Food & Drinks

1. لەڭمەن بىر پورسىيەت

   Leng-men bir por-si-yet

   One serving of laghman noodles, please

   Usage

   When ordering laghman, the signature Uyghur hand-pulled noodle dish

   Grammar Note

   Quantifiers precede nouns in Uyghur. "پورسىيەت" is borrowed from Russian. Laghman is an iconic Silk Road dish.

2. كاۋاپ كەلتۈرۈڭ

   Ka-wap kel-tü-rüng

   Please bring the kebabs

   Usage

   Ordering skewered kebabs at a bazaar stall or restaurant

   Grammar Note

   "كەلتۈر-" is the stem of "to bring." "-ۈڭ" is the polite imperative suffix. Uyghur kebabs are mainly lamb with heavy cumin seasoning.

3. پولو نەچچە پۇل؟

   Po-lo ne-chche pul?

   How much is the polo (pilaf)?

   Usage

   Asking the price of polo, the Uyghur pilaf rice dish

   Grammar Note

   "نەچچە" is the Uyghur interrogative for quantity. "پۇل" means money across Turkic. Polo is rice cooked with carrots and lamb.

4. چاي ئىچمەكچىمەن

   Chay ich-mek-chi-men

   I would like to drink tea

   Usage

   Ordering tea at a chaikhana (teahouse). Tea is central to Uyghur culture

   Grammar Note

   Desire form adds "-مەكچى" to the verb stem plus person suffix. The chaikhana (teahouse) is central to Uyghur social life.

5. بۇ ئازراق ئاچچىق

   Bu az-raq ach-chiq

   This is a little spicy

   Usage

   Commenting on the spiciness of a dish

   Grammar Note

   Uyghur can omit the copula in adjectival predicates. "-راق" on "ئاز" (few/little) forms the comparative "somewhat."

6. مەن گۆشسىز يەيمەن

   Men gösh-siz ye-y-men

   I eat without meat

   Usage

   Important phrase since Uyghur cuisine features a lot of lamb

   Grammar Note

   "-سىز" is the privative suffix (like "-less"). Uyghur cuisine is halal based on Islamic law; pork is prohibited.

7. سامسا قانچە؟

   Sam-sa qan-che?

   How many samsa (baked pastries) are there?

   Usage

   Buying samsa (baked meat or vegetable pastries) at the bazaar

   Grammar Note

   "قانچە" asks about quantity. Samsa from Persian "sambūsa" are baked in a tandoor oven, typically filled with lamb or pumpkin.

8. ئون تال قوي گۆشى كاۋاپ

   On tal qoy gö-shi ka-wap

   Ten lamb kebab skewers

   Usage

   Ordering at a kebab stall in the bazaar

   Grammar Note

   Uyghur has classifiers, and the quantity goes before the noun. "تال" counts skewers/long thin objects. "قوي گۆشى" is mutton/lamb meat.

9. مەنتا بارمۇ؟

   Men-ta bar-mu?

   Do you have manta (steamed dumplings)?

   Usage

   Asking about manta, the large Uyghur steamed dumplings

   Grammar Note

   "بار" is the existential verb. "-مۇ" is the question suffix. Manta are large steamed dumplings related to Central Asian cuisine.

10. يېڭى نان بىر دانە

    Yeng-i nan bir da-ne

    One piece of fresh nan bread

    Usage

    Buying nan, the Uyghur tandoor-baked flatbread

    Grammar Note

    "دانە" is a general counter. Uyghur nan varies by region (Kashgar, Hotan). Often topped with sesame seeds or onion.

11. بۇ نېمە؟

    Bu ne-me?

    What is this?

    Usage

    Asking about an unfamiliar dish

    Grammar Note

    Uyghur question word "نېمە" (what) appears in predicate position. "بۇ نېمە?" is a simple question without an explicit copula.

12. تاماق تامام بولدى

    Ta-maq ta-mam bol-di

    The meal is finished / I'm done eating

    Usage

    Indicating you have finished eating, before asking for the bill

    Grammar Note

    "تامام" from Arabic/Persian means "complete/finished." "تامام بولدى" = "became finished". "-دى" is the past tense suffix. Common across Turkic languages.

13. ئاچچىق

    Ach-chiq

    Spicy hot

    Usage

    Uyghur ئاچچىق covers both "spicy" and "bitter" — point at a chili alongside it to be clear

14. تاتلىق

    Tat-liq

    Sweet

    Usage

    For talking about sweetness, including asking for less of it

15. پىشمىغان

    Pish-mi-ghan

    Uncooked / raw

    Usage

    Flags meat or eggs that are not cooked through; literally "not cooked"

16. پىشقان گۈرۈچ

    Pish-qan gü-rüch

    Cooked rice

    Usage

    Cooked rice specifically; گۈرۈچ alone can mean raw grain, so "pishqan" is added

17. نان

    Nan

    Bread (nan)

    Usage

    The Uyghur staple: round flatbread baked on the wall of a tandoor oven

18. كېسمە

    Kés-me

    Noodles

    Usage

    Noodles in general; the hand-pulled noodle dish itself is called lengmen (laghman)

19. شورپا

    Shor-pa

    Soup

    Usage

    Usually mutton broth; an easy order on a cold night or when you feel unwell

20. تۇز

    Tuz

    Salt

    Usage

    Point at it to ask for salt, or to ask for less of it

21. شېكەر

    Shé-ker

    Sugar

    Usage

    Point at it to ask for sugar, or to ask for none

22. قارا مۇرۇچ

    Qa-ra mu-ruch

    Black pepper

    Usage

    مۇرۇچ alone can be confused with chili, so "qara" (black) pins it down

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