The Uwu Language
Phonology
Consonants
w [w]
v [β] ([v] in some dialects)
ny [ɲ]
Vowels
Some vowels have alternative notations which can be used when diacritics are not available:
ü /ue [y] u [u] ũ / un [ũ]
ö / oe [ø] o [o] õ / on [õ]
a [a] aa [aː]
Tonemes
Tonemes can be written using either a diacritic on the first free vowel in a word or characters
surrounding the [Link] affect the whole word, not just a single syllable.
owo [˧] =owo=
ówo [˩˥] *owo*
ôwo [˩˥˩] ~owo~
òwo [˥˩] -owo-
ŏwo [˥˩˥] >owo<
Phonotactics
The syllable structure for native words is (C)V(C), with vowels and consonants alternating.
There are two types of words in Uwu, uwu words and kitty words. Kitty words only contain the
phonemes /ny/, /a/ and /aa/ and are functions words. Uwu words are made up of the other phonemes
and can be both function and content words. Only verbs and some foreign words end with a /v/.
When using foreign words in a text written in Uwu rhotics and lateral approximants should be
replaced with /w/ and nasals with /ny/, all other sounds can remain the same even if they do not
appear natively in Uwu.
Grammar
Word Order
subject - verb - object
preposition - demonstrative - noun - adjective - genitive - relative clause
adjective - adverb
particle - verb - adverb
modal verb - verb
Compound words are head-initial.
Inflection
owo what's that?
Number
Grammatical number can be expressed using numerals or adjectives such as "üwo - several, a few"
or "ŏvo - many", though number marking is optional and often omitted.
Case
Uwu uses prepositions instead of inflectional noun cases:
Genitive (possession) uv of, from
Dative (indirect object) ù to
Locative (location, direction) ù at, in, on, to
Tense, Aspect & Mood
There is no morphological tense marking in Uwu, tense is marked semantically with temporal
adverbs. Aspect and mood can be expressed using modal auxiliaries and adverbs:
ability, permission úv can, to be able to, to be allowed to, to be ready to
obligation, need òv must, to be obligated to, to need
wish, intention òvov to want, to intend
habitual ovuvo often, regularly, usually, [in past:] used to
inceptive ovüv to start, to begin
cessative övùv to stop, to cease
perfective uvov to finish
Vocabulary
Numerals
Uwu uses the binary system for numerals. The digit 0 is represented by "o" and 1 by "u", and in
between every two vowels a "w" is inserted.
Example Numerals
decimal binary Uwu
0 0 o
1 1 u
2 10 uwo
10 1010 uwowuwo
69 1000101 uwowowowuwowu
420 110100100 uwuwowuwowowuwowo
Pronouns
first person ow I, we
second person uw you
third person öwo he, she, it, they
reflexive (any person) üwu myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, themselves
reciprocal (any person) üwuwo each other
Gender
Uwu words are gender neutral by default, gender can be specified with adjectives but does not exist
as a grammatical category:
uvu non-binary
uvü female
üvu male
Dictionary
nya particle if [conditional marker] (see example section below)
nyáa particle please [politeness marker] (see example section below)
nyanya adjective / adverb [diminuitive marker]
o numeral zero; adverb false, no, never
ô conjunction but
õ particle not, un-, in-
òv auxiliary verb must; verb to be obligated to, to need (see example
section below)
öv verb to have, to own, to possess
ov question particle (see example section below)
ov üwów interrogative adverb when
ov öwo interrogative pronoun what, who
ov õwõ interrogative adverb where
ov ovowu interrogative adverb why
ovö adjective old, long [duration], late; adverb long [duration], late
óvo noun moon, month
óvõ noun chest, breast
òvo noun intention
òvö noun cold; adjective cold
övó noun rule, authority, reign, regime
övô noun sadness, sorrow; adjective sad
övö noun tree
