pom

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *bu̯ət (“to see”). Cognate with Iu Mien buatc.


dua

Muab dua pov tseg.

Nws dua daim ntaub.


dua

Dua twg lawm?


lem

From Thai เลี้ยว (líao) ("to turn"), with vowel reduction.


tu

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *tɛŋH (“to snap”).


tu

och-l

填 (OC *diːn, *diːns, *tin, *tins, “to fill”)


mus

From Proto-Hmong *n-mʉŋᴮ (“to go”), from Proto-Hmong-Mien *n-mʉŋ(X) (“id”). Cognate with Proto-Mien *n-mɨŋᴬ (“id”), whence Iu Mien mingh.


tau

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *təuk, from Old Chinese 得 (OC *tɯːɡ).

Kuv tsis tau ua.

(used preverbally) perfective action marker

Ua tau.

(used postverbally) potential mood marker


los

Inherited from Proto-Hmong-Mien *ləwX (“to come back”).

inh+

to come, return (to one's home or to a place where one resides)


da

From Thai ดำ (dam) ("to dive") or Lao ດຳ (dam) ("to dive"), from Proto-Tai *ɗamᴬ (“to dive”).


tom

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *dəp (“to bite”); compare Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ketep (“id”), whence Indonesian ketip (“dime, dite”).


mos

Probably borrowed from Chinese 摩 (mó, “to rub”).

mos nplej

to rub rice (off the stalk with hands or feet)

mos qhov muag

mos plab

to massage the abdomen or stomach, to rub the tummy

to squash or squeeze into a pulp, as in preparing certain vegetables


kam

Kuv kam thiab.

Kuv tsis kam mus.


ua

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔəjH (“to do, work”).


fab

mob fab

of a fit or coma after eating something that doesn't agree

Nws fab tshuaj tuag.

It died of allergic reaction to medicine.


su

(of bread, cakes, etc.) to increase in volume


tav

Nws mus tav nyuj noj zaub.

to herd animals, drive animals with a stick

Ib tug nab pw tav kev.

Nws tav cov ntsis zaub.


sia

sia siv


pov

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *pənX (“to shoot”).


foob

From Lao ຟ້ອງ (fǭng) or Thai ฟ้อง (fɔ́ɔng).


ya

Cognate with Western Xiangxi Miao [Fenghuang] eint.


tig

From Vietnamese đi ("to go", "to walk), borrowed with a more restrictive definition.


mob

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔmun (“illness, pain”). Cognate with Iu Mien mun.


hais

From Middle Chinese 話 (hwaejᴴ) ("to say" or "word").


ev

ncog

Japanese 負う (ou, “to bear, carry on one's back”)

Nws ev ib kawm pobkws puvnkaus.

She carries a full back-basket of corn (on her back).

to carry (a child, basket, etc.) on the back


hu

Probably borrowed from Chinese 呼 (“to exhale; to shout, call”).

bor+

Hu kuv.


hau

From Proto-Hmong *hu̯eiᶜ (“to boil (transitive)”).

inh

hau zaub

to boil (something in water or in liquid)


tiam

Nws tiam nws pog yawg.


haus

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *hup (“to drink, smoke”).

Kuv haus dej.


luv

From Proto-Hmong *ʔlɛŋᴮ (“short”), and cognate with Proto-Mien *ʔnəŋᴮ (“id”). Due to the n-l alternation between Mienic and Hmongic, a Chinese borrowing seems possible, though no plausible candidate has been found.


kaus

kaus av

kaus qhov muag

to gouge out, scrape with a gouging motion


rau

From Proto-Hmong *trɔᶜ (“to put on, wear (shoes)”), probably borrowed from Old Chinese 著 (OC *taʔ, *tas, *da, *taɡ, *daɡ, “to put on, wear, place, apply”).

och-l

Rau qhov no.

Yuav muab rau qhov twg?

Muab rau rau hauv.

