Georgian phrases for travellers: alphabet, greetings, essentials

Georgian is one of the world’s oldest and most linguistically isolated languages. It belongs to the Kartvelian family — a group with no proven connection to any other language family on earth — alongside its relatives Mingrelian, Svan, and Laz. Written records stretch back to the fifth century AD, making Georgian literature among the earliest in the Christian world. For travellers, this means one thing above all: Georgian is unlike anything you have encountered before.

The payoff for a little effort is enormous. Georgians respond with warmth and genuine delight when a visitor attempts even a single phrase. In smaller towns and villages outside Tbilisi, English is scarce, and a handful of words — hello, thank you, delicious — will open doors, pour wine, and start friendships that last long after you have left.

This guide covers the Mkhedruli script, everyday greetings, numbers, directions, restaurant language, drinking toasts, and a few cultural expressions that reveal something of the Georgian soul. Transliterations follow the National System of Romanisation used by the Georgian government, with pronunciation notes where the sounds diverge from English expectations.

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The Mkhedruli alphabet

Georgian has three historical scripts: Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri, and Mkhedruli. Today, Mkhedruli — the name means “of the horseman” or “military” — is the everyday script, used for everything from shop signs to text messages. It has 33 letters, each representing a single sound, making it entirely phonetic: once you learn the letters, you can read any Georgian word aloud without guessing.

One of the most distinctive features of Georgian phonology is its ejective consonants — sounds produced with a sharp burst of air from the glottis rather than the lungs. These are written with letters that have no true English equivalent. They appear in words like q’veli (cheese) and ts’qali (water) and are marked in romanisation with an apostrophe after the consonant. Do not worry too much about mastering them; Georgians will understand a softened version.

Below are all 33 Mkhedruli letters with their standard romanisation and an approximate English sound guide.

Script	Romanisation	Approximate sound
ა	a	a in “father”
ბ	b	b in “bed”
გ	g	g in “go”
დ	d	d in “dog”
ე	e	e in “bed”
ვ	v	v in “vine”
ზ	z	z in “zoo”
თ	t	t in “top” (aspirated, breathy)
ი	i	ee in “see”
კ	k’	k — ejective, sharp pop
ლ	l	l in “let”
მ	m	m in “man”
ნ	n	n in “no”
ო	o	o in “more”
პ	p’	p — ejective, sharp pop
ჟ	zh	s in “measure”
რ	r	rolled r, like Spanish
ს	s	s in “sun”
ტ	t’	t — ejective, sharp pop
უ	u	oo in “food”
ფ	p	p in “pot” (aspirated)
ქ	k	k in “kit” (aspirated)
ღ	gh	guttural, like French r
ყ	q’	deep ejective, from the throat
შ	sh	sh in “show”
ჩ	ch	ch in “chair” (aspirated)
ც	ts	ts in “cats” (aspirated)
ძ	dz	ds in “kids”
წ	ts’	ts — ejective
ჭ	ch’	ch — ejective
ხ	kh	ch in Scottish “loch”
ჯ	j	j in “jump”
ჰ	h	h in “hat”

Reading tip: Georgian words can stack consonants in ways that look alarming — mts’vrtneli (trainer) is a real word. Say each sound in sequence and you will get there.

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Greetings

The standard Georgian hello is გამარჯობა (gamarjoba), which translates literally as “victory to you” — a legacy of a warrior culture where greeting someone meant wishing them triumph. When addressing a group or showing particular respect, add the plural suffix: გამარჯობათ (gamarjobat).

Georgian	Romanisation	Meaning
გამარჯობა	gamarjoba	Hello (to one person)
გამარჯობათ	gamarjobat	Hello (to several / formal)
დილა მშვიდობისა	dila mshvidobisa	Good morning (“peaceful morning”)
საღამო მშვიდობისა	saghamo mshvidobisa	Good evening
ნახვამდის	nakhvamdis	Goodbye
გზამშვიდობით	gzamshvidobit	Safe travels / farewell journey
როგორ ხართ?	rogor khart?	How are you? (formal)
კარგად, გმადლობთ	kargad, gmadlobt	Well, thank you

Gzamshvidobit is a particularly beautiful expression — it means something like “may your road be peaceful” and is used when someone is leaving on a journey. If a host says it to you at the end of a visit, it carries genuine warmth.

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Thank you, please, and sorry

Georgian has no single word that maps precisely onto the English “please” when making a request. Instead, politeness is built into verb conjugations and into the phrase tu sheidzleba (“if it is possible”).

