борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ ḳac̣ḳac̣ /kʼatsʼkʼatsʼ/ ваз /waz/ shafa /ʃafa/
Star пхунцӏ /pχuntsʼ/ ħəçʼ /ħætʃʼ/ хӏачӏ /ħatʃʼ/ цӏцӏа /tsʼːa/ — /—/ хаӏне /χaˤne/ weʼyv /weʔjʌ̃/
Night сан /san/ yif /jif/ йудженджидж /judʒendʒidʒ/ релъо /reɬo/ šow /ʃu/ хаӏм /χaˤm/ pado /pado/
Rain кьула /qʼula/ çʼebic /tʃʼebidʒ/ маф /maf/ цӏцӏа /tsʼːa/ — гʼогъуй /ɡʲoʁuj/ —
Snow ккыза /kːɨza/ yiz /jiz/ йиз /jiz/ анзи /anzi/ — йиз /jiz/ sta /sta/
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