Kobold Language Reference
(click here for a PDF version courtesy of Argnon)
Modern Kobold is spoken by today's underground kobolds. Much of its vocabulary comes from Old Kobold, the language used by long-ago kobold ancestors deep in the underground.
Twelve Basic Words
| Ug | hello | Hoowah! | hurrah! | |
| Gug'yu | goodbye | Skah! | @*&$#%!!!! | |
| Yub | yes | Har! | lol, :) (smiley face) | |
| Nub | no | Rulg lat | Thank you | |
| Mih | me | Blah | talk, language | |
| Lat | you | Gruk | know, understand |
If you don't know or understand something or what someone is saying, just say Nub gruk.
Fighting Words
| klomp | attack, kill | flat | dead |
| mojo | magic, buffs | flishi | resurrect |
| krimp | mez or root | lurnin | experience |
| figz | heal | uzg | land, world |
| bait | pull | hihr drumz | gain a level |
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Kobolds talk about things like defending their territory, defeating their enemies, and hunting for good things to eat. They don't talk too much about levels and experience.
Races
| kobo | kobold | gazat | dwarf |
| shara | human | ilid | elf |
| olog | troll | gobo | lurikeen |
| uruk | firbolg | ||
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Humans, dwarves, elves, and lurikeen are often called pinkis because they have pink skin.
Classes
| Warriur | warrior | Shamun | shaman |
| Huntur | hunter | Ruungoth | runemaster |
| Snihkur | shadowblade | Guulgoth | spiritmaster |
| Savuj | savage | Boni | bonedancer |
| Howlur | skald | ||
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Other words are often used as well, such as Shaddurzult for shadowzerker, Ruunbuum for runemaster, or Danzur for bonedancer.
Weapons & Weapon
Users
| Womp | hammer | K'igg | spear |
| Lusk | axe | O'lig | bow |
| Zult | sword | Ligz | arrows |
| Blok | shield | Stik | staff |
| Klaw | claw | Dub paw | two-handed |
| Womp'r | hammer-using warrior | ||
| Zult'r | sword-using warrior | ||
| Lusk'r | axe-using warrior | ||
| Ligz'r | bow-spec hunter | ||
| Kigg'r | spear-spec hunter | ||
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Womp is a hammer. Womp'r means someone who uses hammers. To Womp, is to use a hammer.
Good & Bad
| bubhosh | great, big | snaga | slave |
| nubhosh | bad, small | buub | pig |
| pushdug | stinky | glob | fool |
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Kobolds enjoy teasing one another, as well as taunting the lesser races, but would never use human language to deliver an insult!
Numbers
| Zuth | zero | Blug | six |
| Ash | one | Udu | seven |
| Dub | two | Tukh | eight |
| Gakh | three | Krith | nine |
| Futh | four | Ash'Zuth | ten |
| Krak | five | H | a lot |
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You'll also hear words like Ashlog and Dublog. These words are names for klomp ranks; see the section on Klomp Ranks for details.
Kobolds don't talk about numbers much. Numbers on how much damage someone does, etc., is out of character.
Sleeping & Waking
| wayk ub | log in | mud | lag |
| gu slihb | log out | muddi | experiencing lag |
| blak owt | go linkdead | Sliipwalking | AFK |
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Even when you are apologizing for going linkdead in the middle of a fight, you can express it in a Kobold way rather than using human language. Surri, mih blak'd owt agh nub kuld wayk ub!
Long ago, the ancient underground kobolds spoke a language that we now call Old Kobold. Although Old Kobold is no longer spoken, much of its vocabulary survives today in Modern Kobold, the language of today's underground kobolds.
The following is a brief grammar of Old Kobold, based on Tolkien's Black Speech.
Vocabulary
| agh | and | albai | elf (or) elves (n) | |
| amal | where (relative) | ash | one | |
| bagronk | dung-pit (n) | búbhosh | great (adj) | |
| bugd- | call (v) | burguul | shadow ('burz + guul') (n) | |
| burzum | darkness (n) | buub | pig (n) | |
| buurz | dark (adj) | dug | filth (n) | |
| durb- | rule (v) | durub | ruler (n) | |
| dush | sorcery, magic (n) | duump | doom (v) | |
| fauth- | lie hidden (v) | gaakh | let it be that | |
| gakh | three | gazat | dwarf (n) | |
| ghaash (ghâsh) | fire (n) | ghaashum | heat (n) | |
| gimb- | find (v) | glob | fool (n) | |
| goi | city (n) | golug | elves (n) | |
| goth | lord, master (n) | gund | stone (n) | |
| guul (gûl) | wraith (n) | hai | folk (n) | |
| hosh | guts (n) | ilid | elf or elves (n) | |
| krak | five | krimp- | bind (v) | |
| krith | nine | lat | you | |
| lata- | under (prep) | lug | tower (n) | |
| m- | root of interogatives | mal | where? (interrog) | |
| mat- | die (v) | matuurz | mortal (adj) | |
| mog | voice (n) | narkuu | never | |
| nazg | ring (n) | nuut | sky (n) | |
| olog | Troll (n) | prakh- | lure (v) | |
| pushdug | stinking (adj or participle) | ronk | pool (n) | |
| sha | together with (prep) | shakh | lord (n) | |
| shara | man (n) | sharkuu (sharkû) | old man (n) | |
| skai or skah | exclamation of contempt | snaga | slave (also used by Uruk-hai as 'orc ofsmaller breed' | |
| srinkh- | gather (v) (transitive) | ta | him | |
| tab | his | tak | them | |
| tala | above | thrak- | bring (v) | |
| throqu- | devour (v) | tug | only (adv) | |
| u | to (prep) | udu | seven | |
| uliima | throne (n) | uruk | larger breed of orcs (n) | |
| uzg | land (n) | za | this | |
| zagh | mountain pass (n) |
Grammar
| -at | verb infinitive | -hai | people (collective plural) | |
| -i or -u | noun plural after consonant | -ishi | in (a suffixed postposition: burzum-ishi,"in the darkness") | |
| -ob | of (case suffix) | -ub- | verb future tense suffix | |
| -ug | verb present active participle | -uga | verb past passive participle | |
| -uuk (-ûk) | all | -ul | them | |
| -um | -ness, -yness (n) | -uur | for (case suffix) | |
| -uurz | a common adjective-forming suffix | -z | noun plural after vowel | |
| a- | prefixed to an interrogative makes itinto a relative |
Extrapolated words
| gunduurz | stony, rocky, rough (adj) | duguurz | filthy, dirty (adj) | |
| shara-hai | mankind (n) | globuurz | foolish, silly (adj) | |
| bagronk-ishi | ill, dying (literally 'in the dung-pit') | snaguurz | fawning, groveling (adj) |