Kuv rau khau.

Nws rau tshuaj.

to put on or wear (shoes, etc.), to put in place

Nws rau txuj lom rau cov nqaij.


ris

提 (OC *deː, *dje, “to raise, carry, lift”)


kub

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *k(h)lɛɔm (“hot (water)”). Cognate with Iu Mien jorm.

inh

kub hnyiab lawm

Nws lub tsev kub hnyiab tag lawm.

kub hlab lawm


pab

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 幫 (MC pang, “to help, assist”).

Kuv pab nws sau ntawv.


cais

bor+

borrowed from Chinese 拆 (“to dismantle”)

Lawv cais nws tawm hauv tsev neeg.

to separate from, exclude, segregate, split


muaj

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *n-mɛj (“to have”), possibly related to Chinese 買 /买 (mǎi, “to buy”) and 賣 /卖 (mài, “to sell”) (and thus muas (“to buy”) and muag (“to sell”)), though the details are unclear. Cognate with Iu Mien maaih.


pua

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 布 (MC puH, “to spread out; cloth”).

to prepare a flat surface, to prepare a level place on the ground

pua pob zeb

pua chaw pw


kho

to reforge or repair (metal knives, etc. that have been chipped or blunted)


cua

From Proto-Hmong *cu̯aᶜ (“to chew”), borrowed from Middle Chinese 嚼 (MC dzjak, “to chew”).

Tus aub cua pob txha.


noj

From Proto-Hmong *nuŋᴬ (“to eat”); possibly related to Proto-Mien *ɲənᶜ (“to eat”), as well as Old Chinese 茹 (OC *nja, *njaʔ, *njas, “to eat”).


siv

Yuav ua li cas siv?

Kuv tsis txawj siv.


loj

Inherited from Proto-Hmong-Mien *hljo (“big”). Cognate with hlob (“to grow”), Iu Mien hlo.


daug

Lub qe daug.


teev

teev dej

to build a dam, to block or stop the flow of liquid

Nws teev khob cawv.


muas

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *mɛjX (“to buy”), probably borrowed from Middle Chinese 買／买 (mǎi, “to buy”). See also muaj (“to have”).


faus

From Thai ฝัง (fǎng) ("to bury") or Lao ຝັງ (fang) ("to bury"), with vowel reduction.


nug

From Proto-Hmong *nɛŋᶜ (“to ask”); related to Proto-Mien *nu̯aiᶜ (“id”).


pw

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *pu̯eiH (“to sleep, to lie down”). Cognate with Iu Mien bueix.


ua si

Borrowed from Chinese 玩耍 (wánshuǎ, “to play”).


kaws

och-l

咬 (OC *kreːw, *ŋɡreːwʔ, *qreːw, “to bite”)

Dev kaws pob txha.

Nees kaws kaws zaub.


quaj

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *Gæw (“to sing, cry out”), borrowed from Old Chinese 號 (OC *ɦlaːw, *ɦlaːws, “to cry”).

inh

Txhob quaj.


lwj

From Thai เน่า (nâo) ("to rot" or "to decay") or Lao ເນົ່າ (nao) ("to rot" or "to decay"). Traditionally, the [l] and [n] were interchangeable.


qab

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *N-Kaŋ (“back (as opposed to the front)”).


ntoo

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ntɔŋH (“to put on, wear (a cap)”).

to wear on the head, put on (a cap, hat, etc.)


nqov

nyuj nqov


nquag

recover (from an illness), get well, get better


paub

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *pei (“to know”). Cognate with Iu Mien bei.


yuav

From Proto-Hmong *ʔjuᴮ (“to ask for, want”), borrowed from Chinese 要 (MC 'jiew|'jiewH).

Nws yuav koj cov lus hais.

Koj yuav lub tsev loj heev

Nkawv tsis tau yuav txiv.

