Language

This article is about languages in Tyrian lore. For real-world languages supported by the game client, see Running the game#Languages.

There are many languages in the universe of Guild Wars. Nearly every race and nation has their own language, though many races and nations seem to be merging their own languages into a single well known but unnamed language. Most languages are written and hardly seen actually spoken in the game through dialogue, with the exception of various idioms.

"Common"

Never explicitly named, most of Tyria's intelligent creatures appear to speak various dialects of the same language. It is possible that this language is called "human" due to the article The Ecology of the Charr stating that Hrangmer "translated into human, the name means 'Jaws of Oblivion.'"

Known species that speak "common:"

• Asura
• Centaur
• Charr
• Demons
• Dragons
• Dredge
• Dwarves
• Forgotten
• Grawl
• Harpies
• Heket
• Humans
• Jotuns
• Kirin
• Mursaat
• Norn
• Seers
• Tengu
• Yetis

Ascension glyphs

The Ascension glyphs are three runes that represent the first three missions of the Crystal Desert - Elona Reach, Dunes of Despair, and Thirsty River. After each of these are activated, the path to the Hall of Ascension opens up.

These runes are also seen on various pillars with two other unknown runes, and in Augury Rock on the ground.

According to Matthew Medina, the three Ascension glyphs and the other two glyphs are ancient pictographs of the three areas needed to be unlocked to gain access to Augury Rock. Furthermore, he says that "it would be safe to assume that the same forces who created Augury Rock/The Hall of Ascension created the "key" for unlocking it and the symbols that go with it."

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  Elona Reach's glyphs

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  Thirsty River's glyphs

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  Dunes of Despair's glyphs

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  All five glyphs together

Asura

The banner holding translatable Asuran runes, it translates into:
Line 1: qwa umza lagee wan Line 2: o kwa tanzin wan

The Asura have their own language from when they were underground, but quickly adapted to the "common" language, so there are very few instances of the Asura language used. There are only two cases of the Asura language being seen. The first, and most familiar, is the term Bookah. The second is the Asura banners on the Asuran Beacon and the banners behind the Golem Kilns in the G.O.L.E.M. mission.

Before their surfacing, the Asuran language was half-mathematical and half-structured.

Bookah

"Bookah" is a large, loud, bellowing, and dumb imaginary creature that the Asura used to frighten their children. Since their surfacing, they use the term to refer to those they view as inferior beings, which to them is almost everyone who is not an Asura.

Charr

Six Charr ideograms used with the Charr Battle Plan Decoder.

The Charr seem to speak a dialect of "common" with a number of unique words and idioms, and occasionally use grunts and roars.

They do not have a written language of their own, but they do use a limited series of ideograms, as seen on the Charr Battle Plan Decoder wheel. Each ideogram represents a quality or an entity that the Charr admire or respect, such as strength, courage, victory, honor, etc. Charr ideograms were not widely embraced, in part as a reflection of the Shaman caste's draconian rule, until Pyre Fierceshot led the revolt against them.

Known words, titles, and phrases.
Cub	Juvenile Charr, gender-neutral.
Fahrar (also known as a crèche)	Education, school.
Hrangmer	Jaws of Oblivion.
Imperator	Descendant of the Khan-Ur and leader of one of the High Legions.
Khan-Ur	Title of the supreme leader of all Charr.
Kit	Juvenile Charr, feminine.
Meat	Derogatory term used to refer to humans and possibly other non-Charr.
Mouse	Derogatory term used to refer to humans and possibly other non-Charr.

Grawl

Other than their own names, the only known Grawl word is a noise rendered as "*oot!*".

Human languages

Ascalonian

Ascalonian runes.
Line 1: ABCDEFGHIJKLM.
Line 2: NOPQRSTUVWXYZ.

Ascalonian uses a runic alphabet, making it versatile for writing and clearly translatable. Although most Ascalonians cannot read or write, Ascalonian was easily recognized and was used everywhere on contemporary structures and ancient artifacts, as well as other sources.

Elonian dialect

The (untranslatable) Elonian alphabet.

There is no Elonian language as much as there is an Elonian dialect with various words and phrases used alongside "common." Elonian words are generally only used in place names, making it difficult to determine their meanings through context.

Known words and phrases.
Ahai	Greeting.
Anur / onur / nur	Suffixes used in the names of various settlements.

The written language of Elona can be found throughout Istan, Kourna, and Vabbi - the prime location being scrolling runes in the Halls of Chokhin called "stacks" by the librarians. They can also be found on the "plinths" - large pillars with a purple glow - found throughout the Realm of Torment and in Bloodstone Caves.

Ancient Elonian script

An example of ancient Elonian text.

In addition to the modern Elonian written language, examples of Elonian inscriptions from the Primeval Dynasty can be found in Istan. These are notably different from modern Elonian text, and most Elonians cannot read this script.