õvo adjective quick, fast, rapid
õvò preposition against, in opposition to, despite
õvò particle [imperative or determination]
õvŏ noun back, rear; adjective back, rear
õvö noun lie, deception
ŏvo noun group, large amount, flock, swarm, herd; adjective many, much;
adverb much, a lot, very, [in comparisons:] more
ŏvo ŏvo adjective / adverb most
ŏvo ovo noun speech, talk, story
ovo noun word
ovo ŏwu noun magic spell
ovõv verb to happen, to act, to do
òvov verb to want, to intend, to mean
ôvov verb to stand, to stand up, to help up, to erect
övóv verb to rule, to govern, to dominate, to oppress
övöv verb to hold, to carry
õvöv verb to lie, to deceive
òvöv verb to request, to order
òvöv subject ù person verb to request something from somebody
ôvöv verb to ask (see example section below)
ôvöv subject verb to ask about something
ôvöv person verb to ask somebody
ôvöv subject ù person verb to ask somebody about something
ovov verb to speak, to talk, to say, to answer
ovov subject verb to say something
ovov person verb to talk to somebody
ovov subject ù person verb to say something to somebody, to talk to somebody about
something
ovovo noun eye
ŏvovo noun excess, surplus; adjective excessive; adverb excessively
ôvovo noun circle, wheel; adjective round; adverb round, in a circle
övovo noun cart, car, vehicle
övovo óvowu noun plane, helicopter, flying vehicle
övovo ũwò noun boat, ship, swimming vehicle
ovow noun event, incident
ôvöw noun question; adjective unsure
òvow adverb again, another time, back; adjective repeated
òvöw noun snow; adjective snowy
ŏvow noun amount, number, digit, letter
ovowo noun edge, corner, angle
òvowo noun alcoholic drink
ŏvowo adjective collective, cooperative adverb together, collectively,
cooperatively
ôvowo noun snake
òvowov verb to fail, to miss [fail to hit or attend]
ovowu noun cause, reason, motive
ovowü noun ear
ovowũ noun point, dot, spot, full stop, period
óvowu noun sky, air, wind
övòwu noun shirt
õvowu noun buttocks, rear, butt
övöwu noun paper, page, note, letter
övöwu ovow noun newspaper
ovowuv verb to cause, to make something happen, to make somebody do
something
ovü noun beginning, start
òvu noun obligation
òvü noun dress
ôvü noun animal; adjective wild
övu noun plant
övù noun interruption, break
õvù adjective good, fine; adverb fine, well
ovu noun land, ground, region, country
ovu ũvo noun field, farmland, farm
ovu ũwò noun island
ovüv verb to start, to begin
övùv verb to stop, to cease
ovuv (something ù verb to add (something to something)
something)
ŏvuvo noun room; adjective snug, secure
ovuvo adjective usual adverb often, regularly, usually [habitual marker]
ovuvo ovuvo adverb always
ôvuvu noun house, building
ôvuvu õwóvo noun school
ôvüw noun cloth, fabric; adjective soft, flexible
òvuw preposition in stead of
ôvuw noun picture, image, form, shape
ôvuw owöwo noun statue
ôvuw òwovu noun smell
ôvuw ovowo (numeral) noun (numeral)angle, (numeral)agon
ovuwõ noun past, history; adverb [past marker]
ŏvuwõ noun music
ôvuwo noun clothes, piece of clothing; adjective wearing clothing
õvüwŏ noun lizard
övúwu noun grass, leaf, herb
õvùwu noun right, justice; adjective just, virtuous, right, legitimate
ow pronoun I, we
òw demonstrative here, this
öw preposition with, during; conjunction while
ów noun colour; adjective coloured, colourful
ów uv övu adjective green
ów uv övúwu adjective blue
owo demonstrative there, that
owõ noun sense
ówo adjective big, large, long, extensive; adverb very
òwõ noun type, kind, sort, class
ŏwo noun dog
ôwö noun sun, star, year; adjective sunny
öwo pronoun he, she, it, they; relative pronoun who, which, that
öwò adjective slow, tired, exhausted
öwŏ noun night, darkness; adjective nocturnal, dark; adverb at night
öwö noun parent