Georgian	Romanisation	Meaning
მადლობა	madloba	Thank you
დიდი მადლობა	didi madloba	Thank you very much
არაფრის	arapris	You’re welcome / don’t mention it
თუ შეიძლება	tu sheidzleba	Please / if possible (use when requesting)
უკაცრავად	ukatsravad	Excuse me / sorry
ბოდიში	bodishi	Sorry / pardon

Didi madloba is your most useful phrase. Drop it often. Georgians appreciate acknowledgement, and a heartfelt thank-you after a meal or a kindness will always be noticed.

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Yes and no

Georgian	Romanisation	Notes
დიახ	diakh	Yes (formal)
კი / ჰო	ki / ho	Yes (informal — ho is very colloquial)
არა	ara	No
არ ვიცი	ar vitsi	I don’t know

Be aware that Georgians sometimes shake their head side to side for “yes” and nod for “no” — the opposite of most Western conventions. It is not universal, but do not be surprised if you encounter it.

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Numbers 1–20

Number	Georgian	Romanisation
1	ერთი	erti
2	ორი	ori
3	სამი	sami
4	ოთხი	otxi
5	ხუთი	khuti
6	ექვსი	ekvsi
7	შვიდი	shvidi
8	რვა	rva
9	ცხრა	tsxra
10	ათი	ati
11	თერთმეტი	tertmeti
12	თორმეტი	tormeti
13	ცამეტი	tsameti
14	თოთხმეტი	totxmeti
15	თხუთმეტი	txutmeti
16	თექვსმეტი	tekvsмети
17	ჩვიდმეტი	chvidmeti
18	თვრამეტი	tvrameti
19	ცხრამეტი	tsxrameti
20	ოცი	otsi

Georgian uses a vigesimal (base-20) system for higher numbers. Twenty-one is otsdaerti (“twenty-and-one”), forty is ormotsi (“two-twenties”), and so on up to one hundred (asi). For shopping and transport, knowing 1–20 plus asi and ათასი (atasi, one thousand) will cover almost every situation.

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Days of the week

Day	Georgian	Romanisation
Monday	ორშაბათი	orshabati
Tuesday	სამშაბათი	samshabati
Wednesday	ოთხშაბათი	otxshabati
Thursday	ხუთშაბათი	khutshabati
Friday	პარასკევი	paraskevi
Saturday	შაბათი	shabati
Sunday	კვირა	kvira

Monday through Thursday embed the numbers 2–5 followed by shabati (from the Hebrew Shabbat), a trace of Georgia’s long cultural exchange with the Jewish and Persian worlds. Sunday, kvira, also means “week.”

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Directions

Georgian	Romanisation	Meaning
აქ	aq	Here
იქ	ik	There
მარჯვნივ	marjvniv	To the right
მარცხნივ	martsxniv	To the left
პირდაპირ	pirdapir	Straight ahead
უკან	ukan	Behind / back
ახლოს	akhlos	Near / nearby
შორს	shors	Far
გაჩერება	gachereba	Stop (bus stop)
სად არის…?	sad aris…?	Where is…?

Point generously when using these phrases. Georgian drivers and pedestrians are accustomed to helping lost-looking tourists and will often walk you to your destination rather than explain a route.

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Restaurant essentials

Georgia’s food culture is one of its greatest attractions — see the guides to khinkali, khachapuri, and street food in Tbilisi for what to order. But the language of the table matters too.

Georgian	Romanisation	Meaning
რამდენი ღირს?	ramdeni ghirs?	How much does it cost?
გემრიელია!	gemrielia!	Delicious!
კიდევ ერთხელ	kidev ertkhel	One more (time / portion)
წყალი	ts’q’ali	Water
პური	puri	Bread
ხორცი არ მჭამია	khortsi ar mch’amia	I don’t eat meat
ვეგანი ვარ	vegani var	I am vegan
ჰალალია?	halalia?	Is it halal?
ალერგია მაქვს	alergia makvs	I have an allergy
ძალიან გემრიელია	dzalian gemrielia	It is very delicious
მენიუ	meniu	Menu

To call a waiter, say ბატონო (batono, “sir”) or ქალბატონო (qalbatono, “madam”). These titles are used freely and respectfully throughout Georgia.

