Yautja language

The Yautja language is a complex verbal and written language used by the Yautja. The Yautja (pronounced: Ya-OOT-ja) language contains many peculiarities, such as a rare object-verb-subject (OVS) word order.

Known Yautja Words

The following is a list of known Yautja words and their (approximate) English translation.

Singular words

• agaj'ya — realm
• amedha — meat
• 'aseigan - servant
• 'awu'asa — armor
• bhu'ja — ghost/soul/spirit
• bpi-de — end
• ch'hkt-a — excited/nervous/agitated
• dhi'ki — unconsciousness
• dhi'ki-de — death
• dhi'rauta — cunning
• dia-shui — musk
• dto — forest/jungle/woodland
• gahn'tha-cte — ruthless
• gkei'moun — easy/simple
• guan — night
• h'chak — mercy/merciful
• h'dlak — fear
• h'dui'se — smell/scent/odor/musk
• h'ka-se — now
• h'ulij-bpe — crazy
• hult'ah — spotter/lookout
• halkrath — shadow
• ikthya-de — umbra
• jehdin — spar
• ju'dha — water
• kainde — hard
• kehrite — training room/dojo
• ki'cte — enough/quickly
• kjuhte — void
• kwei — sly
• l'ulij-bpe — mad
• lar'ja — dark
• luar-ke — moon
• m-di — no
• m-di mar'ct — no killing
• m-di h'chak — no mercy
• m-di h'dlak — no fear
• mi — fuel
• n'ithya — ground/dirt/earth/land
• nan'ku — alive
• nok — unit of measurement (equivalent to around 13 inches)
• nracha-dte — relentless
• ooman — human
  • Oomani-di - Human woman/human women
• pauk — fuck
  • Pauk-de -- Fucker or Fucking
• pyode — soft
• r'ka — fire
• s' — a/the/and/are/is
• sain'ja - warrior
• s'yuit-de — pathetic/idiot
• setg'in — deadly
• tarei'hsan — scorpion
• te'dqi — Hive resin
• than-guan — midnight
• thar'n-dha — strength
• thei-de — death/dead
• thwei — blood
• ui'stbi — abomination
• vayuh'ta — air
• yeyin — brave
• yin'tekai — honor
• z'skuy-de — convulsions/spasm
• zabin — insect

Phrases

• dtai'k-dte sa-de nav'g-kon dtain'aun bpide/Nau'gkon dtain'aun bpi-de — the fight that begun would not end until the end
• gkaun-yte — hello
• gkei'moun — sheet
• jkiu — sheet
• ki'sei — I agree/I understand
• n'dhi-ja — farewell/goodbye
• n'jauka — welcome
• na'tauk — salute
• payas leitjin-de Hma'mi'de — remember the gods' practice
• sei-i — yes/affirmative
• thar'n-da s' yin'tekai — strength and honor
• thin-de le'hsaun 'aloun'myin-de s' bpi-de gka-de hou-depaya — learn the gift of all sights or finish the dance of the fallen gods
• non-co — life

Actions and events

• chi'ytei — embrace/hug
• chiva — trial
• dha-viath — disaster
• dtai'kai'-dte — Hunt
• gry'sui-bpe — stampede
• ikthala — cataclysm
• ka'Torag-na — lurking
• kv'var — Hunt
• n'ritja — dance

Objects

• d'lex — strong, metallic, crystalline Yautja material
• dekna — eye/eyes/eyeball
• gkinmara — sensors/detector/camera
• ki'cti-pa — Wristblades
• kiloun — wood
• s'pke — Yautja fruit stew
• syra'yte — head
• th'syra — skull
• tjau'ke — rock made of compressed dust
• tyioe-ti — escape pod

Weapons

• akrei-non — bombs/explosives
• al'Nagara — longsword
• awu'asa — armor
• bhrak-chei — Speargun
• chakt-ra — Smart Disc
• dah'kte — Wristblades
• dah'Nagara — shortsword
• h'sai-de — Sword
• ki'cti-pa — Combistick
• kv'Vurj-de — Energy Flechette
• sivk'va-tai — Plasmacaster
• taun'dcha — Plasma Pistol
• t'gou u'linja — Netgun

People definitions

• jehdin — individual/one
• mei'hswei — brother
• mei-jadhi — sister
• hulij-bpe — crazy
• hult'ah — observer/spotter
• vor'mekta — Stalker
• kv'var-de — hunter
• ic'jit — Bad Blood
• sain'ja — warrior
• p'kya'uha — sniper
• nrak'ytara — guardian
• n'yaka-de — master
• mar'cte — killer
• kujhade — destroyer
• u'darahje — abomination
• kha'bj-te — maniac/reckless
• dteinou — messenger