This ancient script can be found on various things related to Nightfall, such as the corpses of diggers excavating Fahranur, The First City, and on Graven Monoliths.

Old Canthan

The spoken version of the old language of Cantha has been largely supplanted by "common." Nowadays, there are few people who speak the Old Canthan language, however, a number of words and phrases have been integrated into the Canthan dialect of "common."

While Old Canthan is hardly spoken anymore, the written version is still widely used throughout Cantha and it is near impossible to move around without seeing uses of Old Canthan.

Observed words, phrases, and sentences
Chang	Lord
Jaje Niya	Precious Treasure
Kaineng	Emperor
Mo Zing	Describes people who have no master, or guild, that they follow (like rōnin in japanese culture)
Naitahlen	Pirate(s)
Pahbahzhen	A form of greeting
Ran musu	Blue moon
Tahkayun	Assassin
Weh no Su	Closer to the stars/Near the Stars
Zhu Hanuku	Old Long Arms
Hai Jii	The Phoenix, the representation of fiery eternity in the Underworld
Kaijun Don (or Kai Jun Don)	The Kirin, the embodiment of corruption
Kuonghsang (or Quon Sang)	The Turtle Dragon, the eternal paradox
Tahmu (or Tah Mu)	The Dragon, a reminder of atrocity, pain, and anguish
Kei na Kai	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission, in A Master’s Burden and in Power Surge. Probably an old saying referring to Kaijun Don.
Cong a tae? Ah lo rai fat.... Cam bau len ah kao?	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission (Kaolai may be trying to remember who he is - he'll say later in the story when asked for advice : "I know not who I am, but somehow I know this: you must now [...]")
Ah raion ii! ; Dun ah! ; U man ah kao zaa yundin	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission (Bound Kaolai's cries of regret and agony when fighting him)
Ah ja singka ra beh. Ah ka Vizu jai! Behnu ra fan kuu! ; Ah him ra beh yan.	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission (Kaolai's words after being freed, while the player is going forward to save Vizu)
Ah sang beh	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission (Bound Vizu: "Get away from me, demons! Ah sang beh!")
Huu na mang	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission (Bound Vizu: "I serve Cantha, not that huu na mang! He is a traitor to his Emperor!")
Ik no pii o taeping tah	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission (Afflicted surrounding Bound Vizu)
Nao o hoi be mao	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission (Afflicted surrounding Bound Vizu)
Yaa zin, yaa yun... shae yaa, dom vi...	Unknown. Seen in Tahnnakai Temple mission (Afflicted surrounding Bound Vizu)
Pongmang	Unknown. Seen during Finding The Oracle (Nika: "Get your hands off me, pongmang! You are unfit to touch me!")
Kai sang	Unknown. Used as an epithet during Finding The Oracle (Nika: "I said...get...your...kai sang...hands...off...me!")
Ku kao Xa'ah, ikah tanra bah nae	Unknown. Seen in Raisu Palace mission (Shiro Tagachi says that when the player reaches him at the end of the mission)
Rai, cambah nuang	Unknown. After completing the Raisu Palace mission (Vizu:"Togo is dead? Rai, cambah nuang! What a loss! I pray the envoys guide him quickly and safely home to the Mists.")

Old Canthan writing system

Known Canthan logograms

A banner listing the eight professions in Guild Wars Factions.

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  1

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  2

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  3

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  4

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  5

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  6

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  7

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  8

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  9

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  10

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  air

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  animal

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  arms

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  blood

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  boat

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  bow

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  brother

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  town, city

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  crops

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  dark

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  daughter

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  day

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  death

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  demon

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  down, below, yang

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  earth

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  elements

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  face

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  fire

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  foot

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  god

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  hand

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  junk

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  kirin

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  lantern

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  life

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  light, sun

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  lord, general

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  love

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  man

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  midnight

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  monster

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  night

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  rage

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  sister

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  sky

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  son

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  sunrise

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  sunset

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  tool

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  torch

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  tree

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  trusted

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  up, above, yin

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  vengeance

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  water

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  woman

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  world, balance

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  Assassin ('Tahkayun')

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  Elementalist

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  Mesmer

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  Monk

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  Necromancer

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  Ranger

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  Ritualist

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  Warrior

Old Kurzick

Along with Old Canthan, an old form of the Kurzick language still exists in Cantha. However, the only known example of Old Kurzick is the Songs of Arboreum, performed by the Tree Singers during the Eternal Grove mission, its lyrics are as follows:

"A sanctu al defender zu arboretum."

"Par itzkein zein mysterium."

"A eternum al arboreum."

"Per edora resurrekti zu mortikum."

The chant appears to be a mixture of English, Latin, Yiddish, and German. A rough fan-made translation is:

"A holy protector to defend the forest."

"Equal in the mystery."

"An eternal tree."

"By which we resurrect the dead."

