K’iche’ Dictionary

With more than a million speakers, K’iche’ is the largest Mayan language of Guatemala. It is spoken in the western highlands, around Chichicastenango, Quetzaltenango, Totonicapán and Momostenango. Its speakers call it Qatzij, our word. The Popol Wuj is written in it, and in it the ajq’ij count the days and call on the Heart of Sky and Earth.

This dictionary is a small selection: sacred terms, the figures of the Popol Wuj, the twenty days of the calendar, the numbers, nature, people and greetings – each with a translation into five languages and with its source.

On spelling and pronunciation

The words are given in the current spelling of the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG). Older spellings, for example from translations of the Popol Vuh, are listed with the word under spelling variants.

The ’ is a short glottal stop as in «uh-oh» – after a consonant it makes the sound «ejective»: k’, q’, t’, tz’, ch’. b’ is pronounced inward, almost like a short b with a catch of breath. j sounds like ch in Scottish «loch», x like sh, q is a k far back in the throat. The stress is almost always on the last syllable. In the search you can simply leave out the ’.

How certain is a word?

Each word lists the sources in which it appears. Well attested means the word appears in this form in the dictionaries and translations. For words marked spelling or meaning uncertain, the spelling varies from place to place, or the meaning is broader than a short translation can say.

K’iche’ has several dialects, and the ajq’ij interpret the days in their own way. This dictionary has not been checked by native speakers – I am grateful for any hints and corrections.