The Bajoran language (also known as Modern Bajoran) was spoken and written language of the Bajorans of Bajor, descended from Ancient Bajoran.
Ro Laren commended Jean-Luc Picard on having improved his Bajoran between her time on the USS Enterprise-D and 2401. (PIC: "Imposters")
Written language[]
The Bajoran written language consisted of square symbols composed of thick lines. Bajoran tended to be written in horizontal lines, although it could be written vertically. (DS9: "Shadows and Symbols")
Bajoran writing was said to be ideographic, in that each character represented a single thought or word. Most forms of written Bajoran shared some root ideograms, as evidenced by the Reckoning Tablet. Each ancient Bajoran symbol translated into a pair of nearly identical modern Bajoran symbols. (DS9: "The Reckoning")
Bajoran books opened from left to right, though it is not clear that this is related to the direction of writing. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil")
By 2259, Starfleet officer Nyota Uhura was familiar with the Bajoran language. She considered it while trying to translate glyphs inscribed on a time portal found on Krulmuth-B, though the language was eventually determined to be ancient Nausicaan. (SNW: "Those Old Scientists")
A crossword puzzle in Carl's anachronistic copy of The Star Dispatch included Bajoran script. (DIS: "Terra Firma, Part 1")
Keiko O'Brien's classroom featured a chart depicting the English, the Ferengi, the Cardassian, and the Bajoran alphabets. The chart listed some twenty-five Bajoran language symbols. (DS9: "The Nagus", "In the Hands of the Prophets", "Cardassians")
Words and phrases[]
- Amoran – banished (DS9: "The Assignment")
- Baleekam / Balleek – "go away" or "get lost!" (TNG: "Ensign Ro")
- Bantaca – name for a traditional spire made out of thousands of interlocked stones, marked with the coordinates of the town or city they represent (DS9: "Rapture")
- Boryhas – term for spirits or souls of the dead (TNG: "The Next Phase")
- D'jarra – ancient Bajoran caste system (DS9: "Accession")
- Duranja – lamp for the dead: candle suspended by chains from four pillars (DS9: "Shakaar")
- Ha'Dara – Home of light (VOY: "Flesh and Blood")
- Ha'mara – religious festival to celebrate the arrival of the Emissary of the Prophets (DS9: "Starship Down")
- Itanu – ceremony carried out when a child reaches the age of fourteen (DS9: "Accession")
- Kejal – freedom (VOY: "Flesh and Blood")
- Kosst – to be (DS9: "The Assignment")
- Peldor Joi – greeting used during the Gratitude Festival (DS9: "Fascination")
- Shawn – swamp, rhymes with Irish name Seán (DS9: "Let He Who Is Without Sin...")
Religious terms[]
- Ranjen – a monk, usually a title given as an honor (DS9: "The Reckoning")
- Prylar – a monk or priest (DS9: "The Collaborator")
- Vedek – a senior member of the Bajoran clergy (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets")
- Kai – a leader of the Bajoran clergy (DS9: "Emissary")
- Kosst Amojan – also known as Koss'moran, another name for the Pah-wraiths; translates as the banished ones (DS9: "The Assignment")
- Pagh – the life energy, eternal energy or soul of a person (DS9: "Emissary", et al.)
- Pagh'tem'far – a sacred vision granted by the Prophets (DS9: "Rapture")
Measurements[]
- Kellipate – a measure of distance (DS9: "Progress")
- Tessipate – a measure of land area used on Bajor (DS9: "Progress", "Children of Time")
- Kerripate – a fraction of a tessipate (DS9: "Children of Time")
Examples of spoken language[]
- Raka-ja ut shala morala... ema bo roo kana... uranak... ralanon (NAME)... propeh va nara ehsuk shala-kan vunek...
- Do not let him walk alone... guide him on his journey... protect... the one named (NAME)... take him into the gates of heaven...
- Duranja lamp prayer for the recently deceased. (DS9: "Shakaar")
This translation comes from the script. [1]
- Ahn-kay ya, ay-ya vasu. Coh-ma-ra, di-nay-ya...
- Bajoran death chant, repeated over and over again for approximately three hours. (DS9: "Battle Lines")
- Tesra Peldor impatri bren. Bentel vetan ullon sten...
- Presiders address at the Gratitude Festival. (DS9: "Fascination")
- Jia'kaja, tre'nu'tol'a rem... La'por i'lanu kos... I'nar tan'a'tali nor...
- Prayer to the prophets asking for protection or favor. (DS9: "Starship Down")
- Zhia'kala, tar'eh anu suur... te'von, aka'lu rez... ka'vor, mat'ana kel...
- Marriage blessing by the Emissary. (DS9: "Accession")
- Boray pree hadokee. Tolata impara boresh. Preeya (GROOM'S NAME), Preeya (BRIDE'S NAME), abrem varo atel...
- Traditional marriage blessing used in conjunction with a simple ceremony. (DS9: "Call to Arms")
- Lata impara no takash... Veshanoo yavar ha iktasho.
- With humility and gratitude, we accept this gift... the sacred Orb of Prophecy.
- Orb blessing prayer. (DS9: "Resurrection")
- (Prayer leader) Tera dak ihsehelm ran embah...
- (ALL) de-ram ta-MEEN!
- Chanted by Kai Winn and fellow Bajorans in the hours before the Reckoning. (DS9: "The Reckoning")
- Dabaldor rut gahar sahay ut see-grem faren.
- An ego that would lead to you betray me. (PIC: "Imposters")
Appendices[]
Background information[]
The spoken Bajoran language was often written by Ronald D. Moore. "I just make it up," he laughed. "I do it phonetically so it has a certain rhythm and sound in my head that I can tag as the way Bajorans sound." In scripts, Moore also provided an English translation of each verbalized use of the language, for the benefit of the actors. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 244)
The Bajoran script was designed by Doug Drexler, who was senior scenic artist for Deep Space Nine. [2](X)
A Bajoran navigation device used in "Explorers" that featured Bajoran script was auctioned as part of the It's A Wrap! sale and auction. [3](X)
External link[]
- Bajoran language at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works