Huttese

"It's a wonderful language for swearing."

―Maize Raynshi^[12]

Huttese was the language spoken by the Hutts, a slug-like species who called Nal Hutta their homeworld.^[2] It was also commonly spoken on Hutt-controlled planets like Tatooine.^[6] Even on worlds such as Lothal, where Hutts were not in power, their tongue was still a widespread trade language. Despite its prevalence, Huttese was generally unknown to stormtroopers, the soldiers of the Galactic Empire, as most of them could not speak anything other than Galactic Basic Standard.^[13] Holographic barricade tape at a crime scene on Plazir-15 read "CAUTION" in Aurebesh, and "CHESS KO"^[11] (Huttese for "careful"; as in "be careful")^[6] in Outer Rim Basic, suggesting that the language was spoken there as well.^[11]

Although Huttese was a unique language,^[14] it shared certain structural similarities with Aqualish and Rodian, enough that learning one of these languages would make the others easier to learn.^[15] Maize Raynshi regarded Huttese as a great language to use when one needed to swear.^[12]

Known words and phrases

"Jupa uba."
"Even if you spoke Huttese, I would be surprised if you knew that one. She said thank you.

―Balada and Daq Dragus, to Rieve^[16]

Pronouns

Definite

He: hees^[17]
- Him: geh^[17]
She: dasi^[17]
- Her: cheekta, layat^[17]
It: sa^[17]
- It is: soong^[17]
I: jee, nee^[17]
- Me: ni^[17]
- My: ma^[17]
- Myself: magoosa^[17]
That: da^[17]
They/them: ya^[17]
There: la^[17]
This: oto, cha, ees^[17]
We: jee-jee^[17]
- Us/our: cheejee^[17]
You: uba, do^[17]
- Your: do^[17]

Indefinite

Anyone: kickeeyuna^[17]
Everyone: mikiyuna^[17]
No one/nobody: naga^[17]
Someone: boota^[17]

Adverbs and interjections

Here: wata^[17]
How: kava^[17]
Really?: yunka, boonawa^[17]
What: kee, haku, choy^[17]
When: joppay^[17]
Where: konchee^[17]
Who: koochee, coo^[17]
Why: wonta^[17]

Conjunctions

And: chone^[17]
With: foo^[17]
But: may^[17]
Or: o^[17]
The: du^[17]

Prepositions

In: im^[17]
From: du^[17]
To: tah, co^[17]
For: eke^[17]
A: un^[17]
On: sa^[17]

Nouns

Preesen: door^[18]
Curkeet: track^[18]

Verbs

Can: kavaa^[17]
Find: chooskoo^[17]
Is: sa^[17]
See: teesa^[17]
Tell: klov^[17]
Want: naga^[17]
Work: wuku^[17]

Conjugation

-go: negative (e.g.: wukugo: to not work)^[17]
-k: past tense (e.g.: wukuk: worked)^[17]
-ka: present tense, gerund (e.g.: wukuka: working)^[17]
-mo: comparative (e.g.: wukumo: work better)^[17]
-chasa: nominalizes (e.g.: wukuchasa: tools)^[17]
-sa: nominalizes (e.g.: wukusa: worker)^[17]
-ta: nominalizes (e.g.: wukuta: workplace)^[17]
(repetition): the idea of doing something twice (e.g.: wuku wuku: rework)^[17]

