Swadesh List

A Swadesh list is one of several lists of vocabulary with "basic" meanings, developed by Morris Swadesh in the 1940–50s, which is used in lexicostatistics (quantitative language relatedness assessment) and glottochronology (language divergence dating).

See Appendix:Sino-Tibetan_Swadesh_lists for a comparison of Mandarin, Cantonese, Amoy, Teochew, Hakka, and Burmese.

English word	POS	MTL	notes	MTL (2)	note (2)	MTL (3)	note (3)	MTL (4)	note (4)	MTL (5)	note (5)
I	personal pronoun	goar
you(singular)	personal pronoun	lie
he	personal pronoun	y
we	personal pronoun	gurn/goarn	we (not including you)	larn	we (including you)
you(plural)	personal pronoun	lirn
they	personal pronoun	yn
this	demonstrative pronoun	zef		cit'ee
that	demonstrative pronoun	hef		hit'ee
here	demonstrative pronoun	ciaf
there	demonstrative pronoun	hiaf
who	interrogative	sviaflaang		siafng	contraction of sviaflaang
what	interrogative	sviafmih		symmih		tøfcidee	which
where	interrogative	tøfui
when	interrogative	symmih-sizun	what time	tangsii
how	interrogative	juhøo	formal	afnzvoar	informal	zvoafviu	in what way
not		pud	literary	m	is not/does not	bøe	is not able to	maix	do not (imperative)	bøo	does not have/did not
all	quantifier	zoanpo	all of it	kuy	ex. all day	sofu	ex. all cars	lorng	ex. they all see it.	lofngzorng	ex. how many in all?
many	quantifier	zøe
some	quantifier	cidkoar/cidkoafar		kuynaxee
few	quantifier	ciør
other	quantifier	kithvaf		padee
one	cardinal number	id	more than 10	cit	less than 10
two	cardinal number	ji		nng
three	cardinal number	svaf
four	cardinal number	six
five	cardinal number	go
big	adjective	toa
long	adjective	tngg
wide	adjective	khoafn
thick	adjective	kau
heavy	adjective	tang
small	adjective	søex
short	adjective	tea
narrow	adjective	øeh
thin	adjective	pøh
woman	noun	lwjiin	formal	zabor	informal
man(adult male)	noun	lamjiin	formal	zapof	informal
man(human being)	noun	laang
child(a youth)	noun	gyn'ar	informal	jitoong	formal
wife	noun	bor
husband	noun	afng
mother	noun	bwchyn/bøfchyn	literary	lauxbuo		mamaf		abuo
father	noun	huxchyn	literary	lauxpe		papaf		apaf
animal	noun	toxngbut
fish	noun	hii
bird	noun	ciao		ciawar
dog	noun	kao		kawar
louse	noun	bagsad		satbuo
snake	noun	zoaa
worm	noun	thaang		toxurn	earthworm	toxkurn	earthworm
tree	noun	chiu		chiu'ar (chiuar)
forest	noun	simliim		chiuxnaa
stick	noun	chiuxky	tree branch	ki'ar	informal
fruit	noun	zuykør		køefcie
seed	noun	zefngcie
leaf	noun	hiøh		hiøqar
root	noun	kwn
bark	noun	chiuxphøee
flower	noun	hoef
grass	noun	zhao
rope	noun	søq		søh'ar
skin	noun	phøee		phøehw
meat	noun	baq
blood	noun	huiq		hiet'ek
bone	noun	kud		kutthaau
fat	noun	cihoong	academic	jixnngg	colloquial
egg	noun	nng		køef'nng	chicken egg
horn	noun	kag
tail	noun	bøea		bøefliw
feather	noun	ciawmngg
hair	noun	thaumngg
head	noun	thaau	affix	thaukhag
ear	noun	hvi'ar				hvixkhafng
eye	noun	bagciw
nose	noun	phvi		phvi'ar
mouth	noun	zhuix
tooth	noun	zhuiekhie
tongue	noun	cih		zhuiecih
fingernail	noun	zefngkaq
foot	noun	khaf
leg	noun	thuie
knee	noun	khathauw
hand	noun	chiuo
