The city and its places in Georgian
84 words Georgian words on the topic “the city and its places”: ქალაქი — city, ქუჩა — street, ბანკი — bank, აფთიაქი — pharmacy. 84 words can be played from recordings.
84 words on the topic
- ქალაქიkalakicityHence mokalake, citizen — literally 'townsman' — and mokalakeoba, citizenship
- ქუჩაkuchastreetIn addresses the word itself drops out: Rustavelis 12 means Rustaveli Street, 12
- ბანკიbankibankA borrowing with the obligatory -i. A bank account inside it is banko angarishi
- აფთიაქიaptiakipharmacyA borrowing from Greek. The medicine it sells is a native word, tsamali
- ბრბოbrbocrowdBrbo is an uncontrolled crowd, a word with a shade of wariness. Simply many people is bevri khalxi
- შუქნიშანიshuknishanitraffic lightAssembled from shuki, light, and nishani, sign: a 'light-sign'. The word is Georgian through and through — no borrowing here
- ველოსიპედიvelosipedibicycleFive syllables, the stress light and even. 'By bicycle' is velosipedit — the -it ending answers 'with what'
- ავტობუსის გაჩერებაavtobusis gacherebabus stopgachereba comes from cherdeba, to stop: both the stop as a place and the stopping itself as an action
- სამგზავრო ბარათიsamgzavro baratitransit cardmgzavri is a passenger; the sa-…-o frame makes it 'passenger's'. In Tbilisi this card is called metromani
- მარშრუტიmarshrutiroutethe rshr cluster in the middle has no vowel between its parts: mar-shru-ti
- ქვეითთა გადასასვლელიkveitta gadasasvlelicrosswalkthe doubled tt at the seam reads as one long aspirated t: kve-it-ta
- საცობიsatsobitraffic jamThe same word as a cork in a bottle: the road got 'corked'. In full they say satsobi gzaze, but one word usually does
- პარკინგიparkingiparkingAn English word with a Georgian tail. The official avtosadgomi stands on signs, but people say parkingi
- ბენზინგასამართი სადგურიbenzingasamarti sadgurigas stationA long word from the signs; in speech simply gasamarti or benzingasamarti. sadguri you know — station
- პარკიparkiparkThe same spelling as 'a bag' from the shop unit — Georgian took both words from different languages and merged them. Context tells them apart: parkshi vseirnob — I stroll in the park; parki momet — give me a bag
- ბიბლიოთეკაbibliotekalibraryA word in -a; it takes no -i tail. 'In the library' is bibliotekashi
- მუზეუმიmuzeumimuseumthree vowels in a row in the middle are read separately: mu-ze-u-mi
- თეატრიteatritheaterthe th is an aspirated t, while the t at the end is ejective — both in one word: te-a-tri
- კინოთეატრიkinoteatrimovie theaterAssembled exactly like the English compound. About going to the movies they say it shorter: kinoshi mivdivar
- ეკლესიაeklesiachurchBoth the building and the church as an institution. A great cathedral is tadzari — that word waits in the faith unit
- სტადიონიstadionistadiumThe Tbilisi stadium is called Dinamo; they ask stadionze midixar? — are you going to the stadium?
- გზაჯვარედინიgzajvarediniintersectionLiterally 'the cross of roads': gza, a road, plus jvaredini, cross-shaped, from jvari, a cross. At the intersection: gzajvaredinze — and this is the first word used to explain the way
- ტროტუარიtrotuarisidewalkthe t is ejective — sharp, no puff of air: tro-tu-a-ri
- გამზირიgamziriavenueA wide main street. In Tbilisi you meet the word every day: Rustavelis gamziri — Rustaveli Avenue. An ordinary street is qucha
- შესახვევიshesakhveviside streetFrom shexveva, to turn in: a side street is what you turn into from the street. Addresses write me-2 shesaxvevi — the second side street — and the number is obligatory there
- სანაპიროsanapiroembankmentthe p is sharp, no puff of air: sa-na-pi-ro
- ხიდიkhidibridgeA bridge over a river and a footbridge. The Tbilisi mxidobis xidi is the Bridge of Peace. To cross a bridge: xidis gadakveta
- გვირაბიgvirabitunnelthe opening gv has no vowel between: gvi-ra-bi
- ფარანიparania lanternA street lamp on a pole, and with a qualifier a handheld one too: jibis parani, a flashlight. The lamp burns: parani antia, from ante ba, to light
- მერხიmerkhibenchA long bench — in a park, at school, in church. A separate chair is skami, and in speech the park bench is often also skami, but the dictionary word is exactly merxi
- ურნაurnaa waste bin (indoors)A street bin on a post. The big container in the yard is nagvis urna or nagvis baqi; here the short word is taken, the one you ask with in the street: urna sad aris?
