Quechua Dictionary

Quechua language and culture

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A group of school-aged children during a parade in Torotoro, Cochabamba, Bolivia.  This girl is dressed as a tinku dancer, based on the ritualistic combat event.  In the neighboring department of Potosí, tinku festivals are held in the first weeks of May.  The word tinku comes from the Quechua verb tinkuy, meaning roughly to meet or encounter.

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Tinku dancers in Bolivia at the annual Urkupiña festival.  This picture is shared from Sustainable Bolivia.

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Quechua Numbers

Learning the basic numbers in a language is a great way to become familiar with its sounds.  Keep in mind that there are various Quechua dialects and groupings.  The numbers shown below are most consistent with Bolivian Quechua.

Uj

Iskay

Kinsa

Tawa

Phishqa

Sojta

Qanchis

Pusaj

Jisq'on

Chunka

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English Words from Quechua

Although english and quechua don't share a common root or history, there are some english words that come from Quechua.  Some common examples are:

Coca kuka - Leaf that is commonly chewed in the Andes due to it's energizing and hunger-suppressing effects.

Condor kuntur - Large bird which is becoming increasingly rare in both the Andes and American south-west.

Jerky ch'arki - Dried llama meat, a dish still eaten in the Andres.  The use of the 'explosive' ch is one of the characteristic sounds of Quechua.

Quinoa kinwa - The (increasingly popular in America) grain that grows well in the Andes.

Vicuña wik'uña - Llama-like animal herded commonly in the Andes.  Quechua does not have a 'v' sound, and as such w and v are used interchangeably when translated.  A common example of this is the Spanish word ventana, which is translated into Quechua as wintana.

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Google in Quechua

Google is constantly rolling out new and exciting features.  One of the lesser-known abilities is to use the search engine in Quechua.  Simply go to https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=qu and search.  Results will be returned in Quechua.  Although in practice, since there are few sites completely in Quechua, many of the results will actually be Spanish pages.

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Here's our first post submission, from Sustainable Bolivia in Cochabamba, Bolivia.  This photo of local Cholitas was taken in the area surrounding Cochabamba, where Quechua is widely spoken.  

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Call for posts

Quechuadictionary.org will be evolving over the next month into a full website. It will feature a robust dictionary, and information about the Quechua language, people, and culture. For anyone looking to share a Quechua-related article, analysis or story, contact [email protected].