The fastest way to start speaking Frisian is not to memorize grammar rules. It is to own 150 words so well that you can produce them without thinking. This page gives you those 150 words, grouped by theme, with pronunciation notes and links to the audio clips in the LearnFrisian library.
These are not randomly selected. They are the 150 highest-frequency words in everyday West Frisian, drawn from speech-corpus research at the Fryske Akademy and cross-checked against what appears most often in LearnFrisian lessons. Learn these and you will understand roughly 60% of casual Frisian conversation.
Gegroet en alledaagse zinnen (15 woorden)
Dit zijn de woorden die je nodig hebt vanaf dag één.
| Fries | Engels | Uitspraak |
|---|---|---|
| Goeie | Hallo. | GOO-yuh |
| Goedemoarn | Goedemorgen. | GOO-duh-MWARN |
| Goedemiddei | Goedemiddag. | GOO-duh-MID-day |
| Goejun | Goedenavond. | GOO-yoon |
| Oant sjen | Tot ziens | OHNT-sheen |
| Tank | Dank je. | TAHNK |
| Tankewol | Hartelijk dank. | TAHN-kuh-wol |
| Ja | Ja. | JAH |
| Nee | Nee | NAY |
| Asjebleaft | Alsjeblieft. | AH-shuh-bleeft |
| Fansels | Natuurlijk. | FAHN-selss |
| Sorry | Sorry | same as English |
| Hoe giet it? | Hoe gaat het? | HOO GEET it |
| Prima | Fine / Great | PREE-mah |
| Ik wit it net | I don’t know | Ik VIT it NET |
Audio links: every word above has a native-speaker audio clip in the LearnFrisian audiobibliotheek.
Mensen en familie (20 woorden)
| Fries | Engels |
|---|---|
| Man | Man / husband |
| Frou | Vrouw / vrouw |
| Bern | Kind / kinderen |
| Jonge | Jongen |
| Famke | Meisje |
| Heit | Vader (informeel, Fries) |
| Mem | Moeder (informeel, Fries) |
| Broer | Broer |
| Suster | Zuster |
| Pake | Grootvader |
| Beppe | Grootmoeder |
| Soan | Zoon |
| Docher | Dochter |
| Freon | Friend (male) |
| Freondinne | Vriend (vrouw) |
| Neef | Nephew / male cousin |
| Nichte | nicht / nichtje |
| Buorman | Neighbor (male) |
| Buorfrou | Buurman (vrouw) |
| Minsken | Mensen |
Notitie over nalaten en mem: Friese toepassingen heit en mem waar Nederlands wordt gebruikt vader en moeder. These are among the most distinctively Frisian words and carry cultural weight. Using them immediately signals fluency to native speakers.
Nummers 1-20 (20 woorden)
| Fries | Engels | Fries | Engels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ien | 1 | Alve | 11 |
| Twa | 2 | Tolve | 12 |
| Trije | 3 | Trettjin | 13 |
| Fjouwer | 4 | Fjirtjin | 14 |
| Fiif | 5 | Fyftjin | 15 |
| Seis | 6 | Sechstjin | 16 |
| San | 7 | Santjin | 17 |
| Acht | 8 | Achttjin | 18 |
| Njoggen | 9 | Njoggentjin | 19 |
| Tsien | 10 | Tweintich | 20 |
Pattern note: numbers 13-19 follow the pattern [number]-tjin (tjin = teen). 20 is tweintich30 is tritich100 is Hundert.
Kleuren (10 woorden)
| Fries | Engels |
|---|---|
| Read | Rood |
| Blau | Blauw |
| Grien | Groen |
| Giel | Geel |
| Wyt | Wit |
| Swart | Zwart |
| Oranje | Oranje |
| Brun | Bruin |
| Griis | Grijs |
| Pears | Paars |
Dagen en maanden (19 woorden)
Dagen van de week:
| Fries | Engels |
|---|---|
| Moandei | Maandag |
| Tiisdei | dinsdag |
| Woansdei | Woensdag |
| Tongersdei | Donderdag |
| Freed | Vrijdag |
| Sneon | Zaterdag |
| Snein | Zondag |
Maanden (de 6 meest onderscheiden van het Nederlands):
| Fries | Engels |
|---|---|
| Jannewaris | Januari |
| Febrewaris | Februari |
| Maart | Maart |
| April | April |
| Maaie | Mei |
| Juny | Juni |
De resterende maanden (juli-december) liggen dicht bij het Nederlands: july, augustus, septimber, oktober, novimber, desimber.
