Appendix:Hungarian low-vowel words

Low-vowel words (Hungarian nyitótő (literally opening stem), see also the article in the Hungarian Wikipedia) take a more open vowel than usual for their linking vowel:

  • back-vowel types take -a- instead of the regular -o-,
  • while rounded front-vowel types take -e- instead of the regular -ö-.

These words use this low linking vowel in the accusative even if it is not justified by the ending consonant, for example (low-vowel) vajat vs. (regular) bajt, from vaj (butter) and baj (trouble).

Apart from the accusative (-t), it affects the plural (-k), the possessive-suffixed forms (first and second person singular, second person plural: -m, -d, -tok/-tek/-tök), the distributive -nként, and the sociative -stul/-stül. As far as derivational suffixes are concerned, the adjective-forming suffix -s, and the ordinal-forming suffix -dik, the diminutive suffix -cska/-cske, and the verb forming suffixes -z/-zik and -l are also affected.

Back-vowel wordsEdit

Word Meaning Vowel Ending Note
ág branch á
agy brain a yga
ágy bed á ygá
agyar fang, tusk zaa rayga
alj lower part; skirt a jla
áll chin, jaw á llá Inflection set apart from forms of the verb áll by the vowel.
Homonymy brought about with állam (state).
ár price; flood, flow, tide; awl á Homonymy brought about with áram ([electric] current) and árad (to swell/flood); another homonymy with árok (ditch, trench) averted.
arany gold zaa ynara
árny shade, shadow á ynrá
báj charm, gracefulness á jáb Its accusative may also be bájt.
díj fee; prize, award í jíd
fal wall a laf Inflection set apart from forms of the verb fal by the vowel.
Homonymy brought about with falat (bite [of food]).
fog tooth o gof Inflection set apart from forms of the verb fog by the vowel. Homonymy brought about with fogad (to receive) and fogat (team of horses; carriage).
gally twig [small branch] a yllag
gát dam, dyke, levee á tág
gyár factory, plant á ráyg
had army, military troops a dah
haj hair [on the head] (only sing.) a jah Homonymy brought about with hajadon (maiden).
háj fat, flab á jáh
hal fish a lah Inflection set apart from forms of the verb hal by the vowel.
Homonymy brought about with halad (to proceed).
hamv ash[es] (mostly in the plural) a vmah
hárs lime, linden á sráh
has abdomen, belly a sah Homonymy brought about with hasad (to crack, burst).
hát back á táh
ház house, building á záh
héj peel, shell, rind, [plant's] skin é jéh
hold moon; [approx.] acre o dloh
hossz length o zssoh
igaz truth; [being] right zia zagi Used in the phrase igaza van (igazam, igazad, igazatok).
íj bow [weapon] í
kád tub, bathtub á dák
láb leg, foot á bál Homonymy brought about with lábad ([of eyes] to fill with tears).
láz fever á zál Homonymy brought about with lázad (to revolt).
lyuk hole u kuyl Homonymy brought about with lyukad (to get a hole).
máj liver á jám
máz glaze, gloss; veneer, varnish á zám
nád reed, cane á dán
nyáj flock á jáyn
nyak neck a kayn
nyál saliva á láyn
nyár poplar, aspen á ráyn Loses vowel length in the sense “summer”; see below.
nyárs spit, skewer á sráyn
ól kennel, sty, henhouse ó
olaj oil zoa jalo
oldal side, flank zoa ladlo Its accusative is oldalt.
sál scarf, cravat; shawl á lás
sarj sprout, offshoot a jras Homonymy brought about with sarjad (to sprout).
sav acid a vas
szád (rare) aperture [of a cave, pot, etc.] á dázs Homonymy existing with szád (your mouth).
száj mouth á jázs
szakáll beard zaá llákazs
szál thread, yarn, [thin] stick á lázs
szár stalk, stem á rázs Homonymy brought about with szárad (to get dry).
szárny wing á ynrázs
szarv horn a vrazs
szíj strap, belt, thong í jízs
szomj thirst o jmozs
táj landscape, scenery á ját
tál bowl, dish, platter á lát
talp sole, (lower) foot a plat
tár store, repository; [rifle] magazine á rát Regular accusative tárt is also possible.
Inflection set apart from forms of the verb tár by the vowel.
tárgy object á ygrát
társ companion, mate, partner, spouse á srát
toll pen, feather o llot
ujj finger (or thumb, toe) u jju
vad game [wild animal] a dav Polysemy existing with vad (wild [adjective]).
vád accusation, prosecution á dáv
vágy desire á ygáv Inflection set apart from forms of the verb vágyik by the vowel.
vaj butter a jav
váll shoulder á lláv
vár castle, fortress á ráv Inflection set apart from forms of the verb vár by the vowel.
vas iron [material] a sav
váz frame, framework á záv
vonal line zoa lanov
zár lock á ráz Inflection set apart from forms of the verb zár by the vowel.

