ბოდიში
“ბოდიში” (bodishi) — sorry in Georgian. Interjection, level A0, topic — polite words. The short apology for a small fault: you bumped someone, you are late. Ukatsravad is the same but politer. In a live sentence: “ბოდიში, შემთხვევით მოხდა” — Sorry, that was an accident. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ბ, ო, დ, ი, შ, ი. One of 8 words in the set “polite words” in the Georgian course.
In short
| Written in Georgian | ბოდიში |
| Read in Latin letters | bodishi |
| Translation | sorry |
| Other translations | უკაცრავად |
| Part of speech | interjection |
| Level | A0 |
- ბოდიშიbodishisorry
Why it looks that way
The short apology for a small fault: you bumped someone, you are late. Ukatsravad is the same but politer
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- ბოდიში, შემთხვევით მოხდაbodishi, shemtkhvevit mokhdaSorry, that was an accident
Nearby words: polite words
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
- მადლობაmadlobathank youFrom madli — grace, favor. Doubled into didi madloba it simply means a big thank you
- გმადლობთgmadlobtI am gratefulThe polite form of madloba: the -t on the end is the respectful 'you'. Use it with elders and strangers
- თუ შეიძლებაtu sheidzlebapleaseLiterally 'if it is possible'. Georgian has no dedicated word for please — it is a two-word workaround
- არაფრისaraprisyou're welcomeLiterally 'for nothing' — the standard reply to madloba, in the same spirit as 'not at all'
- როგორ ხართ?rogor khart?how do you do?The same -t on the end as in the polite thank-you: politeness and plurality in one letter
- თქვენtkvenyou (plural)Both the plural you and the polite you — English 'you all' covers it well
- უკაცრავადukatsravadexcuse meThe polite way to address a stranger: passing through, asking the time, catching a waiter
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “polite words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “sorry” in Georgian?
The short apology for a small fault: you bumped someone, you are late. Ukatsravad is the same but politer
- How do you say “excuse me” in Georgian?
The polite way to address a stranger: passing through, asking the time, catching a waiter
- How do you say “you (plural)” in Georgian?
Both the plural you and the polite you — English 'you all' covers it well
- How do you say “how do you do?” in Georgian?
The same -t on the end as in the polite thank-you: politeness and plurality in one letter
- How do you say “you're welcome” in Georgian?
Literally 'for nothing' — the standard reply to madloba, in the same spirit as 'not at all'
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “sorry” in Georgian?
«ბოდიში», read “bodishi”. In a live sentence: “ბოდიში, შემთხვევით მოხდა” — Sorry, that was an accident. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Interjection, level A0, from the set “polite words”; written with the characters ბ, ო, დ, ი, შ, ი.
How is “ბოდიში” written in Latin letters?
bodishi. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
The short apology for a small fault: you bumped someone, you are late. Ukatsravad is the same but politer. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.