- ავტობუსის მძღოლიavtobusis mdzgholibus driverthe t sharp, the gh a gargled g from the throat: av-to-bu-sis mdzgho-li
- ბოლო გაჩერებაbolo gacherebalast stopbolo is last, the end: the same word as in to the end of the street from this unit. A bus stop in general is avtobusis gachereba from wave three
- მარშრუტის ნომერიmarshrutis nomeriroute numberthe t sharp: marsh-ru-tis no-me-ri
- პიკის საათიpikis saatirush hourthe p is sharp, no puff of air: pi-kis sa-a-ti
- ავტობუსების განრიგიavtobusebis ganrigibus schedulethe t sharp: av-to-bu-se-bis
- მგზავრობის გადახდაmgzavrobis gadakhdato pay the faremgzvroba is a ride, from mgzavri, a passenger. gadaxda, payment, you know from wave three. The transit card is samgzavro barati
- ადგილის დაკავებაadgilis dakavebato take a seatthe k sharp, no puff of air: ad-gi-lis da-ka-ve-ba
- ტაქსის გამოძახებაtaksis gamodzakhebato call a taxithe t is sharp, no puff of air: tak-sis
- შემდეგზე ჩავალshemdegze chavalto get off at the next stopLiterally 'at the next [stop] I will go down': one 'gets down' from transport in Georgian — chaval, with the preverb ca-, down. The request to the driver: shemdegze gamiceret — stop at the next one
- უბანიubanineighborhoodA city district as the place where people live: chvens ubanshi — in our neighborhood. An administrative district of the country is raioni — a different word. The neighbors of the ubani are ubnelebi
- ქალაქის ცენტრიkalakis tsentricity centerthe t is sharp, no puff of air, while the q twice is the opposite, aspirated: ka-la-kis tsen-tri
- გარეუბანიgareubanioutskirtsLiterally 'the outer neighborhood': gare, outer, plus ubani from this lesson. The word covers both the outskirts and the suburbs — in Georgian it is one thing
- მშენებლობაmsheneblobaconstruction sitethe opening msh is pronounced fused, no vowel: mshe-neb-lo-ba
- გზის რემონტიgzis remontiroad repairthe t sharp, no puff of air: re-mon-ti
- მაჩვენებელიmachvenebelisignpostWhat shows: a road signpost, an arrow, and also an indicator in figures. From cveneba, to show — the same root as in machvene, show me, from the conversation unit
- საზოგადოებრივი ტუალეტიsazogadoebrivi tualetipublic toiletthe t sharp, no puff of air: tu-a-le-ti
- სუფთაsuptacleanClean about a street, a room, hands and clothes. It is the same word wave one used for 'fresh' — supta haeri is fresh air: in Georgian clean and fresh meet in one word. To tidy up: dalageba
- ჭუჭყიანიchuchqianidirtythe ch twice and the q — three sharp sounds in a row: chuch-qia-ni
- ხალხმრავალიაkhalkhmravaliait's crowdedThe English adverb is a Georgian predicate: xalxi, people, plus mravali, many, plus -a. As a modifier the same word is xalxmravali adgili — a crowded place
- სოფელიsopelivillageA village. Its resident is sopleli. In Georgia sopelshi cavidet means not only going to the village but going to the family — almost every family has a house there
- დედაქალაქიdedakalakicapitalLiterally 'mother city': deda plus kalaki. Built the same way is dedaena, the mother tongue
- საზოგადოებრივი ტრანსპორტიsazogadoebrivi transportipublic transportThe adjective from sazogadoeba through the suffix -ebrivi. The Tbilisi minibus on its own is marshutka
- საბავშვო ბაღიsabavshvo baghikindergartenThe familiar baghi, garden, with the adjective sabavshvo, for children, from bavshvi. No trees or beds are implied
- საბავშვო მოედანიsabavshvo moedaniplaygroundMoedani is both a square and a ground: the main square of Tbilisi is tavisuplebis moedani, Freedom Square
- შადრევანიshadrevanifountainA Persian borrowing, like many city words. A singing fountain is momgherali shadrevani
- სასაფლაოsasaplaocemeteryThe sa-…-o frame around saplavi, a grave: 'the place of graves'. People go there on the memorial day after Easter
- სახანძრო მანქანაsakhandzro mankanafire truckFrom khandzari, a fire, the same root as mekhandze, the firefighter. The sa-…-o frame makes an adjective of purpose
- კვარტალიkvartalicity blockEjective k and t. The bigger district is ubani
- სკვერიskverismall parkThree consonants, skv, at the start. The big park is parki
- კოშკიkoshkitowerThe Svan towers are called by this same word: svanuri koshki
- ქალაქის შემოგარენიkalakis shemogarenisuburbFrom shemo-, around: what lies in a ring around the city
- დაბაdabatownThe official step between sopeli, village, and kalaki, city
- გამვლელიgamvlelipasser-byA participle of gavla, 'to pass by', turned into a noun
- ქვეითიkveitipedestrianFrom kvevit, below: the one on his own feet. Hence kveittha gadasasvleli, the pedestrian crossing
- აბრაabrasignA short word with no -i tail, like mela and daba
- ქუჩის ურნაkuchis urnaa litter bin (street)The street kind is told from the household bucket by kuchis, the genitive of kucha
- ქუჩის ფარანიkuchis parania streetlightAn aspirated kh in kucha and an aspirated p in parani