Koj yuav tuaj los tsis tuaj?

used to indicate future tense: will, shall


ntxuav

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ntsæwX (“to wash (hands)”), borrowed from Old Chinese 澡 (OC *ʔslaːwʔ, “to wash (one's hands)”).

och-l

ntxuav tes

ntxuav cev

to wash something off in water or other liquid


tuaj

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *daj (“to come”). Cognate with Iu Mien daaih.

“Koj tuaj los[?]” (“You've come, eh?”) […] “Kuv tuaj os[.]” (“I've come.”)

1994, Sue Murphy Mote, Hmong and American: Stories of Transition to a Strange Land, →ISBN, page 262:

to come (to a place which is not one's home / a place where one does not reside)

Noog tuaj plaub.

to bear, to put forth (as of horns, hair, feathers, a tail, etc.)


laim

From Proto-Hmong *ljeᴰ (“lightning flash”), borrowed from Proto-Tibeto-Burman *s-lyap (“lightning flash; glitter; butterfly”). Compare Old Chinese 蝶 (OC *l̥ʰeːb, *l'eːb, “butterfly”), 燁 (OC *ɢʷab, *ɢʷɯb, “gleaming”), 熠 (OC *ɢrub, *lub, “flashing”). Probably not related to Chinese 雷 (léi, “lightning”), despite superficial similarity.
The "flutter" and "cast away" senses are likely semantic extensions of the "flash" sense.

laim muag

to cast a sideways glance, to look from the corner of the eye

qhov muag laim laim

eyes twitching, eyes affected with spasm of fluttering


nyiam

Kuv nyiam cev tiab no.


suav

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 數 (MC srjuX|srjuH|sraewk, “to count”).

Suav txog koj tus kheej.


ua hauj lwm

/ʔuə̯˧.hau̯˥˧.lɨ˩̰/


ncig yuav khoom

/ᶮɟi˧˩̤.ʝuə̯˧˦.kʰɒ̃˩̰/

ncig (“to encircle”) + yuav (“to buy”) + khoom (“object”), literally “to go around buying stuff”.

com

to shop, go shopping, go and buy goods from a store


kovyeej

to defeat, win, beat (win against), overcome


tshuab

cua tshuab tuaj.

tshuab raj


ntaus ntawv

/ⁿdau̯˩.ⁿdaɨ̯˧˦/


nco

Clipping from Thai จดจำ (jòt-jam) ("to remember", "to memorize").


ntsws

Lub tsho ntsws

Neeg laus ces tawv nqaij ntsws.


muag

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *mɛjH (“to sell”); related to Chinese 賣／卖 (mài, “to sell”), perhaps via borrowing from the latter. See also muaj (“to have”).


mloog

Inherited from Proto-Hmong *mrɔŋᶜ (“to hear”), from Proto-Hmong-Mien *(S-)mru̯ɔŋH (“to listen”). Cognate with Proto-Mien *s-mru ̯ əŋᶜ (“to listen”).


tauv

tauv dej

tauv tsis taus lub kua muag


hlob

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *hljo (“big”). Cognate with loj (“big”), Iu Mien hlo.


nyiag

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ɲemH (“to steal”). Cognate with Iu Mien nimc.


nqe

From Proto-Hmong *ɴqæwᶜ (“hook”), borrowed from Old Chinese 鉤 (OC *koː, “hook”).

nqe ko taw

to hook the foot (on something and stumble)


xeev

From Mandarin 醒 (xǐng, “to wake up”) or Middle Chinese or Old Chinese.


yaj

From Proto-Hmong *jaŋᴬ (“to dissolve, melt”), borrowed from Middle Chinese 煬 (MC yang|yangH, “to melt”).


yaim

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *-jep (“to lick”). Cognate with Hmong Shua jei²¹.


luj

From Proto-Hmong *ljɛŋᴬ (“to measure (rice)”), borrowed from Middle Chinese 量 (MC ljang|ljangH, “quantity; to measure”).