öwõ noun heart, main part, inside; adjective main
õwö noun distance; adjective distant, far
õwo noun fish
õwó noun knowledge, science; adjective sure, certain adverb certainly
õwõ noun place, location, direction
õwõ owuw noun south; adjective south, southern
õwõ uwow noun north; adjective north, northern
òwo noun person, man, woman, someone, somebody
òwo ûvü noun worker, labourer, proletarian
òwo úwu noun cutie
òwo övó noun ruler, monarch, master, mistress
òwo ǔwuvu noun healer, physician, doctor, nurse
òwov verb to lie, to lie down, to lay, to put
ŏwov verb to read
ówov verb to laugh, to laugh at, to laught about
ôwöv verb to swim
öwov verb to try, to attempt, to test
öwòv verb to write, to record, to spell, to draw, to paint
õwóv verb to know, to decide
owõv verb to perceive, to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, to feel, to think (see
example section below)
owõv ... öw ovovo verb to see
owõv ... öw òwovu verb to smell
owõv ... öw ovowü verb to hear
owõv ... öw uwu verb to taste
owõv ... öw öwow verb to feel [by touch]
owõv ... öw úvu verb to think, to feel [emotionally]
öwovo noun result, product
ówovo noun height, plateau; adjective high, elevated
ówovö noun anger, rage; adjective angry
õwóvo noun learning, study
õwõvo noun right, right side; adjective right
õwóvov verb to study, to learn, to get to know, to examine
owovu noun part, piece; adjective split, divided
(num1) owovu (num2) numeral num1/num2
u owovu uwo numeral 1/2, half
òwovu noun nose
ŏwovu noun death; adjective dead
õwõvu noun left, left side; adjective left
ôwovu noun gender
ôwovu úwu adjective transgender
öwóvu noun value; adjective valuable, expensive
òwovuv verb to transport, to bring
òwovuv object ù verb to transport/bring something to somebody/somewhere
recipient
owow adjective different, other
ówow adjective new, recent, novel, fresh
ówöw noun sound, noise; adjective noisy, loud
ówöw üwǔ óvowu noun thunder
ôwow noun state, status, condition
öwow noun skin, outside, surface; adjective outer, external; adverb
apparently, seemingly
öwòw adjective direct, straight; adverb directly
öwôw noun family; adjective belonging to the family
owowo noun Earth [the planet]
owöwo noun body; adjective bodily, physical
ówowo noun fear; adjective afraid
ôwowo noun stone, rock; adjective made from stone, hard, inflexible, stubborn
õwówo noun god, godess, deity
owowov verb to find
ŏwöwov verb to lack, to miss [somebody]
ówowu noun lightning, electricity; adjective electric, electrical
òwowu noun arm, strength, power, force; adjective strong, powerful, forceful;
adverb strongly, forcefully
òwöwu noun violence, combat, battle; adjective violent
ôwowu noun example; adjective / adverb for example
òwöwuv verb to fight
ówü noun cat
òwu noun pet; adjective tame, domesticated
ŏwu noun magic, witchcraft; adjective magical
öwú noun rotation, turn, day [24 hours]
õwu noun hand, vicinity, side; adjective near, nearby, close
ówuv verb to change, to make (see example section below)
öwúv verb to spin, to rotate, to turn
õwuv verb to help, to save, to preserve
òwuv object ù recipient verb to give something to somebody
òwuvo noun onion
ŏwuvo noun life; adjective alive, animate
ówuvov verb to grow, to become
òwuvov verb to grow [crops], to farm
owuvu noun metal; adjective made from metal
owuw preposition / adjective minus
ówüw noun weight; adjective heavy, difficult; adverb with difficulty
ówuwo noun morning, east; adjective / adverb in the morning, east, eastern
öwuwo noun hour
öwuwo (numeral) uwuvo adverb (numeral) o'clock
ówüwu noun catgirl, catperson, catboy
ôwüwu noun smile
ôwüwuv verb to smile
u numeral one; adverb true, yes; adjective real
ŭ conjunction and
ù preposition at, in, to, on, about [dative and locative marker] (see
