A short handy guide to some on screen Star Wars languages & writing systems
Essentially English with a Star Wars skin & the Force as the main influential religion. Most commonly spoken language within the Republic & later the Empire, but is seen all across the galaxy with various dialects & accents.
“Force help me” (Expression of helplessness or exasperation)
Generally uses the Aurebesh alphabet. Looks like this and can be found and read all over most movies, games & tv-shows:
Aurebesh text reads: “A good droid is a dead droid”
Language of the Hutts. Commonly spoken in Hutt Space and the outer rim, often as a trade language. Same language family as Aqualian and Rodian. Mostly spoken in conjunction with Basic by non-hutt individuals. Most curses we hear are also based in huttese.
Notable characters who’ve spoken this on screen: Anakin Skywalker, Sebulba, Din Djarin, Jabba the Hutt, Bib Fortuna.
Dee wanna wanga! (a greeting), Murishani… sleemo (Bounty Hunter… Slimeball), Bantha poodo (Bantha fodder, insulting)
In Legends it used what is in canon now known as the Outer Rim Basic writing system, which is used for Galactic Basic in the outer rim & looks like this:
Language spoken on Ryloth and by most twi’leks. Hard to speak for most non-twi’lek sentients because of its elaborate usage of their lekku (head tails) as a part of the language.
Notable on screen speakers: Numa, Obi-Wan Kenobi
Nerra (Brother), Nu nala quinjon wilo? (Do you know where the prisoners are?)
We have no canon form of writing of this language, in Legends it utilized pictograms.
Spoken by all Mandalorians across the galaxy, in Mandalorian colonies, clans, coverts and within the Mandalore system. Has been spoken out loud canonically in two identified dialects, one called Concordian hailing from the moon of Mandalore, Concordia. Much of it is currently classified as Legends, but what little has been used in canon is mostly in line with the vocabulary & rules seen there. Is entirely genderless as a standard, unless you go out of your way to specify.
Notable on screen speakers: Sabine Wren, Death Watch, Satine Kryze
Su’cuy aliit Wren (Hello/Hailing Clan Wren), Vor Entye (Thank You, literally: I accept this debt)
Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum (I love you, literally: I know you eternally or I know you in my heart eternally, the word for “to know” is derived from the word for heart (kar’ta)), Aliit ori'shya tal'din (Family is more than blood.)
Se solu, se kad, se darasuum kote. (No official translation, se is not used like that in standard mando’a but might be related to te = the (archaic, for emphasis, mostly not used in normal speech), solu might be related to solus = alone or united in one. kad = sword, darasuum = eternal & kote = glory)
Mando’a supposedly uses the Mandalorian writing system, however as of now we have never seen it written down as such in canon. So far it has only ever been used for Galactic Basic. It looks something like this (there are discussions about some letters canon usage, c & m mainly, there is another version further down):
In canon usage for Basic:
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