"It isn't an easy language to learn, what with all the growls and howls. Big Z told me the whole point was to make it difficult for outsiders to understand." ―Mission Vao [src]

Shyriiwook, also known as Wookieespeak, was the main trade language of the Wookiees. In Basic, Shyriiwook translates to "tongue of the tree people." It was not the only Wookiee language, but, being the main trade language, it was the language understood by most non-Wookiees who understood "the Wookiee language"—in fact, most non-Wookiees were unaware of the existence of multiple Wookiee languages.

Contents show]

Description Edit

"…he's good company if you understand the peculiarities of Wookiee talk. I sound pretty stupid trying to speak Wookiee, but I understand it well enough." ―Han Solo, describing Chewbacca to Sai'da [src]

To outsiders, this language usually sounded like mere animalistic barks, roars, growls, and moans, conveying little more than emotion. However, Shyriiwook was in fact just as intelligent a language as Basic.

The unique shape of the Wookiee throat made Shyriiwook a very difficult, even impossible language to speak for most non-Wookiees; presumably the word Shyriiwook itself, as well as other Wookiee words or names, were transliterations of the original Wookiee sounds into a form more easily pronounced by others. No tongue or lip movement was required to speak Shyriiwook; the jaw was typically locked open, with sound emanating from the throat and back of the mouth.

It was also incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for most Wookiees to learn to speak Basic. As a result, most inter-species communication involving Wookiees had to be carried out in a bilingual format, usually with the Wookiee speaking Shyriiwook and the other party speaking Basic.

Leia Organa Solo encountered a Wookiee with a speech impediment which conveniently rendered his Shyriiwook pronunciation much easier to understand by Leia, who was learning the language at the time.

Shyriiwook had over 150 words for "wood," depending on content, grain, moisture and underlying structure. It also had fifteen separate words meaning "violence."[1]

However, standard Shyriiwook was considered lacking in suitable terminology, and perhaps semantic precision, for many technical subjects. Accordingly, when Wookiees talked about topics such as starship maintenance, the Thykarann dialect was often preferred, with many Wookiees capable of switching between the two with relative ease.[2]

Another Wookiee language, Xaczik, was indigenous to the Wartaki Islands on Kashyyyk and several outlying coastal regions. While Shyriiwook remained the common language of Wookiee trade and travel, the much rarer Xaczik language became the secret language of the Wookiee underground when Imperial forces took over their planet.[3][4]

Examples Edit

Common phrases Edit

Wyaaaaaa. Ruh ruh. ("Hello. How are you?") [4]

("Hello. How are you?") Ruow. ("Goodbye.") [4]

("Goodbye.") Wyogg, ur oh. ("I am well, thank you.") [4]

("I am well, thank you.") Ruh gwyaaaag. ("I am a friend.") [4]

("I am a friend.") Wgha ryuraygu yuhahyrrararr. ("I am sword and sandal.") [ source? ]

("I am sword and sandal.") Huwaa muaa mumwa. ("Can I buy you a drink?") [4]

("Can I buy you a drink?") Wooo hwa hwa? ("Nice weather, eh?")[4]

More complex phrases Edit

Warning: The following section is non-canon within the Star Wars Legends continuity. It contains information explicitly released under the Star Wars Legends continuity. The following section is. It contains information explicitly released under the Infinities brand and/or confirmed to be non-canon by the author or Lucasfilm . Information exclusive to this section did not happen in the "proper"Legends continuity.

Non-canon information ends here.

In dealing with telemarketers Edit

Mu hu mwa gaa. ("I cannot talk on the comlink right now.") [4]

("I cannot talk on the comlink right now.") Uoo waa gaa moo. ("It is mealtime.") [4]

("It is mealtime.") Wuyagah na Kourasaa Yurinal. ("I do not want the Coruscant Journal .") [4]

("I do not want the .") Aa-ooh-gaa? ("How much is it?") [4]

("How much is it?") Mu waa waa. ("Please leave me alone.") [4]

("Please leave me alone.") Mu ah waa gaa a yukshin oid. ("I already have a suction droid.") [4]

("I already have a suction droid.") My agah ya mawah. ("I do not want an in-home demonstration.")

("I do not want an in-home demonstration.") Mu na ya. ("Please go away.")

Common words Edit

haaag ("doorway") [4]

("doorway") awa ("go") [4]

("go") yo agaahaa ("headache") [4]

("headache") ohh haa ("okay") [4]

("okay") yaag ("how") [4]

("how") wuahh ("what") [4]

("what") huaahh ("when") [4]

("when") muaahh ("who") [4]

("who") ah wu aaa ("why") [4]

("why") uma ("yes") [4]

("yes") muawa ("no") [4]

("no") hrrrrrnnnn ("right")

("right") ur oh ("thank you") [4]

("thank you") yukshin ("suction") [4]

("suction") oid ("droid") [4]

("droid") yurinal ("journal") [4]

("journal") muaarga ("peace")[4]

Counting in Shyriiwook Edit

( 1 ) ah

) ah ( 2 ) ah-ah

) ah-ah ( 3 ) a-oo-ah

) a-oo-ah ( 4 ) wyoorg

) wyoorg ( 5 ) ah wyoorg

) ah wyoorg ( 6 ) hu yourg

) hu yourg ( 7 ) muwaa yourg

) muwaa yourg ( 8 ) ah muwaa yourg

) ah muwaa yourg ( 9 ) a-oo-mu

) a-oo-mu (10) aohwawh

Words used as name prefixes Edit

arri ("mighty, strong") [14]

