On a ward you meet the same dozen words every day: the room, the people, the shift. The staff may answer you in Uzbek even when your lectures are in English, so it pays to know who is who and to ask where they are. The one grammar idea here is how Uzbek builds the names of places and posts: -xona for a house of something, and -i for “of”.
This page is part of Uzbek for medical students, the guide for international and MBBS students in Uzbekistan.
The hospital and its rooms
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Shifoxona | shi-fo-kho-NA | Hospital |
| Kasalxona | ka-sal-kho-NA | Hospital (the other common word) |
| Qabul boʻlimi | qa-BUL boʻ-li-MI | Admissions (reception) department |
| Boʻlim | boʻ-LIM | Department |
| Palata | pa-la-TA | Ward (patient room) |
| Operatsiya xonasi | o-pe-rat-si-YA kho-na-SI | Operating theatre |
| Shifokorlar xonasi | shi-fo-kor-LAR kho-na-SI | Doctors’ room |
| Hamshiralar xonasi | ham-shi-ra-LAR kho-na-SI | Nurses’ room |
| Dorixona | do-ri-kho-NA | Pharmacy |
| Bemor | be-MOR | Patient |
| Qabul boʻlimi qayerda? | qa-BUL boʻ-li-MI qa-yer-DA | Where is the admissions department? |
| Uchinchi palata qayerda? | u-chin-CHI pa-la-TA qa-yer-DA | Where is ward three? |
| Nechanchi palata? | ne-chan-CHI pa-la-TA | Which ward number? |
Staff, and introducing yourself
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Shifokor | shi-fo-KOR | Doctor |
| Hamshira | ham-shi-RA | Nurse |
| Bosh shifokor | BOSH shi-fo-KOR | Head doctor (of the hospital) |
| Boʻlim mudiri | boʻ-LIM mu-di-RI | Head of the department |
| Navbatchi shifokor | nav-bat-CHI shi-fo-KOR | Doctor on duty |
| Assalomu alaykum, men tibbiyot talabasiman. | as-sa-LO-mu a-lay-KUM, MEN tib-bi-YOT ta-la-ba-si-MAN | Hello, I am a medical student. |
| Ismim Arjun, men Hindistondanman. | is-MIM ar-JUN, MEN hin-dis-ton-dan-MAN | My name is Arjun, I am from India. |
| Men uchinchi kurs talabasiman. | MEN u-chin-CHI KURS ta-la-ba-si-MAN | I am a third-year student. |
| Men bu yerda amaliyot oʻtayapman. | MEN BU yer-DA a-ma-li-YOT oʻ-ta-yap-MAN | I am doing my clinical practice here. |
| Boʻlim mudiri qayerda? | boʻ-LIM mu-di-RI qa-yer-DA | Where is the head of the department? |
| Hamshira qayerda? | ham-shi-RA qa-yer-DA | Where is the nurse? |
| Navbatchi shifokor kim? | nav-bat-CHI shi-fo-KOR KIM | Who is the doctor on duty? |
| Sekinroq gapiring, iltimos. | se-kin-ROQ ga-pi-RING, il-ti-MOS | Please speak more slowly. |
| Kechirasiz, tushunmadim. | ke-chi-ra-SIZ, tu-shun-ma-DIM | Sorry, I did not understand. |
Rounds, shifts and operations
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Shifokorlar bemorlarni soat nechada koʻradi? | shi-fo-kor-LAR be-mor-lar-NI so-AT ne-cha-DA koʻ-ra-DI | What time do the doctors see the patients? (the ward round; staff often say the Russian obxod) |
| Kuzatsam boʻladimi? | ku-zat-SAM boʻ-la-di-MI | May I observe? |
| Koʻrikda qatnashsam boʻladimi? | koʻ-rik-DA qat-nash-SAM boʻ-la-di-MI | May I join the round? (literally “take part in the examination”) |
| Bemorni koʻrsam boʻladimi? | be-mor-NI koʻr-SAM boʻ-la-di-MI | May I see the patient? |
| Bugun kim navbatchi? | bu-GUN KIM nav-bat-CHI | Who is on duty today? |
| Men bugun navbatchiman. | MEN bu-GUN nav-bat-chi-MAN | I am on duty today. |
| Navbatchilik soat nechada boshlanadi? | nav-bat-chi-LIK so-AT ne-cha-DA bosh-la-na-DI | What time does the shift start? |
| Navbatchilik soat nechada tugaydi? | nav-bat-chi-LIK so-AT ne-cha-DA tu-gay-DI | What time does the shift end? |
| Ertaga navbatchilikka kelaman. | er-ta-GA nav-bat-chi-lik-KA ke-la-MAN | I will come for the shift tomorrow. |
| Operatsiya soat nechada? | o-pe-rat-si-YA so-AT ne-cha-DA | What time is the operation? |
| Operatsiyani kuzatsam boʻladimi? | o-pe-rat-si-ya-NI ku-zat-SAM boʻ-la-di-MI | May I observe the operation? |
| Rahmat, tushunarli. | rah-MAT, tu-shu-nar-LI | Thank you, understood. |
Houses and “of”: -xona and -i
Many place names on a ward are two pieces. The ending -xona means “house” or “room”, and it turns a thing into a place for that thing:
- shifo (healing) + -xona = shifoxona, the hospital. dori (medicine) + -xona = dorixona, the pharmacy. kasal (ill) + -xona = kasalxona, the other word for hospital. The same -xona is in the pharmacy lines on the clinic page.
- -i (-si after a vowel) is “his, her, its”, and in a pair of nouns it works like English “of”. The owner comes first, and the thing owned takes the ending: boʻlim mudiri, “the department’s head” (mudir + -i); qabul boʻlimi, “the reception’s department” (boʻlim + -i); operatsiya xonasi, “the operation’s room” (xona + -si); hamshiralar xonasi, “the nurses’ room”.
- A describing word does not take the ending: bosh shifokor and navbatchi shifokor are “head doctor” and “doctor on duty”, with nothing added to shifokor.
- To find a post or a room, put the name in front of qayerda? (where?): Boʻlim mudiri qayerda?, Hamshiralar xonasi qayerda?
Meeting the nurse on arrival
A: Assalomu alaykum, men tibbiyot talabasiman. Ismim Arjun.
Hello, I am a medical student. My name is Arjun.
B: Va alaykum assalom! Men hamshiraman. Xush kelibsiz.
Hello! I am the nurse. Welcome.
A: Boʻlim mudiri qayerda?
Where is the head of the department?
B: U kishi hozir ikkinchi palatada.
He or she is in ward two now.
A: Koʻrikda qatnashsam boʻladimi?
May I join the round?
B: Albatta. Soat toʻqqizda boshlanadi.
Of course. They start at nine.
A: Rahmat, tushunarli.
Thank you, understood.
Uzbekcha is an app for learning Uzbek, with lessons in English and audio on every word. It is on Android now and coming soon to iPhone. Get the app.