- გაზონიgazonilawnA borrowing with the obligatory tail -i. Grass on its own is the native word balakhi
- ყვავილნარიqvavilnariflower bedFrom qvavili, flower, with the collective tail -nari. The opening q is the deep guttural, deeper than any k
- შესასვლელი კიბეshesasvleli kibefront stepsNo dedicated word: 'entrance stairs'. Shesasvleli is the she-sa-...-eli ring around shesvla, to enter
- საფეხურიsapekhuristepLiterally 'where the foot is put', from pekhi, foot. The p is aspirated, not the ejective p
- სახლის ნომერიsakhlis nomerihouse numberThe order is the reverse of English: first whose — sakhlis — then what. Nomeri the course met about hotel rooms
- ქუჩის სახელიkuchis sakhelistreet nameThere is no separate word for 'name': sakheli is both a person's name and the name of a thing
- ბოძიbodzipoledz is one letter for the fused dz sound. Bodzitan, 'by the post': the postposition -tan glues on from the right, no preposition exists
- ძველი ქალაქიdzveli kalakiold townIn Tbilisi that is the quarter under Narikala. The opening dzv is two consonants with no vowel between them
- საცხოვრებელი სახლიsatskhovrebeli sakhliresidential buildingThe sa-...-eli ring around tsxovreba, to live: 'meant for living'
- სიჩუმეsichumesilenceThe si-...-e ring around chumi, quiet; the same device gave the course sitskhe, heat
- შენობაshenobabuildingFrom sheneba, to build: a building is 'a built thing'. Sakhli is a house to live in; shenoba suits a school or a station as well
- დარბაზიdarbazihallAn old word: that was the main chamber of a house. Today it is the concert, sports and cinema hall
- აბანოabanosulfur bathsThe city's own name comes from tbili, warm: Tbilisi means 'warm spring'
- მთაწმინდაmtatsmindaMtatsmindaThe funicular has worked since 1905 and remains the main way up
- ძველი თბილისიdzveli tbilisiOld TbilisiThe shared courtyard is called italiuri ezo — the 'Italian yard'
- დეზერტირების ბაზარიdezertirebis bazariDeserter BazaarThe name stayed from one year of history and has held for a hundred years
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- თბილისი ლამაზი ქალაქიაtbilisi lamazi kalakiaTbilisi is a beautiful city
- ეს ქუჩა რუსთაველიაes kucha rustaveliaThis street is Rustaveli
- ბანკი ხუთ საათამდე მუშაობსbanki khut saatamde mushaobsThe bank works until five
- აფთიაქი ღამითაც ღიააaptiaki ghamitats ghiaaThe pharmacy is open even at night
- მოედანზე დიდი ბრბო იყოmoedanze didi brbo iqoThere was a big crowd on the square
- შუქნიშანთან მოიცადეთshuknishantan moitsadetWait by the traffic light
What is worth knowing about these words
ქალაქი (kalaki) — city. Hence mokalake, citizen — literally 'townsman' — and mokalakeoba, citizenship
ქუჩა (kucha) — street. In addresses the word itself drops out: Rustavelis 12 means Rustaveli Street, 12
ბანკი (banki) — bank. A borrowing with the obligatory -i. A bank account inside it is banko angarishi
აფთიაქი (aptiaki) — pharmacy. A borrowing from Greek. The medicine it sells is a native word, tsamali
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is ქალაქი (kalaki) — city.
- What is this word?
It is შუქნიშანი (shuknishani) — traffic light.
- What is this word?
It is ქვეითთა გადასასვლელი (kveitta gadasasvleli) — crosswalk.
- What is this word?
It is ბიბლიოთეკა (biblioteka) — library.
- What is this word?
It is სტადიონი (stadioni) — stadium.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “city” in Georgian?
Hence mokalake, citizen — literally 'townsman' — and mokalakeoba, citizenship
- How do you say “traffic light” in Georgian?
Assembled from shuki, light, and nishani, sign: a 'light-sign'. The word is Georgian through and through — no borrowing here
- How do you say “crosswalk” in Georgian?
kveiti is on foot, and -ta is the plural genitive: 'the crossing of those on foot'. In speech people simply say gadasasvleli or zebra
- How do you say “library” in Georgian?
A word in -a; it takes no -i tail. 'In the library' is bibliotekashi
- How do you say “stadium” in Georgian?
The Tbilisi stadium is called Dinamo; they ask stadionze midixar? — are you going to the stadium?
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Street, square, pharmacy, bank. An address is built out of these, and an address is something you have to both say and understand.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “city” in Georgian?
«ქალაქი», read “kalaki”. Hence mokalake, citizen — literally 'townsman' — and mokalakeoba, citizenship. It is one of 84 words in the set “the city and its places” — the rest are in the table above.
How many street and place words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 84 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 84 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.