Old Krytan

Old Krytan runes seen on the Talmark Wilderness pillars.

Old Krytan uses a series of runes that is usually arranged in a vertical format and is more akin to primitive syllabary than an alphabet. Due to the heavy use of contextualization, which is only easily understandable to the most learned scholars, Old Krytan began to fall out of favor with modern Krytan citizens. However, Old Krytan still shows up on some Druid stones, ruins, signposts, and a handful of other places.

Old Krytan was extremely hard to use due to the pronunciation of runes changing depending on if the rune was alone or in a particular order to other runes, with changes in order changing the sound of the rune. Effectively, switching the order of two runes give a completely different sound (e.g., One sounds like "AH" and the other sounds like "MUH," when combined to make a simple word, they can either create "ACH-MEH" or, if reversed, "MIH-YEH").

Mursaat

Mursaat runes circling the pedestals that the Eye of Janthir sits upon.

Not much is known of the runes belonging to the Mursaat, however they are found in two locations: In Shaemoor, where the Eye of Janthir sits, and in the Hall of Judgment.

It is unknown if their placement in the Hall of Judgment is canon to lore, due to the limit of resources the Live Team had when the area was created.

Titan

The Titan language, along with Titan names, seems to be based on latin. There is currently only one known phrase:

"Shith Mal Hacto!"

Unknown runes and languages

Little is known about most runes found throughout world, leaving them as complete mysteries to most.

Gallery

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  Runes found on various Ascalonian signposts.

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  Runes found on various stones in the Maguuma Jungle.

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  Runes found on various signposts in the Crystal Desert.

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  Hieroglyphs found throughout the Crystal Desert.

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  Runes found within Augury Rock.

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  Runes found on the teleportation circles.

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  Hieroglyphs found on some Kournan ships.

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  Runes found on various Vabbian signposts.

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  Runes found on various signposts in the Far Shiverpeaks.

Ephemeral Spirit

The substitution cipher used
Cipher	English		Cipher	English		Cipher	English		Cipher	English
A	S		B	U		C	V		D	T
E	R		F	—		G	—		H	Y
I	W		J	O		K	—		L	P
M	N		N	G		O	I		P	H
Q	F		R	B		S	D		T	E
U	C		V	A		W	K		X	M
Y	L		Z	J	Unused English Letters: X Q Z

This language is spoken by the Ephemeral Spirit, the only known speaker of this language, at the end of The Path to Revelations quest. The language follows a substitution cipher.

The original language:

"Vm'Jqqteomn dj'dpjat ipj'attw"

"Rthjms'dpt xoada'rthjms dpt'setvxa"

"Jm'soadvmd apjeta'jq v'yvms bmivwomn"

"Vmaitea'dptet yot'om ivodomn"

The translation:

"An offering to those who seek"

"Beyond the mists beyond the dreams"

"On distant shores of a land unwaking"

"Answers there lie in waiting"

The most common runes

There are runes that appear throughout Tyria, Elona, and the Mists which have an unknown origin. These runes can be found on the walls of the Tomb of the Primeval Kings (though it is near impossible to see them anymore except during Halloween), various doorways, ramps, and pillars throughout the Underworld, various doorways and ramps in the Catacombs, on banners hanging from various tents in Ascalon and Kryta, in a few locations in Vabbi, primarily Forum Highlands, and throughout the path to the Hall of Heroes (such as Burial Mounds).

Despite these being the most widespread set of runes, there is nothing ever stated on them. They are sometimes accompanied by an eye-like symbol which is seen on pedestals which contain Mursaat runes on them, any connection is unknown. The runes are also often accompanied by a circle or a series of circles which contain the runes in layers.

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  Some of the runes found in Tomb of the Primeval Kings.

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  Another set of runes found in the Tomb of the Primeval Kings.

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  A banner seen in Ascalon and Kryta mainly which features the runes.

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  A ramp with the runes seen in the Underworld, the Catacombs, and the path to the Hall of Heroes.

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  A doorway seen in the Underworld, the Catacombs, and the Hall of Heroes which features the runes.

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  A pillar seen in the Underworld and the Cathedral of Flame which features the runes with the eye-like symbol.

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  A cracked door with the runes seen in Forum Highlands and along the path to the Hall of Heroes.

Trivia

The Guild Wars 2 Wiki has an article on Languages of Tyria.

• Matthew Medina took inspiration from the Phoenician alphabet when creating the Ascalonian runes, which were one of the first alphabets developed for Guild Wars.
• Bookah may be a reference to the Japanese word "buka" meaning subordinate, the Japanese word "baka" meaning "idiot," the Russian word "Бука" meaning sulky man, or the Polish cartoon character Buka, which is a giant monster that grunts and scares families.
• The asuran banners contain a reference to Riley Martin.
• In the War in Kryta marketing campaign, ArenaNet used the Ascalonian runes as codes for players to find the next website page.