This is a Swadesh list of words in Sundanese, compared with definitions in English.
American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.
| No. | English | Sundanese Basa Sunda |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | kuring (loma) abdi (lemes) aing déwék |
| 2 | you (singular) | manéh (loma) anjeun (lemes) sia |
| 3 | he, she, it | manéhna (loma) anjeunna (lemes) |
| 4 | we | arurang (loma-lemes) urang |
| 5 | you (plural) | maranéh (loma) aranjeun (lemes) |
| 6 | they | maranéhna (loma) aranjeunna (lemes) arinyana |
| 7 | this | ieu (loma-lemes) |
| 8 | that | éta (loma-lemes, near) itu (loma-lemes, distant) |
| 9 | here | di dieu (loma) palih dieu (lemes) |
| 10 | there | di dinya (loma, near) palih dinya (lemes, near) di ditu (loma, distant) palih ditu (lemes, distant) |
| 11 | who | saha (loma-lemes) |
| 12 | what | naon (loma-lemes) |
| 13 | where | dimana (loma) di manten (lemes) |
| 14 | when | iraha (loma-lemes) |
| 15 | how | kumaha (loma-lemes |
| 16 | not | henteu (loma-lemes) teu (loma-lemes) |
| 17 | all | kabéh (loma) sadaya (lemes) |
| 18 | many | loba (loma) seueur (lemes) réa |
| 19 | some | sawatara (loma) sababaraha (loma-lemes) sawatawis (lemes) |
| 20 | few | saeutik (loma) sakedik (lemes) |
| 21 | other | séjén (loma) sanés (lemes) lian |
| 22 | one | hiji |
| 23 | two | dua |
| 24 | three | tilu |
| 25 | four | opat |
| 26 | five | lima |
| 27 | big | badag, gedé (loma) ageung (lemes) |
| 28 | long | panjang (loma) paos (lemes) |
| 29 | wide | rubak (loma) jembar (lemes) |
| 30 | thick | kandel |
| 31 | heavy | beurat (loma) abot (lemes) |
| 32 | small | leutik (loma) alit (lemes) |
| 33 | short | pondok |
| 34 | narrow | heureut |
| 35 | thin | ipis |
| 36 | woman | awéwé (loma) istri (lemes) |
| 37 | man (adult male) | lalaki (loma) pameget (lemes) |
| 38 | man (human being) | jalma (loma) manusa (loma-lemes) jalmi (lemes) |
| 39 | child | budak (loma) murangkalih (lemes) |
| 40 | wife | pamajikan (loma) pun bojo (sedeng) geureuha (lemes) garwa (lemes pisan) |
| 41 | husband | salaki (loma) carogé (lemes) |
| 42 | mother | ema (loma) pun biang (sedeng) ibu (lemes) |
| 43 | father | bapa (loma) pun bapa (sedeng) rama (lemes) |
| 44 | animal | sato |
| 45 | fish | lauk |
| 46 | bird | manuk |
| 47 | dog | anjing |
| 48 | louse | otét (loma) puntang (lemes) |
| 49 | snake | oray |
| 50 | worm | cacing |
| 51 | tree | tangkal |
| 52 | forest | leuweung (loma) alas (lemes) |
| 53 | stick | régang |
| 54 | fruit | buah |
| 55 | seed | binih |
| 56 | leaf | daun |
| 57 | root | akar |
| 58 | bark (of a tree) | papagan |
| 59 | flower | kembang (loma) puspa (lemes) |
| 60 | grass | jukut |
| 61 | rope | tali |
| 62 | skin | kulit |
| 63 | meat | daging |
| 64 | blood | getih |
| 65 | bone | tulang (loma) babalung (lemes) |
| 66 | fat (noun) | gajih |
| 67 | egg | endog |
| 68 | horn | tanduk |
| 69 | tail | buntut |
| 70 | feather | bulu (loma) ules (lemes) |
| 71 | hair | buuk (loma rambut (lemes) |
| 72 | head | sirah (loma) mastaka (lemes) |
| 73 | ear | ceuli (loma) cepil (lemes) |
| 74 | eye | panon (loma) soca (lemes) |
| 75 | nose | irung (loma) pangambung (lemes) |
| 76 | mouth | sungut (loma) baham (lemes) |
| 77 | tooth | huntu (loma) waos (lemes) |
| 78 | tongue (organ) | létah (loma) ilat (lemes) |
| 79 | fingernail | kuku (loma) tanggay (lemes) |
| 80 | foot | suku (loma) sampéan (lemes) dampal (lemes pisan) |
| 81 | leg | tungkai |
| 82 | knee | tuur (loma) teku (lemes) |
| 83 | hand | leungeun (loma) panangan (lemes) |
| 84 | wing | jangjang (loma) pangapung (lemes) |
| 85 | belly | beuteung (loma) padaharan (sedeng) patuangan (lemes) lambut (lemes pisan) |
| 86 | guts | peujit (loma) usus (lemes]] |
| 87 | neck | beuheung (loma) tenggek (lemes) |
| 88 | back | tonggong (loma) pungkur (lemes) |
| 89 | breast | susu (loma) pinareup (lemes) harigu |
| 90 | heart | jajantung |
| 91 | liver | haté (loma) ati (panengah) manah (lemes) galih (lemes pisan) |