("mighty, strong") atti ("father/mother" or "first") [14]

("father/mother" or "first") bus ("home," "life" or "tree") [14]

("home," "life" or "tree") ciiir ("great, ancient, wise") [14]

("great, ancient, wise") chal ("hidden, secret" or "shadow") [14]

("hidden, secret" or "shadow") chew ("honored, bole, trusted") [14]

("honored, bole, trusted") dry ("elder, old, wizened") [14]

("elder, old, wizened") fro ("proud" or "powerful") [14]

("proud" or "powerful") gaar ("brave, bold, fearless") [14]

("brave, bold, fearless") geyy ("fat, large, great") [14]

("fat, large, great") gra ("peaceful" or "steady, sure") [14]

("peaceful" or "steady, sure") groz ("burning" or "furious" or "golden") [14]

("burning" or "furious" or "golden") issh ("black, dark" or "dangerous" or "deep") [14]

("black, dark" or "dangerous" or "deep") ji ("beloved, fortunate, lucky") [14]

("beloved, fortunate, lucky") jow ("star, sun" or "space" or "vast") [14]

("star, sun" or "space" or "vast") kalla ("angry, mad, wild") [14]

("angry, mad, wild") kerri ("high, tall" or "tree") [14]

("high, tall" or "tree") kit ("deft, nimble, swift") [14]

("deft, nimble, swift") liak ("blood" or "red" or "autumn") [14]

("blood" or "red" or "autumn") low ("dutiful" or "honored, proud") [14]

("dutiful" or "honored, proud") lof ("clever, cunning, wily") [14]

("clever, cunning, wily") malla ("beautiful" or "green" or "valued") [14]

("beautiful" or "green" or "valued") nag ("heroic, legendary, mythic") [14]

("heroic, legendary, mythic") ralr ("lake, ocean, sea") [14]

("lake, ocean, sea") ror ("dark, hidden" or "marsh, swamp") [14]

("dark, hidden" or "marsh, swamp") sal ("rain, storm, lightning, thunder") [14]

("rain, storm, lightning, thunder") shor ("deadly, lethal" or "fierce" or "shadow") [14]

("deadly, lethal" or "fierce" or "shadow") sno ("curious" or "quick") [14]

("curious" or "quick") spet ("legends" or "legendary, mythic, famed") [14]

("legends" or "legendary, mythic, famed") tar ("cloud, fog, mist") [14]

("cloud, fog, mist") wrrl ("quiet, stealthy" or "soft")[14]

Words used as names suffixes Edit

addik ("guardian, guard, sentinel") [14]

("guardian, guard, sentinel") ahab ("keeper, warden") [14]

("keeper, warden") an ("crafter, craftsman" or "master") [14]

("crafter, craftsman" or "master") anta ("judge" or "leader") [14]

("judge" or "leader") arra ("fur" or "shield" or "hide") [14]

("fur" or "shield" or "hide") bacca ("ally, friend" or "brother/sister") [14]

("ally, friend" or "brother/sister") becca ("blade" or "defender") [14]

("blade" or "defender") bev ("child" or "son/daughter") [14]

("child" or "son/daughter") bow ("bearer, keeper" or "worker") [14]

("bearer, keeper" or "worker") chiir ("air" or "call, speech, voice") [14]

("air" or "call, speech, voice") chit ("champion, hero") [14]

("champion, hero") cuk ("companion, husband/wife") [14]

("companion, husband/wife") drrl ("safety" or "sky, treetop") [14]

("safety" or "sky, treetop") evge ("beast [especially katarn]" or "rage") [14]

("beast [especially katarn]" or "rage") kabukk ("ancestor" or "guide, councilor") [14]

("ancestor" or "guide, councilor") kazza ("ghost, spirit" or "tracker") [14]

("ghost, spirit" or "tracker") kkata ("child" or "rogue, scoundrel") [14]

("child" or "rogue, scoundrel") lanna ("cry, growl, roar") [14]

("cry, growl, roar") mapia ("rain, storm" or "season") [14]

("rain, storm" or "season") mum ("claw, tool" or "climber") [14]

("claw, tool" or "climber") nik ("jester, joker" or "riddle" or "webweaver") [14]

("jester, joker" or "riddle" or "webweaver") orral ("strider" or "treasure" or "worthy") [14]

("strider" or "treasure" or "worthy") ova ("eye" or "gazer, seeker" or "seer") [14]

("eye" or "gazer, seeker" or "seer") pirr ("builder, forger" or "trader") [14]

("builder, forger" or "trader") porin ("sage, scholar, teacher") [14]

("sage, scholar, teacher") raoao ("cousin, kin" or "noble") [14]

("cousin, kin" or "noble") ryyhn ("danger" or "shimmersilk" or "syren plant") [14]

("danger" or "shimmersilk" or "syren plant") tatha ("bite, biter" or "claw") [14]

("bite, biter" or "claw") tharr ("flyer" or "swimmer") [14]

("flyer" or "swimmer") tobuck ("music, song" or "singer") [14]

("music, song" or "singer") urra ("soldier, warrior, captain") [14]

("soldier, warrior, captain") warr ("forest" or "guide, scout" or "hunter") [14]

("forest" or "guide, scout" or "hunter") ykam ("dancer" or "walker")[14]

Notable non-native users of Shyriiwook Edit

Appearances Edit

Non-canon appearances Edit

Sources Edit

Notes and references Edit