A language study edition
English ↔ tlhIngan Hol
A Dream Within a Dream · A Klingon language study edition
Study edition · canon words from Marc Okrand
Klingon was built by the linguist Marc Okrand to sound alien on screen, and then kept growing off it. Its speakers count only words Okrand himself has released as canon, and he still adds new ones each year. This edition sets Poe's poem beside the language, teaches its sounds and grammar, and gives the canon word for every part of the poem it can.
Part one / The poem
The poem, line by line
Each line of Poe's poem, with the words a published source gives for it, so a reader can see which parts of Poe's vocabulary have a match. Select a numbered line for its study note.
| Line | English · source | tlhIngan Hol · words from sources |
|---|---|---|
| Take this kiss upon the brow! | Take tlhapthis -vamkiss 'epupon -Daqbrow Quch | |
| And, in parting from you now, | And 'ejin -Daqparting mejfrom -vo'you SoHnow DaH | |
| Thus much let me avow — | Thus vajlet -jajme jIHavow 'Ip | |
| You are not wrong, who deem | You SoHnot -be'wrong mujwho 'Ivdeem Qub | |
| That my days have been a dream; | That -vetlhmy -wIjdays jajhave -pu'dream naj | |
| Yet if hope has flown away | Yet 'achif -chughhope tulhas -pu'flown puvaway Haw' | |
| In a night, or in a day, | In -Daqnight ramor ghapday jaj | |
| In a vision, or in none, | In -Daqvision mebor ghapnone pagh | |
| Is it therefore the less gone? | it 'oHtherefore vajgone loj | |
| All that we see or seem | All Hochthat -vetlhwe maHsee leghor ghapseem -law' | |
| Is but a dream within a dream. | but 'achdream naj | |
| I stand amid the roar | I jIHstand Qam | |
| Of a surf-tormented shore, | shore bIQ'a' HeH | |
| And I hold within my hand | And 'ejI jIHhold 'uchmy -wIjhand ghop | |
| Grains of the golden sand — | Grains Do'ol raS'ISgolden qol'omsand Do'ol | |
| How few! yet how they creep | How chay'few puSyet 'achthey chaHcreep 'eD | |
| Through my fingers to the deep, | Through tolmy -wIjfingers nItlhdeep jaQ | |
| While I weep — while I weep! | While -vISI jIHweep SaQ | |
| O God! Can I not grasp | O 'oGod QunCan -laHI jIHnot -be'grasp 'uch | |
| Them with a tighter clasp? | Them chaHtighter Qeyclasp 'uch | |
| O God! can I not save | O 'oGod Quncan -laHI jIHnot -be'save toD | |
| One from the pitiless wave? | One wa'from -vo'pitiless Dobwave yu'egh | |
| Is all that we see or seem | all Hochthat -vetlhwe maHsee leghor ghapseem -law' | |
| But a dream within a dream? | But 'achdream naj |
Part two / Learn the language
Meet tlhIngan Hol.
How it is written, how it sounds, how its sentences work, and where it has been.
Sounds and spelling
Klingon is written in a Latin spelling where case matters: q and Q are different sounds, as are h-sounds H and gh. So a sentence never starts with a capital for its own sake. Letters with no English match are explained below.
| Letter | Sound | Like |
|---|---|---|
| a | /ɑ/ | a in father |
| b | /b/ | b |
| ch | /t͡ʃ/ | ch in church |
| D | /ɖ/ | a d with the tongue tip curled back |
| e | /ɛ/ | e in bet |
| gh | /ɣ/ | a g made with the back of the tongue loose: close to a gargle |
| H | /x/ | ch in German Bach |
| I | /ɪ/ | i in bit |
| j | /d͡ʒ/ | j in jam |
| ng | /ŋ/ | ng in sing, even at the start of a word |
| o | /o/ | o in go, without the glide |
| q | /qʰ/ | a k made far back, at the uvula |
| Q | /q͡χ/ | q followed straight away by a rasping H |
| r | /r/ | a rolled r |
| S | /ʂ/ | sh with the tongue tip curled back |
| tlh | /t͡ɬ/ | t followed by the Welsh ll: air past the sides of the tongue |
| u | /u/ | oo in food |
| v | /v/ | v |
| w | /w/ | w |
| y | /j/ | y in yes |
| ꞌ | /ʔ/ | a glottal stop, the catch in uh-oh: a full letter in Klingon |
The other letters, l, m, n, p and t, sound as in English, with p and t breathier. A script called pIqaD exists, but the canon books write Klingon in this Latin spelling, and so does this page.