example section below)
ù õvŏ uv preposition behind, after, since
ù öwõ uv preposition inside, into
ù öwow uv preposition outside of, out of
ù õwu uv preposition next to, near, beside
ù úvu uv preposition on top of, onto, up
ù ûvu uv preposition through, across
ù ûvu úvu uv preposition over
ù üwò uv preposition under, down
ù uwüw uv preposition in front of, before, until, ago
ù üwòwu uv preposition between
uv preposition from, of[genitive marker] (see example section below)
úv auxiliary verb can; verb to be able to, to be allowed to, to be ready, to
be possible (see example section below)
ŭv adverb than, as, like, similar to, equal (see example section below)
üv verb to take, to grab, to seize
uvo noun end, finish
ŭvo noun fire
üvó noun hobby, pastime; adjective fun, pleasant
üvŏ noun hatred
ũvo noun food; adjective edible
uvov verb to finish [perfective marker]
ŭvov verb to burn
üvóv verb to continue
üvŏv verb to hate, to dislike
ũvòv verb to sit, to sit down
uvovo noun norm; adjective normal, ordinary, common, average, plain,
simple
ûvovo adjective open
uvow adjective light [weight], easy; adverb easily
ûvowo noun order, system, organization; adjective organized
ûvowo òwo noun society
uvowo noun door, gate
ũvowu noun window
uvu adjective non-binary
uvu noun sleep
uvü adjective female
úvu noun head, top, upper side
ùvu adjective thin, narrow, flat
ûvu noun mouth
ûvü noun task, work, job, profession; adjective busy
üvu adjective male
üvú noun song
üvũ noun drink
uvuv verb to sleep
úvuv verb to wear
ûvüv verb to work, to labour, to create, to make, to produce
üvúv verb to sing
üvũv verb to drink
üvüvü noun bird
uvüwo noun mediocre meme
ùvüwo noun dead meme
ŭvuwõ noun table
ŭvüwo noun boring meme
ûvüwo noun meme that is funny at first glance but actually very problematic
üvuwo noun good but not quite dank meme
üvúwo noun meme involving crustaceans
üvùwo noun high quality but very specific meme that only a handful of
people can comprehend properly
üvŭwo noun dank meme; adjective awesome
üvûwo noun old but good meme
uvuwu noun tool, instrument
úvuwu noun thought, idea
üvùwu adjective sufficient; adverb enough, sufficiently
uvuwuv verb to use, to utilise
úvuwuv verb to care about, to worry about, to pay attention to
uw pronoun you
ŭw adjective only
ûw adjective all, every, full, whole
üw adjective bad, negative, evil, mean, unkind, cruel
ũw noun thing, something, object
ũw ówüw noun difficulty, problem
uwo numeral two; adjective a couple of [dual marker] (see example section
below)
úwö noun sibling
ǔwo noun kiss
üwò noun foot, bottom, lower side, base, foundation
ũwò noun water, liquid; adjective liquid, wet
ũwò óvowu noun rain; adjective rainy
üwo noun amount, group, mass; adjective several, a few, some
üwo ówovo noun mountain
üwo uwöwo noun desert
üwo ũwò noun body of water, lake, ocean, sea
üwo ôvuwo noun outfit, attire
üwo uvuwu ûvü noun the means of production
üwo ovo noun sentence
üwo övöwu noun book
üwo ôvuvu noun village, town, settlement
üwo òwöwu noun war
ùwov verb to thank
ùwöv verb to cut, to harvest
ǔwov verb to kiss
üwov verb to jiggle, to wiggle, to curl, to wind, to coil up
uwovu noun center, middle; adjective central
ùwovu noun fruit, vegetable, berry
ûwövu noun insect, bug, spider
üwóvu noun skirt
uwow preposition / adjective plus
üwôw noun horse
ùwow noun name
õ ùwow noun dead name
üwów noun time
üwów òw adverb now, currently; adjective current, present, up-to-date
uwöwo noun sand; adjective dry
üwòwo noun pants
ùwowu noun evening, west; adjective / adverb in the evening, west, western
üwòwu noun leg
uwu noun tongue, language
uwü noun child, kid
úwu adjective gay, queer, LGBT, cute, good, nice (see example section
below)
ùwu adjective small, little, few, short; adverb barely
