Bhutanese Words and Phrases

Bhutanese generally use the suffix 'la' as an honorific one and feel that omitting it makes their remarks sound too harsh. This custom is often carried even into English and expressions like ‘Yes-la’ or ‘I'm not sure-la’ are common and only imply respect. We have given a few common phrases here and that you will find helpful while traveling in Bhutan. To read these translations, know that most of the consonants in Dzongkha are pronounced the same way they are in English. The h after some of the consonants is not pronounced but indicates that the preceding letter is aspirated. Thus, "th" is not pronounced as in ‘thank’ but as "ta" in "take"; "ph" is not pronounced as in “Phone” but as "pa" in "pasta". However, "ch" is pronounced as in "much" and "sh" is pronounced as in "shoe." Vowels in Dzongkha are pronounced as follows:

• "a" as in "mama",
• "e" as the "ey" in "they",
• "i" as in "bit",
• "o" as in "go", and
• "u" as the "oo" in "look",

English Word/Phrase	Bhutanese Translation
1	Chi
2	Ni
3	Sum
4	Shi
5	Nga
6	Du
7	Din
8	Gey
9	Gu
10	Chutham
Butter Tea	Suja
Chili	Ema
Good Luck	Tashi Delek
Good-Bye	Legshembe Joen (If You're The Person Staying) Legshembe Shug (If You're The Person Leaving)
Hello	Kuzo Zangpo La
How Are You?	Ga De Bay Ye?
How Much Is The Cost Of This Item?	Di Gi Gong Ga Dem Chi Mo?
I Am From India.	Nga India Lay In.
My Name Is Peter.	Nge Gi Ming Peter In.
No	Me
No Thank You	Miju
Ok	Toup
OK I Will Buy It.	Toob, Nga Gi Nyo Ge.
Please Reduce The Cost A Bit.	Gong Aa Tsi Phab Nang.
Potato	Kewa
Rice	Chum
See Ya Later	Shoo Lay Log Jay Ge
Thank You	Kadrin Chhe
What Is Your Name?	Chhoe Gi Ming Ga Chi Mo?
Where Is The Toilet?	Chhabsang Ga Ti Mo?
Yes	Ing