Names

• Bakuub — Straight Spear
• Cetanu — The Black Hunter (Yautja god of death)
• Dachande — Different Knife
• Da'dtou-di — Little Knife
• Guan-thwei — Nightblood
• Kaail — Rage
• Paya — God/Warrior
• Yeyinde — Brave One

Expressions

• c'ntlip — intoxicating Yautja beverage
• cjit — shit
• dhi'ki-de — "The Long Sleep" (death)/unconsciousness/coma
• ell-osde' pauk — fuck you
• h'ko (M-di) — no/negative
• ka'rik'na — the summoning (of other Yautja)
• kainde amedha — Hard Meat (Xenomorphs)
• lou-dte kale — child-maker (female)
• mesh'in'ga — The Battle Dreamtime
• n'dui'se — Yautja scent
• nain-de — type of Hunt
• nain-desintje-de — pure win (absolute victory)
• Nan-deThan-gaun — "The Kiss of Midnight"/no mercy
• pyode amedha — Soft Meat (humans)/female (slurs)
• tjau'ke — compressed dust
• u'sl-kwe — final rest (death)
• z'skvy-de — birth of Xenomorph from host (Chestburster)
• zazin — completely centred/within oneself

Body Language

One Yautja greeting another (Civilied Beasts)

As well as their spoken language, the Yautja also have range of identifiable body language that is used to portray emotion.

• Back arched and mandibles flared — rage
• Head and eyes lowered — submission
• Head cocked to one side — curiosity
• Lower mandibles flared — aggression
• Push with one hand at another's shoulder — challenge
• Placing one hand on another's shoulder, and shaking — greeting
• Mandibles click together — regard
• Mandibles flared — anger
• Arm raised up diagonally — guarded
• Head bowed — mourning/grief
• Mandibles spread, eyes wide — fear
• Rapid mandible clicking — deep amusement/laughing

Behind the scenes

Steve and S. D. Perry developed the Yautja language from the Polynesian and Hawaiian languages. The term "kainde amedha", as originally printed in Aliens vs. Predator: Prey, has occasionally been misspelled "kiande" in other works, which is of Kenyan derivation rather than "kainde" which is of Polynesian. Later printings such as the 2016 The Complete Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus maintain the originally coined "kainde amedha" spelling.

Trivia

• The Yautja language has never been heard on screen in the Predator or Alien vs. Predator films; aside from seemingly meaningless clicks and screeches, the only times Predators have spoken is by using Vocal Mimicry, often to mock or taunt prey. Their language is predominantly a feature of the Alien vs. Predator novels, for which it was created by author Steve Perry.
  • The Predator is the first time in the franchise that the Yautja language is not only heard, but also shown in the form of subtitles.

The "Decryption Code".

• The Yautja language was featured in a "Decryption Codes" released as part of the #HuntthePredator promotion for the 3D re-release of Predator.
• In reality, the chances of the Yautja alphabet exactly aligning with the English alphabet (i.e. featuring exactly 26 symbols with each one corresponding to a letter in the English alphabet) are infinitesimal. Even on Earth, many alphabets used by mankind do not align. For example, the Cyrillic alphabet does not directly correspond with the Latin alphabet, while the Chinese language uses a non-alphabetic script, with an alphabet only for supplementary use. It would be almost inconceivable for an extraterrestrial race to use a language that could be so easily and directly translated into English.
• In Aliens vs. Predator: War, Yautja seemingly possesses a form of sign language that they can use to communicate with each other, known as 'Silent Hand'.
• Another, as-yet-untranslated Yautja language appears written on the numerous NECA Predator toyline packages. This particular typeface appears to consist of curved glyphs resembling those that appeared in the Dark Horse Comics and are dissimilar to the angular digital glyphs previously depicted in the films.

Gallery

Yautja language as featured on Predator trophies/achievements in the 2010 video game Aliens vs. Predator.

NECA Borg package back with the as-yet-untranslated Yautja language.

Wolf's bio-mask sculpt with untranslated glyphs.

Wolf's bio-mask with untranslated glyphs.

Wolf (Elite Clan)'s Bio-mask with untranslated glyphs.

Elden and Francis Lane defeat the Mutated Yautja screaming "ETYGH" in the Yautja language.

Unidentifed glyphs on Stalker's bio-mask.

Unidentified dialect (developed by Clem Robins) spoken by Lefty.

External Links

• More Yautja words: http://alienvspredator.board-directory.net/t9-yautja-language-word-translation