ùwü noun heat; adjective hot, warm
üwu pronoun self, myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, themselves
üwǔ noun fog, mist; adjective foggy, misty, hidden, unseen, mysterious
üwǔ óvowu noun cloud; adjective cloudy
üwù noun bed
üwû noun game
ũwü noun happiness; adjective happy
úwu noun love
úwu owow adjective heterosexual
ũwù noun way, road, street, travel, journey
ũwù ũwò noun river, stream
üwû noun day-time; adjective diurnal adverb in the day-time, during the
üwû uwovu day
noun noon; adjective / adverb at noon
üwü noun beauty; adjective beautiful
üwü uwu adjective delicious
úwuv verb to love, to like
ùwuv verb to eat, to consume
üwuv verb to play
üwùv verb to cuddle, to snuggle
ũwùv verb to go, to move, to travel, to leave
ũwûv verb to meet, to gather, to date, to encounter
úwuvo noun friend, buddy, pal, bro, sis, comrade
ǔwuvo noun flower, blossom
uwuvo noun line, row, queue, sequence; adverb in line, in sequence
(numeral) uwuvo adjective (numeral)st, (numeral)nd, (numeral)rd, (numeral)th
ùwuvu noun sink, dip, depression [geology]; adjective low, deep
ǔwuvu noun medicine; adjective medical
ǔwuvuv verb to heal, to treat [medically], to care for
uwüw noun face, front side
üwúw adjective young
üwûw noun blanket, cover; adjective covered
uwuwo noun cross
úwüwõ noun future; adverb [future marker]
ûwuwo noun light; adjective bright, light
üwuwo pronoun each other
ũwuwo noun computer
ùwuwo noun minute
ùwuwo ùwu noun second
uwüwu noun baby
úwuwu adjective cute and valid
ûwuwu noun compliment; adjective nice, kind, affectionate
úwüwũv verb to fall in love with somebody who will not reciprocate your
feelings because they follow the heterosexual lifestyle
ûwuwuv verb to compliment
Examples
Simple Sentences
There is no copula in Uwu:
ôwö ùwü
sun hot
"The sun is hot."
òvü öwúv
dress spin
"Dress go spinny."
ow úwuv ówü ûw
I love cat all
"I love all cats."
Negation
The particle "õ" negates the word following it and is most often used on verbs to negate a statement:
ow õ uvuv òw öwŏ
I NEG sleep this night
"I didn't sleep tonight."
övö õ ówo
tree NEG big
"The tree isn't big."
Relative Clauses
öwo owõv ûwövu öwo ũvòv ù üwò uv üwù
he see spider that sit LOC foot GEN bed
"He sees the spider that sits under the bed."
Since Uwu lacks participles it uses simple relative clauses to express that meaning:
ow öv ŏwo öwo ovov
I have dog that talk
"I have a talking dog."
Questions
The question particle "ov" can be used to form interrogative pronouns and sentences using the word
following it:
ov üwów uw ũwùv òw
INT time you go here
"When will you come?"
uw ov òvov ǔwo ow
you INT want kiss I
"Do you want to kiss me?"
uw òvov ǔwo ov ow
you want kiss INT I
"Do you want to kiss me?"
Comparison
" ŭv" is used to compare things and can mean both "as" and "than":
ûwövu ówo ŭv ŏwo
bug big as dog
"The bug is as big as a dog."
üwôw ówo ŏvo ŭv ŏwo
horse big more than dog
"Horses are bigger than dogs."
Adjectives and adverbs can be reduplicated to form a superlative:
òwuvo ùwovuõvù õvù
onion vegetable good good
"Onions are the best vegetable."
Tense, Aspect & Mood
uw òv õwóvov úwüwõ ũw ŏvo
you must learn FUT thing many
"You will need to learn many things."
öwo õ úv ŏwov ovuwõ
he NEG can read PST
"He could not read."
ow òvov úvuv owo övòwu
I want wear that shirt
"I want to wear that shirt."
ow ûvüv ovuwõ ovuvo ŭvüwo
I create PST HAB [Link]
"I used to make boring memes."
Imperative - õvò
The particle "õvò" is used to express determination or, in second person, an imperative:
uw õvò õ õvöv
you IMP NEG lie
"Do not lie!"
ow õvò ovüv
we IMP begin
"We shall begin!" or "Let us begin!"
Politeness - nyáa
The particle "nyáa" is used to make a phrase more polite, usually lowering the intensity of the verb.