| 92 | to drink | inum (nginum) (loma) leueut (ngaleueut) (lemes) |
| 93 | to eat | tuang (nuang) |
| 94 | to bite | gogot (nyogot) |
| 95 | to suck | seuseup (nyeuseup) |
| 96 | to spit | ludah (ngaludah) |
| 97 | to vomit | luga (ngaluga) |
| 98 | to blow | tiup (niup) |
| 99 | to breathe | ambekan (ngambekan) |
| 100 | to laugh | gumujeng (ngumujeng) |
| 101 | to see | tingali (ningali) |
| 102 | to hear | dangu (ngadangu) |
| 103 | to know | uninga (nguninga) |
| 104 | to think | ngamanah (ngamanahan) |
| 105 | to smell | ambung (ngambungan) |
| 106 | to fear | sebér |
| 107 | to sleep | héés (loma) saré (panengah) mondok (sedeng) kulem (lemes) |
| 108 | to live | jumeneng |
| 109 | to die | pupus |
| 110 | to kill | telas (nelasan) |
| 111 | to fight | tarung (narungan) |
| 112 | to hunt | bujeng (bubujeng) |
| 113 | to hit | teunggeul (neunggeul) babuk (mabuk/ngababuk) gebug (ngagebug) |
| 114 | to cut | teukteuk (neukteuk) |
| 115 | to split | beulah (meulah) |
| 116 | to stab | tewek (newek) |
| 117 | to scratch | garo (ngagaro) |
| 118 | to dig | kali (ngali) |
| 119 | to swim | ngojay |
| 120 | to fly | hiber |
| 121 | to walk | papah (mapah) |
| 122 | to come | sumping |
| 123 | to lie (as in a bed) | kedeng (ngedeng) |
| 124 | to sit | calik (action, state) |
| 125 | to stand | adeg (ngadeg) (action, state) |
| 126 | to turn (intransitive) | robah (ngarobah) |
| 127 | to fall | labuh |
| 128 | to give | pasihan (masihan) |
| 129 | to hold | cepeng (nyepeng) |
| 130 | to squeeze | rames (ngarames) |
| 131 | to rub | kosok (ngosok) |
| 132 | to wash | kumbah (ngumbah) |
| 133 | to wipe | mupus |
| 134 | to pull | bedol (medol) |
| 135 | to push | sorong (nyorong) |
| 136 | to throw | alung (ngalung) |
| 137 | to tie | beungkeut (meungkeut) |
| 138 | to sew | kaput (ngaput) |
| 139 | to count | étang (ngétang) |
| 140 | to say | carios (nyarios) |
| 141 | to sing | kawih (ngawih) |
| 142 | to play | ameng (ngamengan) |
| 143 | to float | kambang (ngambang) |
| 144 | to flow | kucur (ngucur) |
| 145 | to freeze | kimpel (ngimpel) hèès |
| 146 | to swell | bareuh (mareuh) |
| 147 | sun | panonpoé |
| 148 | moon | bulan |
| 149 | star | béntang |
| 150 | water | cai |
| 151 | rain | hujan |
| 152 | river | walungan cai gedé |
| 153 | lake | situ |
| 154 | sea | sagara |
| 155 | salt | uyah |
| 156 | stone | batu |
| 157 | sand | keusik |
| 158 | dust | kekebul |
| 159 | earth | lemah |
| 160 | cloud | méga |
| 161 | fog | halimun |
| 162 | sky | awang |
| 163 | wind | maruta |
| 164 | snow | salju |
| 165 | ice | és cai batu |
| 166 | smoke | haseup |
| 167 | fire | seuneu |
| 168 | ash | lebu |
| 169 | to burn | huru |
| 170 | road | jalan |
| 171 | mountain | gunung |
| 172 | red | beureum |
| 173 | green | héjo |
| 174 | yellow | konéng |
| 175 | white | bodas |
| 176 | black | hideung |
| 177 | night | wengi peuting |
| 178 | day | dinten poè |
| 179 | year | warsih |
| 180 | warm | haneut |
| 181 | cold | tiris |
| 182 | full | pinuh |
| 183 | new | weuteuh |
| 184 | old | heubeul |
| 185 | good | saé |
| 186 | bad | awon |
| 187 | rotten | buruk |
| 188 | dirty | bagedur |
| 189 | straight | lempeng |
| 190 | round | buleud |
| 191 | sharp (as a knife) | seukeut |
| 192 | dull (as a knife) | mentud |
| 193 | smooth | lemes |
| 194 | wet | baseuh |
| 195 | dry | saat tuus |
| 196 | correct | leres |
| 197 | near | caket |
| 198 | far | tebih |
| 199 | right | tengen |
| 200 | left | kiwa |
| 201 | at | dina |
| 202 | in | lebet |
| 203 | with | kalawan, sareng |
| 204 | and | sarta tur reujeung |
| 205 | if | upami upama ari ana lamun |
| 206 | because | margi pédah da |
| 207 | name | jenengan, nami |
When the words have various forms (verbs conjugation, gender and number agreement, declensions), the orthography is the following :
For specific cases (no infinitive, feminine name, plural name for instance), the simplest form is used.