The words kaptár (beehive) (kaptárok~kaptárak) and var (scab, incrustation) (varok~varak) might have this kind of suffix in the plural, although their normal inflection is the regular one.

The nouns lábos and város are exceptional in terms of their linking vowel; the regular (adjectival) derivations would be lábas and váras.

Non-noun elements of this groupEdit

Most of the adjectives (e.g. gyors (fast, quick), okos (smart, clever), rossz (bad), excluding nationalities like orosz), past participle and verbal participle forms, definite numerals (nyolc (eight), harminc (thirty), -van: hatvan (sixty), nyolcvan (eighty), száz (hundred)), and pronouns (hány (how many)), as well as the indefinite numerals (e.g. sok (many), néhány (some)) can be grouped here, including the numeral sense of pár (a couple of). However, the definite numeral hat (six) is inflected as a regular noun.

Already inflected word forms that take further inflectional suffixes will also take the low-vowel variant (that is, after the past tense -t, the subjunctive -j and its alternative forms in verbs, the plural -k and any possessive suffix in nouns, and the comparative degree -bb and the marking suffix -ik in adjectives and some pronouns).

Overlap with other groupsEdit

(Rounded) front-vowel wordsEdit

Word Meaning Vowel Ending Note
csönd silence ö dnösc Alternative form of csend.
föld ground, earth, soil, land ö dlöf
fül ear; handle; tab ü lüf
fürj quail ü jrüf
fűz willow [tree] ű zűf Inflection set apart from forms of the verb fűz (to lace, to stitch) by the vowel.
hölgy lady ö yglöh
könny tear [from crying] ö ynnök
könyv book ö vynök
öl [someone's] lap ö Inflection set apart from forms of the verb öl (to kill) by the vowel.
ölyv buzzard ö vylö
örv [dog] collar; pretext ö vrö
öv belt, waistband ö
őz roe deer ő
rügy bud ü ygür
rüh scabies, mange ü hür Often inflected with the regular linking vowel.
szög nail [for woodwork] ö gözs
szörny monster ö ynrözs
szügy [animal's] chest or breast ü ygüzs
szűz virgin ű zűzs
tőgy udder ő ygőt
tölgy oak ö yglöt
törzs trunk, torso, hull; tribe ö szröt
tűz fire ű zűt Inflection set apart from forms of the verb tűz (to pin) by the vowel.
ügy matter, case, affair ü ygü
ürügy excuse, pretext, pretence ygürü
völgy valley ö yglöv

The word öröm may also take the low linking vowel in the accusative (and rarely in other forms).

Non-noun elements of this groupEdit

All front-vowel adjectives (e.g. zöld (green), bölcs (wise), excluding nationalities like görög), past participle forms and any adjectives and/or nouns derived from them (tört, sült, sérült, jelölt, küldött, esküdt etc.), as well as the irregular comparative több (more)), can be grouped here. Some nouns whose meaning have departed far from the participle sense might take the regular suffix, e.g. pörkölt (meat stew)pörköltem ~ pörköltöm, as opposed to pörkölt (roasted, singed), which latter sense only allows for the low vowel.

Overlap with other groupsEdit

Unrounded front-vowel wordsEdit

Certain unrounded front-vowel words may also be counted in this group, based on the fact that (considering their stem-final consonant[s]) they could take -t for their accusative, and yet they take -et:

  • those ending in j or ly: fej (head), hely (place) and tej (milk) (compare e.g. pej (bay, chestnut) + ‑t, zörej (noise, rustle) + ‑t)
  • those ending in l: jel (sign, symbol) (compare e.g. kel + ‑t)
  • those ending in ll: mell (breast) (compare e.g. modell + ‑t)
  • those ending in ny: meny (daughter-in-law) (compare e.g. köpeny (coat) + ‑t)
  • those ending in z: méz (honey) (compare e.g. géz (gauze) + ‑t) and íz (joint, piece) (compare e.g. íz (taste, flavor) + ‑t, csíz (siskin) + ‑t)

Overlap with other groupsEdit

Further readingEdit