Unlike most particles "nyáa" is used at the end of the clause it modifies. It can often, but not always,
be translated with "please":
uw õvò òwuv üvũ ù ow nyáa
you IMP give drink DAT I please
"Please give me a drink."
uw òv õ ũwùv nyáa
you must NEG leave please
"You shouldn't leave."
ow òvov ovov uwü uv uw nyáa
I want speak child GEN you please
"I would like to talk to your child."
uw uvuv õvù nyáa
you sleep well please
"May you sleep well."
Conditional Sentences - nya
The verbal particle "nya" marks a clause as protasis, and verbs in the same sentence lacking it are
assumed to belong to the apodisis:
uw nya ũwùv ow ũwùv öw uw
you COND go I go with you
"If you go I will come with you."
uw nya õ õvöv ŏvo ovuwõ ow nya õ üvŏv uw
you COND NEG lie much PST I COND NEG dislike you
"If you hadn't lied so much I wouldn't dislike you."
ow nya owõv ovuwõ öwo ow nya ùwov ovuwõ öwo
I COND see PST she I COND thank PST she
"If I had seen her I would have thanked her."
Word Usage Examples:
ôvöv
ow ôvöv ôvöw ù öwo
I ask question DAT they
"I ask them a question."
ow ôvöv ŏwo ù öwo
I ask dog DAT they
"I ask them about the dog."
ow ôvöv uwü úwuv ŏwo ù öwo
I ask child like dog DAT they
"I ask them if the child likes dogs."
owõv
"owõv" is used for perception with any sense, if necessary the sense can be specified:
ówü owõv ŏvuwõ
cat perceive music
"The cat listens to music."
ow owõv ówü öw ovowü ô õ öw ovovo
I perceive cat with ear but NEG with eye
"I hear the cat but cannot see it."
ówuv
"ówuv", "to change, to make", is used with an adjetive to express an action that results in that
adjective:
ówüwuówuv ûvovo ũvowu
catgirl make open window
"The catgirl opens the window."
òwo ûvü ûvovo ûw ôvuvu
person work make whole house
"The builder completes the house."
ù
"ù" is a general marker for locations and can mean "at", "in", "on" or "to" depending on the context:
ow ũwùv ù úwuvo
I go LOC friend
"I go to [my] friend."
uwü uvuv ù üwù
child sleep LOC bed
"The child sleeps in the bed."
It can be expanded by a genitival clause to be more precise:
ŏwo uvuv ù õwu uv üwù
dog sleep LOC hand GEN bed
"The dog sleeps next to the bed."
uwo
Apart from being a normal numeral "uwo", "two", can be used to denote two things treated as a
unit:
öwo úwuv öwö uwo uv üwu
she love parent two of herself
"She loves her parents."
õvüwŏ öv ovovo uwo ówo
lizard have eye two big
"The lizad has big eyes."
úwu
Primarily meaning "gay" or otherwise belonging to the LGBT spectrum, "úwu" can also mean
"good" or "cute" and is a common compliment in Uwu:
úwö üvu uv uw úwu
sibling male GEN you gay
"Your brother is nice."
òw üwóvu úwu
this skirt gay
"This skirt is cute."
Common Greetings
öwú úwu
day gay/good
"Good day!"
uw úwuwu
you [Link]
"You are cute and valid!"
öwú uv uw úwu ŏvo nyáa
day GEN you gay very please
[formal] "May your day be very gay!"
Useful Phrases for Internet Catgirls
These are some common phrases of great cultural significance in virtual catgirl society:
uw úwu ŏvo
you gay very
"You are very gay."
uw uwüwu úwu
you baby cute
"You are an adorable baby."
ow uwüwu nyanya
I baby DIM
"I am babby."
o uw
no you
"No u."
*üwov*
*wiggle*
"*wiggles*"
*üwùv*
*snuggle*
"*snuggles*"
*ǔwov òwo úwu ûw*
*kiss person cute every*
"*kisses all the cuties*"
uw úwu úwu
you cute cute
"You are the cutest."
òwo öwo ŏwov òw úwuwu
person who read this [Link]
"The person reading this is cute and valid."
õvùwu uv ôwovu úwu õvùwu uv òwo
right GEN gender gay right GEN person
"Trans rights are human rights!"
üv õvò üwo uvuwu ûvü
take IMP mass tool labour
"Seize the means of production!"
õwówo o, òwo övóv o
god no, person rule no
"No gods, no masters!"
