Languages of Exandria

Many different languages are spoken across Exandria. Common is the most widely spoken among humanoids, though most races have a language associated with their people and some geographical locations have regional languages.

Many creatures understand spoken language but not speak themselves, and others like kenku speak only through mimicry. Magic, such as the Comprehend Languages or Tongues spells, can be used to understand languages that one does not otherwise know.

From a gameplay perspective, Exandrian languages sometimes reference real-world languages but do not have direct equivalents. Zemnian, spoken by Liam O'Brien's character Caleb Widogast, uses German as a reference language, though Matthew Mercer did not consider them equivalent.

Aarakocra
Aarakocra speak their own language, which is also called Aarakocra.

Aarakocra glossary

 * h'aara-shie
 * cloud chasing, a sport played by aarakocra tribes in Wildemount reflecting the legend that their people were created by Melora to herd storm clouds across the sky

Abyssal
Abyssal is the language of demonic creatures. It is also apparently spoken commonly enough in Rosohna that signage for an inn included an Abyssal translation alongside Common and Undercommon. Of the player characters, known speakers include Vax'ildan, Vex'ahlia, and Yasha Nydoorin.

For a sense of the sound of Abyssal, short phrases can be heard in and.

Abyssal script is described as being composed of glyphs with very sharp edges, having similar elements to Celestial, but "a bit twisted and reversed."

Aeorian
The people of Aeor had their own language, which apparently did not survive into the modern post-Divergence era. The language of Aeor references real-world Latin; sparse available vocabulary and the names of Aeorian locations and people—such as the Immensus Gate, the known wards of the city, and the Somnovem—are derived from Latin.

Aeorian glossary

 * Factorum Malleus
 * Creator Hammer, name of an experimental research project that was being conducted in Aeor

Celestial
Celestial is a language spoken mainly by celestials and aasimar. Celestial poetry rhymes even when translated into any language. Of the player characters, known speakers include Percival de Rolo, Caleb Widogast, and Yasha.

Celestial glossary

 * lux
 * first light

Common
Common is the most widespread language in Exandria and the primary language of humans. Although it is associated with humans in Wildemount and spoken throughout the continent, it is not the language most human cultures spoke before the Dwendalian Empire came to power. It supplanted Zemnian as the vernacular language in the Zemni Fields.

Deep Speech
Deep Speech is the language of aberrations, such as mind flayers and beholders. Of the player characters, known speakers include Beauregard Lionett.

For a sense of the sound of Deep Speech, Otis Brunkel says grace in Deep Speech in.

Draconic
Draconic is the language of dragons and is also spoken by dragonborn. The early basis of magical runes and a lot of arcane magic is a deviation of Draconic. The earliest, base Draconic runes are more powerful. Of the player characters, known speakers include Taryon Darrington, Tiberius Stormwind, and Vex'ahlia.

For a sense of the sound of Draconic, short phrases can be heard in and in  and.

Draconic glossary

 * amancia
 * to wield through will alone, adapted over the centuries into a modern suffix of magical schools including "dunamancy"


 * charis
 * hope, hence the name of the village in the Lotusden Greenwood


 * dranas
 * gathering, the noun in the sense of a meeting or assembly, as in the names of the cities Ghor Dranas (gathering of shadows) and Nicodranas (gathering of colors)


 * ghor
 * shadow or shadows


 * huc-toh
 * archaic word for candle


 * nico
 * color or colors


 * veles
 * vault


 * xarzith kitril
 * ice born, the name of a dragonborn city in Xhorhas

Druidic
Druidic is the private language of druids. Of the player characters, known speakers include Keyleth and presumably Vax'ildan and Fearne Calloway.

The druidic Ashari tribes also communicate using a series of manual gestures, which vary by region but can be understood across the communities; it is unclear if these are part of a signed language or are hand signals. Orym is familiar with a form of this communication.

Dwarvish
Dwarvish is the language of the dwarves. Of the player characters, known speakers include Grog Strongjaw (while wearing the Belt of Dwarvenkind), Pike Trickfoot, Tiberius, and Beau.

For a sense of the sound of Dwarvish, Dariax Zaveon swears in Dwarvish in.

Dwarvish

 * gurdhe
 * hill, colloquially "beyond the mountains" in most dialects


 * gurdheledr
 * hill travelers; by 836 PD, it has come to also mean "mercenary" or "bounty hunter" due to common association with the dwarves traveling throughout the Dividing Plains


 * rudraz
 * a binding promise made between two people to repay a deed or something traded; though not a formal contract, dwarves in Tal'Dorei (particularly in Emon) believe that breaking such an oath will not allow them to pass into the afterlife; humans in Emon use this promise for less weighty matters in business or politics, but the social repercussions of breaking it remain serious


 * Uthodurn
 * roughly "the new under salvation," the name of a dwarf-founded city in the Greying Wildlands

Elvish
Elvish is the language of the elves and is also spoken by most half-elves. Elvish is related to Sylvan and shares a common linguistic ancestor with Orcish. Of the player characters, known speakers include Keyleth, Percival de Rolo, Vax'ildan, Vex'ahlia, Caduceus Clay, and Beauregard.

