Greetings and politeness in Manipuri
Hello, please, thank you, sorry: the eleven openers everything else builds on. Play the ten Manipuri words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 11 Manipuri phrases in this lesson
- ꯈꯨꯔꯨꯝꯖꯔꯤkhu-rum-JA-ri
- Hello
- ꯑꯐꯕ ꯑꯌꯨꯛa-PHA-ba a-YUK
- Good morning
- ꯑꯐꯕ ꯅꯨꯃꯤꯗꯥꯡa-PHA-ba nu-mi-DANG
- Good evening
- ꯆꯠꯂꯨꯔꯦchat-LU-re
- Goodbye
- ꯑꯃꯨꯛ ꯍꯟꯅ ꯎꯅꯁꯤa-MUK HAN-na u-NA-si
- See you
- ꯆꯥꯅꯕꯤꯗꯨꯅchan-bi-DU-na
- Please
- ꯊꯥꯒꯠꯆꯔꯤtha-gat-CHA-ri
- Thank you
- ꯀꯔꯤꯁꯨ ꯅꯠꯇꯦka-ri-SU NAT-te
- You're welcome
- ꯁꯣꯔꯤSO-ri
- Sorry
- ꯂꯝꯕꯤ ꯄꯤꯕꯤꯌꯨLAM-bi pi-BI-yu
- Excuse me
- ꯅꯪꯕꯨ ꯎꯕꯗ ꯅꯨꯡꯉꯥꯏNANG-bu u-BA-da nung-NGAI
- Nice to meet you
The one greeting that works everywhere in Manipur, morning to night, with strangers and elders alike. It comes from the word for bowing, and Meiteis often say it with palms joined at the chest. The language is written in Meitei Mayek, the script shown here, which returned to schools and signboards after decades of Bengali script.
ꯑꯌꯨꯛ (a-YUK) is the early morning and ꯑꯐꯕ (a-PHA-ba) means good. It is understood, but it reads as a translation of English rather than something Meiteis grew up saying. A plain ꯈꯨꯔꯨꯝꯖꯔꯤ (khu-rum-JA-ri) is what you will actually hear at that hour.
Literally "good evening". ꯈꯨꯔꯨꯝꯖꯔꯤ (khu-rum-JA-ri) works at any hour.
Literally "I am going now", which is how leaving is announced rather than with a word for goodbye. The person staying answers ꯆꯠꯄꯤꯔꯣ (chat-PI-ro), go well. ꯈꯨꯔꯨꯝꯖꯔꯤ (khu-rum-JA-ri) also closes a conversation, exactly as it opens one.
Literally let us meet once again, a friendly sign-off.
The standalone please. More often, politeness lives inside the verb: the ending ꯕꯤ (bi) added to a request turns "give" into "kindly give". That is why so many phrases in these lessons end in ꯄꯤꯕꯤꯌꯨ (pi-BI-yu).
The everyday thank you. In casual company, plenty of people simply say the English "thank you", but ꯊꯥꯒꯠꯆꯔꯤ (tha-gat-CHA-ri) from a visitor lands well and is never wrong.
Literally "it is nothing at all". Meiteilon has no single fixed reply to thanks, and a warm nod does most of the work in practice. This phrase is the closest natural fit when you want words.
The English word is what most people say for a quick apology.
Literally "kindly give way", for squeezing past someone in a crowded lane or at Ima Keithel. To apologize for a mistake, most people say the English "sorry", which has fully entered everyday Meiteilon.
Literally "seeing you is pleasant". ꯅꯨꯡꯉꯥꯏ (nung-NGAI), pleasant or happy, is a word you can use about weather, food, an evening, or a person.