Made to sound alien
Okrand chose sounds that rarely occur together in human languages, such as the retroflex D and S beside the uvular q and Q.
Case is spelling
Because q and Q, h-sounds H and gh, and D and d differ, Klingon is written without ordinary capitalisation.
Canon only
Speakers treat only words and rules from Okrand as Klingon. New words arrive each year at the KLI's qep'a' meeting.
How sentences work
Object, verb, subject
The order runs the reverse of English. In this canon sentence the object is a clause, the verb is tul, “hope”, and the subject comes last.
- … 'e' tul Hoch tlhIngan… is the hope of every Klingon (literally: … that, hopes, every Klingon)
Prefixes for who does what to whom
One prefix on the verb marks both subject and object.
- jIyajI understand (jI-: I, no object)
- qavanI salute you (qa-: I → you)
Suffixes in a fixed order
Meaning is added by suffixes in set slots. The negative -be' can follow almost any of them.
- jIyajbe'I don't understand
- jISaHbe'I don't care
No verb “to be”
A pronoun works as the verb.
- tlhIngan maH!We are Klingons!
Descriptions are verbs
Klingon has no adjectives: “be deep”, “be tight” and “be few” are verbs.
- jaQbe deep
- Qeybe tight
- puSbe few
Questions
Yes-or-no questions take the suffix -'a'; question words come at the end of the sentence.
- bIghung'a'?Are you hungry?
- SoH 'Iv?Who are you?
Everyday words
A short history
- 1979
Actor James Doohan devises the first Klingon sounds for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
- 1984
Marc Okrand develops a full language around them for Star Trek III.
- 1985
Okrand's The Klingon Dictionary is published; an addendum follows in the 1992 edition.
- 1992
The Klingon Language Institute is founded, later publishing Klingon editions of Hamlet, Gilgamesh and the Tao Te Ching.
- 1997
Okrand's Klingon for the Galactic Traveler adds slang, regional words and culture.
- 2025
Okrand releases new words at the 32nd qep'a', including meb, “experience a vision”.
Practice with every word
Every word of the poem
All 85 different words in Poe's poem, in the order they first appear. Each card shows the Klingon form a published source gives, a note on how the language handles the word, or an honest blank where no source has it yet.
Which words
71 of 85 words have a published Klingon form here, and 12 more have a grammar note. The rest are open for a speaker to fill in.
- Read the English word and try to recall the Klingon form.
- Reveal it and say it slowly, letter by letter, using the alphabet above.
- Find the word in the poem and look at its line's study note.
- Ask a speaker or the language program about the words still open.
See the full word list (85 words)
| Take | tlhap | take · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| this | -vam | this (noun suffix): Dochvam, this thing · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| kiss | 'ep | human-style kiss (slang) · Okrand, KLI mailing list |
| upon | -Daq | at, in, on (locative noun suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| the | Klingon has no word for “the” or “a”. Nouns stand bare: Do'ol, sand or the sand. | |
| brow | Quch | forehead · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| And | 'ej; je | and, joining sentences; and, joining nouns · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| in | -Daq | at, in, on (locative noun suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| parting | mej | leave, depart · The Klingon Dictionary addendum (1992) |
| from | -vo' | from (noun suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| you | SoH; tlhIH | you; you (plural) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| now | DaH | now · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| Thus | vaj | so, then, thus · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| much | Klingon has no single word here; 'ar asks “how much?”, and 'Iq means “be too much”. | |
| let | -jaj | may, let (verb suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary addendum (1992) |
| me | jIH | I, me · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| avow | 'Ip | vow, swear · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| are | Klingon has no verb “to be”. A pronoun can act as the verb: tlhIngan maH, “we are Klingons”. | |
| not | -be' | not (verb suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| wrong | muj | be wrong, be incorrect · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| who | 'Iv | who? · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| deem | Qub; Har | think; believe · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| That | -vetlh | that (noun suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| my | -wIj | my (noun suffix): pongwIj, my name · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| days | jaj | day, from dawn to dawn · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| have | -pu' | perfective verb suffix: has done, have been · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| been | Klingon has no verb “to be”. “Have been” is carried by the perfective suffix -pu' on the verb. | |
| a | Klingon has no word for “a” or “the”. Nouns stand bare. | |