Elvish glossary

 * alfen
 * elves, such as in syn'alfen, lyren'alfen, and myrk'alfen


 * dura
 * tribal master


 * Dwueth'var
 * Star Razor, the name of the Vestige of Divergence Dwueth'var, arguably possible the translation is somewhat poetic, i.e. "razor" in Common for "blade" in Elvish


 * fajar
 * a word used to command Caleb's driftglobe to cast Daylight; from an Indonesian word for "dawn"


 * Fenthras
 * ancient Elvish word with no direct translation but related to the words "protector" and "growth", name of the Vestige of Divergence Fenthras


 * gorn
 * likely "city" or another word for a settlement, from suffixes in the names of the elven cities Lyrengorn and Syngorn, which share roots with lyren'alfen and syn'alfen


 * gwes'alfen
 * elves of the Gwessar


 * Gwessar
 * Fields of Joy, Elvish name for the Tal'Dorei continent


 * halya
 * shrouds


 * ira'fallai
 * Elvish name for the Skyneedle temple in the Daggerbay Mountains


 * Ivae'ess
 * Lightbringer, the name given to Reani's anonymous vigilante persona in Uthodurn


 * loren'alsi
 * Elvish name for the Daggerbay Mountains


 * lyren'alfen
 * high elves, the name for the elves of Lyrengorn; possibly literally "mountain elves" per the literal name of Lyrengorn


 * lyren'gorn
 * mountain city, hence the name of the city Lyrengorn; the similarity to loren'alsi suggests loren and lyren are variations on mountain terms


 * myrk
 * dark, as in myrk'alfen for dark elves


 * myrk'alfen
 * dark elves, name for dark elves both in Tal'Dorei and Wildemount


 * orfindes
 * term for outsiders from the north among the Orroyen tribes living in the Rifenmist Jungle


 * othlir
 * ill-born, a derogatory term for half-elves


 * savalir
 * guilt


 * sinaeth
 * forgive


 * syn
 * likely "wood", as in syn'alfen for wood elves


 * syn'alfen
 * wood elves, the name for the elves of Syngorn, the Orroyen Tribes, and others in the Verdant Expanse


 * talan
 * rough


 * tawhaj
 * a word used to command Caleb's driftglobe to cast Light; based on an Arabic word meaning "to glow" or "to flare"


 * tomenda
 * resting point


 * veloum
 * ancient Elvish verb for "to give everything", the Common "volunteer" is derived from it

Giant
Giant is the language spoken by giants and goliaths. Of the player characters, known speakers include Grog and Caduceus.

For a sense of the sound of Giant, a frost giant can be heard using the language in.

Giant glossary

 * braan
 * belly, hence the name of the cavern home of a clan of stone giants in Xhorhas


 * cluk [click]
 * thank you, said as the vocalization cluk followed by a tongue click


 * droonga
 * respect

Gnomish
Gnomish is the language of gnomes. Of the player characters, known speakers include Pike Trickfoot, Scanlan Shorthalt, Taryon, and Chetney Pock O'Pea.

Goblin
The Goblin language is mainly spoken by goblins and goblinkin. Of the player characters, known speakers include Veth Brenatto.

Goblin glossary

 * an-Melzidanye
 * regional name for Melora in the Lushgut Forest


 * drohurror
 * terrorfolk, word for the Righteous Brand among the goblinkin of the Dwendalian Empire


 * kinespaji
 * horizonback tortoise

Halfling
Halflings speak their own language, which is also called Halfling. Of the player characters, known speakers include Beau, Veth, and Orym.

Infernal
Infernal is the language spoken by devils and tieflings. Of the player characters, known speakers include Jester Lavorre, Mollymauk Tealeaf, and Fearne.

For a sense of the sound of Infernal, a chain devil shouts something in.

Infernal glossary

 * šašek
 * jester; from the Czech word meaning the same


 * virkwzual
 * Dark Bastion, the name of a now-ruined citadel that the Lucid Bastion was built over

Marquesian
Marquesian is a language spoken in Marquet. Due to historical Marquesian colonization of the Menagerie Coast, it is also spoken throughout the region and the Clovis Concord. There, it is simultaneously considered a language of the elite, who are often descended from Marquesians, and of piracy, as the Revelry was formed by lower-class Marquesians defecting from the Concord. Of the player characters, known speakers include Scanlan, Ashton Greymoore, Dorian, Imogen Temult, and Fresh Cut Grass.