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Ordering the bill

Asking for the bill requires its own phrase. Do not mime the international “writing on your palm” gesture — simply say:

ანგარიში (angarishi) — “the bill / the account”

Full sentence: ანგარიში, თუ შეიძლება (angarishi, tu sheidzleba) — “The bill, please.”

In traditional Georgian restaurants and family-run places, the bill may take a while. This is not poor service — it is an implicit invitation to linger. Accept it.

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Cultural phrases and drinking toasts

No guide to Georgian language is complete without the vocabulary of the supra — the elaborate feast that sits at the heart of Georgian hospitality. The tamada (toastmaster) leads proceedings with a succession of toasts, each one a short speech honouring guests, ancestors, the nation, or love. The language of drinking is ceremonial and poetic; even a simple toast carries weight.

Read the full guide to the Georgian supra for the ritual context. Here are the essential phrases:

Georgian	Romanisation	Meaning / notes
გაუმარჯოს	gaumarjos	Cheers! / “Victory to them!” — the universal toast
ბოლომდე	bolomde	”To the bottom” — drink it all
შენ გენაცვალე	shen genacvale	Affectionate expression: “may I take your troubles upon myself” — said to someone you care for deeply
სულ კარგად	sul kargad	All good / all well — a general blessing
ჩვენს სიყვარულს	chvens siq’varuls	To our love
საქართველოს გაუმარჯოს	sakartvelos gaumarjos	To Georgia! — always a crowd-pleaser

შენ გენაცვალე (shen genacvale) deserves special attention. Georgians say it to children, to beloved friends, to anyone they wish to protect or honour. Its literal meaning — “I will take your place in suffering” — speaks to the depth of Georgian loyalty and affection. If someone says it to you, take it as a high compliment.

Explore Tbilisi guided tours — a local guide will pepper conversation with these phrases in context, which is the fastest way to make them stick.

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A tongue twister

Georgian is notorious for its consonant clusters, and the language has a classic tongue twister to prove it:

ბაყაყი ყვავილებს ამშვენებდა Baq’aq’i q’vavilebis amshenebda “The frog was adorning the flowers.”

The challenge lies in the ejective q’ sound appearing twice in quick succession: baq’aq’i. Native speakers deliver it at speed with evident pleasure at watching foreigners struggle. Attempt it at a dinner table and you will earn laughter and applause in equal measure.

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Learning resources

If you want to go beyond a phrasebook before your trip:

• Duolingo has a Georgian course, covering the alphabet and core vocabulary at a beginner level. It is a reasonable starting point.
• Georgian with Nino (YouTube) offers structured video lessons with a native speaker, well suited to audio learners.
• Glossika provides spaced-repetition audio for Georgian — useful for pronunciation once you have the basics.
• Transparent Language and iTalki both list Georgian tutors for one-to-one lessons; even two or three sessions before departure will sharpen your greetings and numbers significantly.
• The Georgian National Film Centre publishes Georgian films with English subtitles — watching authentic dialogue alongside subtitles is an underrated method.

For the script specifically, apps like Script Hero or simple flashcard decks on Anki (search “Georgian Mkhedruli”) will have you reading basic signs within a week of daily practice.

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FAQ

Is Georgian hard to learn? For English speakers, Georgian is categorised as a Category IV language by the US Foreign Service Institute — meaning it requires roughly 1,100 classroom hours to reach professional proficiency. For travel purposes, however, the basics are very learnable. The phonetic script means reading is achievable quickly, and core phrases can be memorised in an afternoon.

Do I need Georgian in Tbilisi? In Tbilisi’s tourist areas, English is widely spoken, particularly among younger Georgians and hospitality workers. Outside the capital — in rural Kakheti, highland Svaneti, or small Adjaran towns — English becomes rare. Russian is more widely understood by older generations, but Georgian phrases will always be better received than Russian ones.

What script is used on signs? All official signage uses Mkhedruli. Road signs in tourist areas often include Latin transliterations or English translations, but menus, bus destinations, and street names frequently appear in Georgian only. Learning the alphabet to at least recognise place names is a practical investment.

Are there regional dialects? Yes. Mingrelian and Svan are distinct languages (not dialects) spoken in western Georgia and the highlands respectively. Within Georgian proper, regional accents and some vocabulary differences exist — Kakhetian speech, for instance, has its own rhythm — but standard literary Georgian (sakhelosno kartuli) is understood everywhere.

What is the most important phrase to know? Gamarjoba to arrive, madloba to receive anything, gemrielia to honour every meal. Those three will carry you further than you expect.