Eten en drinken (15 woorden)
| Fries | Engels |
|---|---|
| Iten | Voedingsmiddelen |
| Drinke | Drinken |
| Wetter | Water |
| Molke | Melk |
| Kofje | Koffie |
| Tee | Thee |
| Brea | Brood |
| Buter | Boter |
| Fleis | Vlees |
| Fisk | Vis |
| Griente | Groenten |
| Vruchten | Vruchten |
| Suker | Suiker |
| Zout | Zout |
| Sipel | Uien |
Opmerking: Buter, brea en griene tsiis (butter, bread, and green cheese) is the traditional Frisian tongue-twister used to distinguish native speakers from outsiders.
Werkwoorden (20 woorden)
| Fries | Engels | Stam (voor vervoeging) |
|---|---|---|
| Weze | Te zijn | bin / bist / is |
| Hawwe | Hebben | ha / hast / hat |
| Gean | Te gaan | gean / giest / giet |
| Komme | Komen | kom / komst / komt |
| Sjen | Zien | sjoch / sjochst / sjocht |
| Sizze | Zeggen | sis / sisst / seit |
| Tinke | Denken | tink / tinkst / tinkt |
| Witte | Te weten | Wit / wit / wit |
| Wolle | Te willen | wol / wolst / wol |
| Kinne | Om te kunnen / kan | kin / kinst / kin |
| Moatte | Moet / moet | moat / moatst / moat |
| Dwaan | Doen | doch / dochst / docht |
| Nimme | To take | nim / nimst / nimt |
| Jaan | Geven | jou / joust / jout |
| Leze | To read | les / lest / lest |
| Skriuwe | Schrijven | skriuw / skriuwst / skriuwt |
| Prate | To speak / talk | praat / praatst / praat |
| Rinne | To walk / run | rin / rinst / rint |
| Sliepje | Om te slapen | sliep / sliepst / sliept |
| Wurkje | Werken | wurk / wurkst / wurkt |
Vraagwoorden (8 woorden)
| Fries | Engels |
|---|---|
| Wa | Wie |
| Wat | Wat |
| Wer | Wanneer |
| Wannear | Wanneer |
| Werom | Waarom |
| Hoe | Hoe |
| Hokker | Welke |
| Hoefolle | Hoeveel / hoeveel |
Vaak voorkomende bijvoeglijke naamwoorden (15 woorden)
| Fries | Engels |
|---|---|
| Grut | Groot / groot |
| Lyts | Klein |
| Goed | Goed |
| Minne | Slecht |
| Nij | Nieuw |
| Ald | Oud |
| Moai | Mooi / mooi |
| Aardich | Mooi / aangenaam |
| Hurd | Hard / snel |
| Langsum | Langzaam |
| Waarm | Warm |
| Kald | Koud |
| Wurch | Moe |
| Bliid | Gelukkig |
| Ferdrietlik | Triest. |
Voorzetsels en connectoren (8 woorden)
| Fries | Engels |
|---|---|
| Yn | In |
| Op | Aan / op |
| Mei | Met |
| Sunder | Zonder |
| Foar | Voor /voor |
| Nei | Na /naar (richting) |
| Fan | Van |
| En | En |
Waar moet ik nu heen?
You now have the 150 most useful Frisian words. The next step is to meet them in context rather than in a list. Context is how words move from short-term to long-term memory.
- De Friese MasterCourse – 120 lessons that use these words in real sentences, with native-speaker audio. Start at Level 1.
- Audio uitspraak praktijk – listen to each of these 150 words spoken by a native speaker until you can recognize them by sound, not just by reading.
- Friese grammatica basis – now that you know the words, understand how they fit together. Most beginners find grammar clicks faster once they have vocabulary.
Veelgestelde vragen
How many Frisian words do I need to have a basic conversation?
Around 300 to 500 words gives you enough to handle everyday situations: introductions, shopping, directions, weather, and family. The 150 words on this page are the most important first half. The Friese MasterCourse covers the full 500 across its Level 1 and Level 2 modules.
Is West-Friese woordenschat vergelijkbaar met Nederlands?
About 60-70% of everyday Frisian vocabulary shares roots with Dutch, but the pronunciation and spelling are often very different. Wetter (water), brea (brood), en gean (go) look nothing like their Dutch equivalents even though they share ancient roots. If you already speak Dutch, Frisian vocabulary is easier to guess at than to directly read – which is why audio practice matters more for Dutch speakers than grammar study.
Are there Frisian words that don’t exist in Dutch?
Yes. Words like heit (vader), mem (moeder), pake (grootvader), beppe (grootmoeder), en oer (great-grandparent prefix) are distinctively Frisian with no Dutch cognate. These words are part of what makes Frisian culturally distinct, not just linguistically.
Kan ik Friese woordenschat leren zonder Nederlands te leren?
Yes. LearnFrisian is built for English speakers (and other non-Dutch speakers) as the primary audience. The interface is in English, the explanations are in English, and the comparisons are English-to-Frisian, not Dutch-to-Frisian.
Last updated April 2026. Want to practice these words in real sentences? Start the Friese MasterCourse – free, no account required.