wing	noun	ek	literary	sit		sidar		sidkor
belly	noun	paktor
guts	noun	tng'ar
neck	noun	axmkurn
back	noun	khaciahphviaf
breast	noun	hiofng	chest (affix)	hiongpo	chest (academic)	hengkharm	chest (generic)	lengpoong	female organ
heart	noun	simzong
liver	noun	kvoaf	affix	kvoazong
drink	verb	lym
eat	verb	ciah
bite	verb	ka
suck	verb	khib	affix	cip	sip	suq	suck
spit	verb	phuix	generic	phuienoa	lit. spit saliva (informal)	phuie-zhuienoa	lit. spit saliva (informal)	phuiethaam	lit. spit phlegm (informal)
vomit	verb	ao	informal	thox	informal	awthox	formal
blow	verb	zhøef		puun
breathe	verb	hokhib	academic (respire)	zhoafnkhuix
laugh	verb	chiøx
see	verb	khvoax
hear	verb	thviaf
know	verb	zay		zaiviar		bad	to recognize
think	verb	sviu
smell	verb	phvi
fear	verb	kviaf
sleep	verb	khuxn
live	verb	oah
die	verb	sie
kill	verb	thaai
fight	verb	oankef	argue	siøphaq	fists	siøthaai	war
hunt	verb	phahlah
hit	verb	phaq
cut	verb	koaq	cut in two	chied	slice	kaf	scissors
split	verb	phoarkhuy	transitive split open	liqkhuy	intransitive split open	hunkhuy	split up
stab	verb	chix		zaan		tuh
scratch	verb	pee
dig	verb	or		oea		iaq		liuo		kut
swim	verb	siuzuie
fly	verb	pøef
walk	verb	kviaa	generic	kvialo	go on foot (informal)	poxheeng	go on foot (formal)	poxkviaa	go on foot (formal)	poxliern	go on foot (formal)
come	verb	laai
lie	verb	tør	horizontal
sit	verb	ze
stand	verb	zam	affix	khia
turn	verb	oad	change direction
fall	verb	lakløh	drop
give	verb	ho
hold	verb	theh
squeeze	verb	lut
rub	verb	loarn	massage; knead
wash	verb	søea
wipe	verb	chid
pull	verb	khiuo		giuo
push	verb	sag
throw	verb	taxn
tie	verb	pak
sew	verb	paang		thvi
count	verb	siaux
say	verb	korng
sing	verb	chviux
play	verb	sngr		chitthøo	intransitive
float	verb	phuu
flow	verb	laau
freeze	verb	kietpefng
swell	verb	phorngtoa
sun	noun	thaeioong	scientific	jidthaau	informal
moon	noun	gøeqniuu
star	noun	zhvef/chvy
water	noun	zuie
rain	noun	ho/løqho
river	noun	høo
lake	noun	oo
sea	noun	hae
salt	noun	iaam
stone	noun	ciøh	affix	ciøqthaau
sand	noun	soaf
dust	noun	thohurn
earth	noun	tøexkiuu	planet
cloud	noun	huun
fog	noun	bu
sky	noun	thvy
wind	noun	hofng
snow	noun	seq
ice	noun	pefng
smoke	noun	hwn
fire	noun	høea
ashes	noun	høef	ashes or dust	høefhw
burn	verb	hviaa
road	noun	lo
mountain	noun	svoaf
red	adjective	aang
green	adjective	lek		zhveseg/chviseg
yellow	adjective	ngg
white	adjective	peh
black	adjective	of
night	noun	armsii
day	noun	jidsii
year	noun	nii
warm	adjective	siølø
cold	adjective	kvoaa
full	adjective	boarn		moar		tvi
new	adjective	syn
old	adjective	lau	not young	ku	not new
good	adjective	hør
bad	adjective	phvae
rotten	adjective	aux		zhaonoa
dirty	adjective	lahsab
straight	adjective	tit
round	adjective	vii
sharp	adjective	lai
dull	adjective	tun
smooth	adjective	kngkut
wet	adjective	sib		taam
dry	adjective	taf
correct	adjective	tiøh	informal	zerngkhag	formal
near	adjective	kun
far	adjective	hng
right	adjective	cviax
left	adjective	tøx
at	preposition	ti
in	preposition	ti	lai
with	conjunction	kab
and	conjunction	kab
if	conjunction	naxsi
because	conjunction	in'ui
name	noun	miaa	affix or generic