tiv

to oppose, to resist, to meet or endure opposition

tiv tshav

to "go against" sunlight (can mean both being in and avoiding sunlight)


caij

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ɟej. Cognate with Iu Mien geh.


da dej

From Thai ดำ (dam) ("to dive") or Lao ດຳ (dam) ("to dive"), from Proto-Tai *ɗamᴬ (“to dive”) + a calque of Thai น้ำ (náam) (" water") or Lao ດຳ (dam) (" water").


koom siab

/kɒ̃˩̰.ʂiə̯˥/


nco ntsoov

/ᶮɟɒ˧.ᶯd͡ʐɒ̃˧˦/

From Thai จดจำ (jòt-jam) ("to remember", "to memorize").


khawb

From Thai ขุด (kùt) ("to dig") or Lao ຂຸດ (khut) ("to dig").


xav

Borrowed from Chinese 想 (xiǎng, “to think”).

Kuv tsis xav mus.

Kuv xav tsis mus.

to think, to wish, to desire, to want to


xav

Borrowed from Lao ສັກ (sak, “injection”).


xeem

Borrowed from Chinese 賽 /赛 (sài, “to compete, race”)

xeem ntawv

xeem dab

xeem tsheb


nyob

From Proto-Hmong *ʔɲəŋᴬ (“to be at, to live”). Related to Proto-Hmong *jəŋᶜ (“to be”) (whence yog (“to be”)), as well as probably Proto-Mien *ʔjəmᴬ (“to be at, to live”).


yog

From Proto-Hmong *jəŋᶜ (“to be”). Related to Proto-Hmong *ʔɲəŋᴬ (“to be at, to live”) (whence nyob (“to be at, to live”), as well as probably Proto-Mien *ʔjəmᴬ (“to be at, to live”).


hu ua

Kuv poj niam lub npe hu ua Mos.


nyeem

Borrowed from Chinese 念 (niàn, “to read, recite”).


kuaj xyuas

/kuə̯˥˧.çuə̯˩/


pab cuam

Borrowed from Chinese 幫助／帮助 (bāngzhù, “help”).


qhwv

From Proto-Hmong *qhuᴮ (“to pack, wrap”), possibly borrowed from Old Chinese 裹 (OC *kloːlʔ, *kloːls, “to wrap”).


ntug

Qos ntug loj heev.

(of tubers and roots only) to grow, to enlarge


txhais

txhais tsis tau


txhais

Rooj ntxiab txhais raug ib tug nas.

(of a trap) to trigger, spring, snap, go off


ntiv

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ntik (“to flip with finger”).


puab

Nws muab av puab coj los ua ib tug nlom.

Puab ua ncuav.


puab

Plig puab cev.

to remain in close relationship with something


ntais

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *NKʷet (“to have a gap”), borrowed from Middle Chinese 缺 (MC khwet|khjwiet, “to lack”), with irregular phonetic development of the onset "*NKʷet-" > "ɴqʷ-" > "ɴql-" > "nd-" > "nt-".


nkag siab

/ᵑɡa˧˩̤.ʂiə̯˥/

nkag (“to crawl, go beneath”) + siab (“liver”), literally “to enter the liver (metaphorical heart)”.

com

Koj puas nkag siab?


nthuav

From Proto-Hmong *nthu̯aᴮ (“to open out, undo”). Despite superficial similarity, probably not related to Middle Chinese 展 (MC trjenX, “to unfold, stretch”).

inh

muab lub siab nthuav ntxeev


txiav

Likely borrowed from Middle Chinese 剪 (MC tsjenX, “to cut”).


rau siab

/ʈau̯˧.ʂiə̯˥/

rau (“to put, place”) + siab (“liver”), literally “put one's liver”.

com

to apply oneself, persevere, persist, put effort, focus


npau

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *mpu̯æiH (“to boil (intransitive)”), borrowed from Old Chinese 沸 (OC *pɯds, “to boil”).