For a sense of the sound of Marquesian, there are several samples:
 * Rutur confers with an associate in . Earlier,, a casino employee announced the start of a race.
 * A frustrated exclamation is heard in.
 * Guath speaks in the language in.

Marquesian glossary

 * a
 * of, may appear as a standalone word as in the game Quon a Drensal (Run of Luck) or be attached to a previous word as in the ship Drensala Vis (Luck of the Mother)


 * drensal
 * luck


 * quon
 * run, the noun in the sense of a continuous period of something, as in the game Quon a Drensal (Run of Luck) or the Marquesian name of the casino Luck's Run (Drensala Quon)


 * vis
 * mother

Naush
Naush is the language spoken by the Ki'Nau people native to the Menagerie Coast. Although it was replaced by Common as the vernacular language, it continues to thrive in the region and its multicultural cities. Many Naush words have become a regular part of sailing vernacular, even among sailors who speak only Common.

Naush glossary

 * Ki'Nau
 * the Water Children


 * Sepesca
 * Nature's End, the name of a now-ruined holy burial site where Ki'Nau kings and priests were interred

Orc
Orc, sometimes called Orcish, is a language spoken by orcs and half-orcs. Orc shares a common linguistic ancestor with Elvish. Of the player characters, known speakers include Fjord.

For a sense of the sound of Orcish, short phrases are shouted in and in  and.

Orc glossary

 * the curse of ruin, referring to a violent and bloodlusting fury falsely believed to afflict orcs and half-orcs due to legendary association with Gruumsh, the Ruiner, but it is broadly applied to any anger ranging from rage in battle to bad tempers; the root in Gruumsh suggests hgar means "curse" and Gruum is likely less the colloquial word for "ruin" and more a signifier for Gruumsh
 * the curse of ruin, referring to a violent and bloodlusting fury falsely believed to afflict orcs and half-orcs due to legendary association with Gruumsh, the Ruiner, but it is broadly applied to any anger ranging from rage in battle to bad tempers; the root in Gruumsh suggests hgar means "curse" and Gruum is likely less the colloquial word for "ruin" and more a signifier for Gruumsh


 * Jez-Araz
 * Breakers of Spirits, the name of an orcish people in the Rime Plains

Primordial
Primordial is a language spoken by elemental creatures, and it has dialects associated with each element: Aquan (water), Auran (air), Ignan (fire), and Terran (earth). Fluency in Primordial allows one to communicate in all of its dialects. Of the player characters, known speakers include Keyleth, Dorian Storm, and Ashton.

Sylvan
Sylvan is the primary language of fey creatures. It is related to Elvish. Of the player characters, known speakers include Keyleth, Taryon, Caleb, Caduceus, and Fearne.

Thieves' Cant
Thieves' Cant is a form of communication used among thieving communities that uses coded language to hide messages in what appears to others as normal conversation. It is largely a spoken language, though it also has a written form that can be used as a ciphers in addition to other written communication. There is a form of it in at least Tal'Dorei that can be communicated through in a manner similar to morse code. To those who do not understand Thieves' Cant, it sounds like gibberish, double talk, and nonsense. Of the player characters, known speakers include Veth, Beau, Vax'ildan, and Vex'ahlia.

Undercommon
Undercommon is a language spoken by creatures of the Underdark, including the drow. Of the player characters, known speakers include Pike, Taryon, Vex'ahlia, and Beau.

Undercommon was once described as sounding guttural and deep, like Black Speech from the Tolkien universe. For a sense of the sound of Undercommon, phrases can be heard from: For a sense of the appearance of the script, several words written on the in-game map of Xhorhas are written in Undercommon.
 * duergar in ,
 * a fomorian in ,
 * kuo-toa in, and
 * Kryn drow in and in.

Undercommon glossary

 * Rosohna
 * Rebirth, the name of the capital of the Kryn Dynasty


 * Thuron
 * blessed second-born, a given name as in the echo knight Thuron


 * Vin-Radethak
 * the Everstorm, the name of a ship in the Dynasty fleet

Zemnian
Zemnian is a language spoken in the Zemni Fields in the Dwendalian Empire. It is an ancient language spoken as the vernacular language of Zemniaz during the Age of Arcanum. Though it persists after the fall of Zemniaz, it was ultimately replaced as the vernacular by Common and became commonly spoken only among rural farming communities. Zemnian is mechanically referred to using German due to Liam O'Brien's love of German, though Matthew Mercer stated they are not equivalent to one another. Of the player characters, known speakers include Caleb.

Unknown

 * attalwen
 * two-hearted, Uthodurnian word for dwarvish-elvish children, either Dwarvish or Elvish


 * rosohna
 * "rebirth", the name of the capital of the Kryn Dynasty, said to be named by the drow "in their tongue" which is ambiguously Undercommon or Elvish