| dream | naj | dream (verb); Suchtuv, a dream (noun, 2020) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| Yet | 'ach | but, nevertheless, even so · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| if | -chugh | if (verb suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| hope | tul | hope · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| has | -pu' | perfective verb suffix: has done · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| flown | puv | fly · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| away | Haw' | flee, get out (the nearest verb) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| night | ram | night · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| or | ghap | or, either/or (joining nouns) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| day | jaj | day, from dawn to dawn · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| vision | meb | experience a vision (2025) · Okrand, new words at a KLI qep'a' |
| none | pagh | nothing, none, no one · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| Is | Klingon has no verb “to be”. A pronoun can act as the verb: tlhIngan maH, “we are Klingons”. | |
| it | 'oH | it · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| therefore | vaj | so, then, thus, in that case · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| less | Comparison uses a set pattern with law', “be many”, and puS, “be few”, after the quality. | |
| gone | loj | be all gone · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| All | Hoch | everyone, all, everything · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| we | maH | we, us · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| see | legh | see · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| seem | -law' | seemingly, apparently (verb suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| but | 'ach | but, nevertheless · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| within | Klingon has no preposition here. Place is marked with the noun suffix -Daq, “at, in, on”. | |
| I | jIH | I, me · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| stand | Qam | stand · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| amid | Klingon has no preposition here. Place is marked with the noun suffix -Daq, “at, in, on”. | |
| roar | Not yet in our sources. | |
| Of | Klingon shows “of” by order alone: the possessor noun comes first, then the thing possessed. | |
| surf-tormented | Not yet in our sources. | |
| shore | bIQ'a' HeH | beach, literally ocean edge · Talk Now! Klingon |
| hold | 'uch | hold, grasp · Klingon for the Galactic Traveler (Okrand, 1997) |
| hand | ghop | hand · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| Grains | Do'ol raS'IS | grain of sand (2018) · Okrand, new words at a KLI qep'a' |
| golden | qol'om | gold (2015) · Okrand, Saarbrücken qepHom'a' |
| sand | Do'ol | sand (2018) · Okrand, new words at a KLI qep'a' |
| How | chay' | how? · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| few | puS | be few, be a handful · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| they | chaH | they, them (beings who speak) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| creep | 'eD | crawl (2018) · Okrand, new words at a KLI qep'a' |
| Through | tol | go through, pass among (2019) · Okrand, new words at a KLI qep'a' |
| fingers | nItlh | finger · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| to | Klingon has no separate word here. Direction is marked with the noun suffix -Daq. | |
| deep | jaQ | be deep (2012) · Okrand, KLI mailing list |
| While | -vIS | while (verb suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| weep | SaQ | cry · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| O | 'o | O (2011) · Okrand, new words at a KLI qep'a' |
| God | Qun | god, supernatural being · Okrand, KLI mailing list |
| Can | -laH | can, be able (verb suffix) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| grasp | 'uch | hold, grasp · Klingon for the Galactic Traveler (Okrand, 1997) |
| Them | chaH | they, them (beings who speak) · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| with | Klingon has no word for “with”. A verb such as tlhej, “accompany”, does the work. | |
| tighter | Qey | be tight · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| clasp | 'uch | hold, grasp · Klingon for the Galactic Traveler (Okrand, 1997) |
| save | toD | save, rescue · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| One | wa' | one · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
| pitiless | Dob | be cruel, be merciless (2025) · Okrand, Saarbrücken qepHom'a' |
| wave | yu'egh | wave · The Klingon Dictionary (Okrand, 1985) |
Every form here is canon: released by Marc Okrand and recorded, with its source, in the open boQwI' dictionary data. Klingon builds words from a root plus prefixes and suffixes, so several poem words are suffixes (-vam, “this”) or verbs where English uses an adjective (jaQ, “be deep”). Forms are dictionary entries, not a translation of the line. Klingon is a trademark, and the official dictionary is copyrighted by CBS Studios; this page is an independent study edition that quotes single words, and is not affiliated with either.
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