Rakh

Dothraki

Dothraki Phrasebook This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonality.

For other Dothraki entries on this topic, see Basic.

Etymology 1

From Proto-Plains *rax (“lamb”).

Source

Coined by George R. R. Martin in the book A Game of Thrones.

Source Spelling

rakh

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /rax/

Rhymes: -ax

Noun

rakh (animate, plural rakhi)

1. boy

   Rakh! Rakh! Rakh haj!

   A boy! A boy! A strong boy!

   -Dosh Khaleen (A Game of Thrones)

Inflection

	Singular	Plural
Nominative	rakh	rakhi
Accusative	rakhes	rakhis
Genitive	rakhi
Allative	rakhaan	rakhea
Ablative	rakhoon	rakhoa

Translations

Sense: male child (boy) ^[‌edit‌]

• Dothraki: rakh
• High Valyrian: taoba
• Irathient: skir (Irathient), hakir (non-Irathient)
• Kinuk'aaz: iki
• Meereenese Valyrian: tow
• Noalath: choap
• Sondiv: dob
• Trigedasleng: skat
• Ts'íts'àsh: úbà
• Vōv: dīsbōr

Etymology 2

From Proto-Plains *rax (“lamb”).

Source

Coined by George R. R. Martin in the book A Game of Thrones.

Source Spelling

rakh

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /rax/

Rhymes: -ax

Noun

rakh (nominative/accusative, inanimate)

1. lamb (archaic; see rakhi)

Inflection

	Singular	Plural
Nominative	rakh
Accusative	rakh
Genitive	rakhi
Allative	rakhaan
Ablative	rakhoon

Creation and Usage Notes

I was never very comfortable with this word meaning both "boy" and "lamb", so I made "boy" into an animate and left "lamb" as inanimate and archaic, with the more modern word for "lamb" being the diminutive rakhi. While it made etymological sense to extend the meaning of "lamb" to "boy", it didn't make sense that the Dothraki would derisively refer to the Lhazareen as haesh rakhi and have that translated as "Lamb Men". I hope what I did works for the fans of the book series. -David J. Peterson 15:42, 9 December 2019 (PST)