Phrases

Bargon wan che copa.^[19]— "There will be no bargain."^[20]^[21]
Bo — "One".^[22]
Bonapa keesa. Tolpa da bunky na booty cha naga o wanna meete chobodda.^[19]—"Better stop your friend's betting or I'll end up owning him, too."^[6]
Boska! — "Let's go!"^[23]^[21]
Cheekta rocka rocka — "She's crazy." (Approximate translation)^[16]
Cheeskar goo.^[24]—"Betrayer (cheater) scum."^[25]
Cheeskar nok—"Betrayer scum."^[26]
Chess ko tonka! — "Buckle up!"^[27]
Chess ko — Careful (as in, "be careful").^[6]
Chone ateema ree makacheesa. — "And now for the real prize."^[28]
Chuba gusha Kenobi. — "You are lucky to be with a Jedi as wise as Kenobi." (Approximate translation)^[2]
Chuba inkabunga chik youngee. — "Thank you for delivering the holo-diary." (Approximate translation)^[2]
Chuba! — "Hey you!"^[23]
Coona tee-tocky malia.^[19]—"What took you so long?"^[6]^[21]
De wanna wanga.^[19]— A form of greeting.^[20]
Di es ma paakajidik — "This is my territory."^[29]
Di es paakajidik di Jabba, anta es cheekee — "This is the territory of Jabba, and now it is ours."^[29]
Dobrah chuba koochoo. — "I already know this." (Approximate translation)^[2]
Dobrah gusha tu trawbbio grandio, mendeeya. —"It would be an honor if the great one took it." (Approximate translation)^[13]
Dopa — "Two".^[22]
Dopo me goola —"Bad feeling"^[30]
Duba — "Three"^[31]
Du bargon Oga es du bargon macroon tee-tocky.— A deal with Oga is a deal for life.^[32]
E chu ta an do padda-mames! —An insult to you and your mother.^[12]
E chu ta! — An insult.^[33]
Fwanna —" Four"^[31]
Gi Shatta Gasha! —A phrase of exultation and praise.^[34]
H'chu apenkee! —"Hello!"^[23]
Haa oto isti chari? — "Who will do this task?"^[35]
Hagwa je killya, dolpa kikyuna! —"Don't hurt me because I am a loyal, tax-paying citizen." (Approximate translation)^[13]
Hagwa yatuka! — "Hold still!"^[28]
Hagwa — "Don't."^[16]
Hi chuba du naga? — "What do you want?"^[21]
Jacta gratoog! — "Close the door!"^[28]
Jee spee, uba hasa, mee yocola. — "I said, you spilled, my drink."^[28]
Jupa uba. — "Thank you."^[16]
Kava su nudcha?— "How goes the war, gentlemen?"^[2]
Kuba, kayaba dee anko! — "Come to me." (Approximate translation)'^[24]^[21]
La yama beestoo.^[24]—"Yes there they are."^[25]
Man-tah. — "Speak."^[24]
Me juuz ku, wermo! —"See you, suckers!"^[36]
Me keepuna wermo — "I'm gonna shoot this fool."^[16]
Mee jewz ju! — "Goodbye!"^[23]
Mendee-ya jah-jee bargon. Achuta kuna payuska Granee Ad-mee-rall. — "We have a deal, Grand Admiral. You may pass. You will take me to the weapons facility."^[24]
Mi killie.^[24]—"I kill."^[25]
Moulee-rah — "Money"^[23]
Murishani… sleemo.^[37]—"Bounty hunter… slimeball."^[38]
Nee choo! — "Die!"^[39]
Neek me chowa, wermo, mo killee ma klounkee! — "Next time we meet, idiot, it will be the end of you!"^[40]
Noah, noah! —"No, no!"^[13]
Obita — "Music" (Approximate translation)^[2]
Ooda pon tona. — "I like bubbles."^[41]
Oonkee chesko, murishani — "Sleep lightly, bounty hunter."^[29]
Pateesa — "Friend"^[23]^[21]
Peedunkee, caba dee unko.^[19]—"Boy, get in here!"^[6]
Sa da ree beskar? — "Is that real beskar?"^[28]
Solo bolkubok-u-chala.^[19]— "I like Captain Solo where he is."^[20]
Solo chuba killya. — "You might be allowed to leave here alive." (Approximate translation)^[2]
Stuka Crispo —"Death Watch."^[42]
Stuta yuna-parchee. Jee buttmalia huhah a lo panksta du makacheesa.- "Look at his glands. I bet we can sell them at the port for a fortune."^[28]
Sty-uka! Kuba nobata Granya Ad-mee-rall. — "Look at you. You are no Grand Admiral."^[24]
Tinka me chasa hopoe ma booty na nolia.^[19]—"They think we know nothing."^[6]
Tonta tonka! — "Tentacles up!"^[39]
Tooska chai mani. —A curse involving the insulted person's mother and a Tusken Raider's chief.^[43]
U doba, nudd chaa! — "You two, get going!"^[28]
Uba hasa mee yocola… — "You spilled my drink…"^[28]
Wanta? — "Why would we do such a thing?" (Approximate translation)^[35]
Wee now kong bantha poodoo.^[19]— "Now you're bantha fodder."^[20]
Wompity du wermo.^[24]—"Squash you idiot."^[25]
Yoka to Bantha poodoo.^[19]—"You're bantha fodder."^[6]

Behind the scenes

On the DVD commentary track of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and in interactive CD-ROM Star Wars: Behind the Magic, Lucasfilm sound designer Ben Burtt stated that he based Huttese on Quechua, an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Andes and highlands of South America.^[44]^[45]

George Lucas had called upon Burtt to come up with a voice for the Rodian Greedo in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, who at first was to speak with an electronic, insect-like voice, but later decided towards a humanoid language. After going through multiple languages of the world, Burtt was attracted to Quechua because it featured comical repetitions and some musicality. As the language is endangered, Burtt failed to find a native speaker to produce sound samples, so he found Linguist Larry Ward, a UC Berkeley grad student. He utilized Ward's knowledge and skills to analyse the language and together they created some "fake Quechua" words and phrases.^[46]^[47]

While Burtt and Ward recorded lines of Huttese according to Greedo's snout's movement in the footage, the reverse would happen for Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi; Burtt had to script some Huttese lines before filming begun, so that the operators of Jabba's puppet could move his mouth according to the sounds. Some of the new vocabulary, including bo shuda and boska was made up by Lucas himself. For "Lapti Nek", the "Huttese" lyrics were writen by singer Annie Arbogast, with some help from Burtt.^[46]

For Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, the Huttese dialogues were the first thing finished by Burtt, who "translated" the lines, then recorded their intended pronunciation and intonation, and distributed to the voice actors for reference.^[46]

Canon includes writing in an unidentified alphabet resembling Jabba's alphabet from Legends but never confirms the writing is Huttese or Jabba's alphabet in the new continuity.