inh

Dej npau npau.


raug

From Proto-Hmong *drɔᶜ (“to hit a target”), borrowed from Middle Chinese 著 (MC drjo|trjoX|trjoH|trjak|drjak, “to touch, be attached”).

ltc-l

to incur, to suffer or be afflicted with

sib raug zoo

to have fellowship, to be united in heart

Koj yuav sij raug me ntsis.


ncig

周 (MC tsyuw, “to encircle; whole, complete”)

Hmab ncig ntoo.


poob

From Proto-Hmong *pʉŋᴬ (“to fall”), probably borrowed from Middle Chinese 崩 (MC pong, “to collapse, crumble”).

Me nyuam poob ntoo.

Nws poob nyiaj rau kev twv txiaj.

Nws poob hoob.


nphau

Roob nphau los.

The mountain slid down. (lit. 'The mountain tipped over.')


hnia

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *hmji̯əmH (“to sniff at”), likely related to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m/s-nam (“to smell”), whence Tibetan སྣོམ་པ (snom pa, “to smell”) and Chinese 聞／闻 (wén, “to smell; to hear”). The "kiss" meaning is a semantic extension of the original "sniff" meaning.

cog

to sniff at, to smell something intentionally

Kuv xav hnia koj.


ntxhua

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ntshuH (“to wash laundry, launder”).

inh

ntxhua khaub ncaws

to scrub, to wash by scrubbing or pressing


hlab

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *hljaŋ (“sash, cord, rope”), possibly borrowed from Old Chinese 繩 (OC *ɦbljɯŋ, “string, cord”).


hlab

From Proto-Hmong *hlaŋᴬ (“to scald”), borrowed from Old Chinese 湯 (OC *l̥ʰaːŋ, *l̥ʰaːŋs, *hljaŋ, “hot liquid”).


xaws

to sew (clothing, etc.), to fasten by sewing


kawm

Borrowed from Chinese 考 (kǎo, “to study; to consider; to check”).


qhia

Thov koj qhia kuv.

Txhob qhia kuv!


hnav

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *(h)naŋX (“to put on, wear (clothes)”).

inh

hnav ris tsho


nqa

Koj nqa ib lub hnab nyiaj.

to lift with the hand, to carry in the hand or hands, to hold in the hand, take in the hand


twm

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 讀 (MC duwk, “to read, recite texts”).

Ob tug menyuam tabtom twm ib phau ntawv.


loj leeb

Tus liab ua loj leeb tas li.


sawv

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *sjouX (“to stand, get up”).


tshav

cog

Khmer ភ្លឺ (phlɨɨ, “to shine; daybreak”)

Lub ntuj tshav lawm.


tshav

tshav quav nplej

to beat down grain stubble in the field in preparation for burning it off

tshav ntoo

lub tshav

Nws mus tshav tsog tsuag.

He made unintended contact with wild spirits.

to touch by accident, make unintended contact


zuag

zuag cwm mem


lwm

used in lwm qaib (“to swing a live chicken over the head of a wife on bringing her into her husband's home”)


kawm ntawv

/kaɨ̯˩̰.ⁿdaɨ̯˧˦/


pw tsaug zog

/pɨ˧.t͡ʂau̯˧˩̤.ʐɒ˧˩̤/

pw (“to lie down”) + tsaug zog (“asleep, sleepy”).


tsaug

to wash by shaking something in water (e.g. vegetables)


ua tsaug

/ʔuə̯˧.t͡ʂau̯˧˩̤/

to thank, to show gratitude, to appreciate


hlais

From Proto-Hmong *hlep (“to slice”), likely related to Proto-Tibeto-Burman *s-lep (“to slice”), whence Bodo (India) [script needed] (léb, “to cut off with one stroke”).

cog

hlais nqaij

to cut, to slice, to cut with a slicing motion