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Gerudo is the written and spoken language of the Gerudo.[1] It was first confirmed as such in the Hyrule Historia,[2] though it first appeared in Ocarina of Time. Consisting of 26 different characters, it is directly based on the modern Latin alphabet. It appears at the Gerudo's Training Ground and Spirit Temple (where it appears written in order and its entirety on the stone to the left for the stairs at the entrance) in Ocarina of Time, sparsely at the Arbiter's Grounds in Twilight Princess, a stairway in Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time 3D and throughout Gerudo encampments and Gerudo Town in Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom.

The accompanying spoken language itself was first introduced in Breath of the Wild, where it is used throughout the Gerudo Region by both the Gerudo and travelers of the region.

OoT Triforce Model
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Phrases[]

  • Sa'oten: An exclamation, a surprise [3][4]
  • Sarqso: Thank you[1]
  • Sav'otta: Good morning[5]
  • Sav'aaq: Good day[6]
  • Sav'orq: Goodbye[7]
  • Sav'orr: Good night[8]
  • Sav'saaba: Good evening[9]
  • Vasaaq: Welcome[10]
  • Vaba: Grandmother[11]
  • Vai: Woman[12]
  • Vehvi: Daughter[13][14]
  • Voe: Man[15]
  • Vure: Bird[16]

Trivia[]

  • The "y" in the Gerudo Typography bears resemblance to the "y" found in the medieval runic alphabet, or fuþark.
  • The usage of only two single numbers (1 and 5) suggests that the Gerudo numerical system is a simplified variation of Roman numerals. It is possible that counting would consist of the two available numbers being used consecutively to reach the desired number. For example, 6 would be written "5 1", ten would be written "5 5" and fifty five would thus be written with eleven consecutive 5's.
  • In the original Japanese version of Hyrule Historia, the transcription table identifies the top and bottom parts of the Gerudo semi-colon as a period and comma, respectively.[17]
  • The title at the top of the Gerudo Alphabet says "Geldo's Typography" in Gerudo symbols. Geldo may have been the original intention for the name's translation.

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "By the way, in Gerudo, "thank you" is "sarqso." SARQSO!" — Guy (Breath of the Wild)
  2. Johnson, David, Another Zelda alphabet cracked, Gerudo font made available - Zelda Universe, Zelda Universe, retrieved March 8, 2017.
  3. "What if “spirits” refers to orbs like this one? Sa’oten! I believe I’ve made a breakthrough!" — Rotana (Tears of the Kingdom)
  4. "I’m always shocked when I speak with the others about you. It’s a real sa’oten-a surprise-how incredible you are." — Isha (Tears of the Kingdom)
  5. "Good morning! I actually want to use the actual Gerudo greeting. You know...Sav'otta!" — Frita (Breath of the Wild)
  6. "Good day! I actually want to use the actual Gerudo greeting. You know...Sav'aaq!" — Frita (Breath of the Wild)
  7. "Since you're here, it might be worth it to learn some Gerudo words, right? "Good-bye" is sav'orq." — Dorrah (Breath of the Wild)
  8. "Sav'orr!" — Romah (Breath of the Wild)
  9. "Good...evening... Heh, that's how you say it where you're from, isn't it? Here, we say "sav'sabba."" — Maike (Breath of the Wild)
  10. "Well...come... Did I get that right? Isn't that how you say it where you're from? Here, we say "vasaaq."" — Maike (Breath of the Wild)
  11. "Wait, I should say "grandmother," not "vaba."" — Risa (Breath of the Wild)
  12. "Vai is a word in the Gerudo language that means "woman."" — Merina (Breath of the Wild)
  13. "If I ever have a vehvi, I hope I can raise her to be a vai like you." — Malena (Breath of the Wild)
  14. Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 401
  15. "Voe is a word in the Gerudo language that means "man."" — Merina (Breath of the Wild)
  16. "Whoa... That's a really big vure..." — Kalani (Breath of the Wild)
  17. Hyrule Historia, Shogakukan, pg. 90
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