Saterfrisian (Seeltersk) is the last living East Frisian language, spoken in Saterland in Lower Saxony. This list gives you all 180 Saterfrisian words from the free course, each with the West Frisian word and its meaning.
What is Saterfrisian?
Saterfrisian, or Seeltersk, is the last living language of the East Frisian branch. It survives in the four villages of Saterland in Lower Saxony, Germany: Ramsloh, Strücklingen, Scharrel and Sedelsberg. Only a few thousand people speak it, and UNESCO lists it as severely endangered.
Can a West Frisian speaker understand Saterfrisian?
Partly. Many everyday words are close: Huus is hûs, Fisk is fisk and Dochter is dochter. Others look nothing alike, such as Wucht for famke (girl). Reading a list like this one is a lot easier than following a conversation.
Where do these words come from?
Every word appears in the Sprachlehre des Saterfriesischen (Fryske Akademy, 2022). All but two also appear in Wiktionary. Those two, jädden and teeuwe, were recorded for LearnFrisian by a speaker from Saterland.
Saterfrisian, West Frisian, Dutch and German side by side
Saterland lies in Germany, but its language is Frisian. Put the words next to Dutch and German and you see both neighbours in it.
| Saterfrisian | West Frisian | Dutch | German |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huus | hûs | huis | Haus |
| Woater | wetter | water | Wasser |
| Bouk | boek | boek | Buch |
| Dochter | dochter | dochter | Tochter |
| Suster | suster | zus | Schwester |
| Fisk | fisk | vis | Fisch |
| Skip | skip | schip | Schiff |
| Boom | beam | boom | Baum |
All 180 words by theme
The themes follow the 15 lessons of the free course. Tap a West Frisian word to open it in the Frisian dictionary.
Words you already know
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Huus | hûs | house |
| Woater | wetter | water |
| Bouk | boek | book |
| Boom | beam | tree |
| Dai | dei | day |
| Mon | man | man |
| Brood | brea | bread |
| Appel | apel | apple |
| Fisk | fisk | fish |
| Kat | kat | cat |
| Ku | ko | cow |
| Skip | skip | ship |
Family and people
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Foar | heit | father |
| Mäme | mem | mum |
| Suster | suster | sister |
| Suun | soan | son |
| Dochter | dochter | daughter |
| Bäiden | bern | child |
| Wucht | famke | girl |
| Wäänt | jonge | boy |
| Oom | omke | uncle |
| Möie | muoike | aunt |
| Bääsje | beppe | grandmother |
| Noaber | buorman | neighbour |
I, you, we
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| iek | ik | I |
| du | dû | you (one person) |
| hie | hy | he |
| ju | sy | she |
| dät | it | it |
| wie | wy | we |
| jie | jimme | you (more people) |
| jo | sy | they |
| min | myn | my |
| din | dyn | your (one person) |
| sin | syn | his |
| uus | ús | our |
Counting
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| aan | ien | one |
| twäin | twa | two |
| träi | trije | three |
| fjauer | fjouwer | four |
| fieuw | fiif | five |
| säks | seis | six |
| sogen | sân | seven |
| oachte | acht | eight |
| tjoon | tsien | ten |
| alven | alve | eleven |
| trättien | trettjin | thirteen |
| twintich | tweintich | twenty |
Days of the week
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Moundai | moandei | Monday |
| Täisdai | tiisdei | Tuesday |
| Midwiek | woansdei | Wednesday |
| Tuunsdai | tongersdei | Thursday |
| Fräindai | freed | Friday |
| Sneeuwende | sneon | Saturday |
| Sundai | snein | Sunday |
| Wiek | wike | week |
| Mäiden | moarn | morning |
| Noacht | nacht | night |
| Tied | tiid | time |
| Foarjier | maitiid | spring |
Your body
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kop | holle | head |
| Hounde | hân | hand |
| Fout | foet | foot |
| Oge | each | eye |
| Tusk | tosk | tooth |
| Kniebel | knibbel | knee |
| Lippe | lip | lip |
| Buuk | búk | belly |
| Häid | hûd | skin |
| Keeuwe | kin | chin |
| Tume | tomme | thumb |
| Bloud | bloed | blood |
Animals
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Houngst | hynder | horse |
| Skäip | skiep | sheep |
| Swien | swyn | pig |
| Gous | goes | goose |
| Hanne | hin | hen |
| Hone | hoanne | rooster |
| Ule | ûle | owl |
| Wulf | wolf | wolf |
| Bulle | bolle | bull |
| Ieme | bij | bee |
| Flinnerke | flinter | butterfly |
| Loum | laam | lamb |
Sky, earth and weather
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sunne | sinne | sun |
| Moune | moanne | moon |
| Stiern | stjer | star |
| Rien | rein | rain |
| Snee | snie | snow |
| Ies | iis | ice |
| See | see | sea |
| Äide | ierde | earth |
| Luft | loft | air |
| Steen | stien | stone |
| Bloume | blom | flower |
| Gäärs | gers | grass |
In the house
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Komer | keamer | room |
| Köäkene | keuken | kitchen |
| Bääd | bêd | bed |
| Stoul | stoel | chair |
| Koai | kaai | key |
| Glääs | glês | glass |
| Soaks | mes | knife |
| Pot | pot | pot |
| Ponne | panne | pan |
| Klokke | klok | bell |
| Bräif | brief | letter |
| Jield | jild | money |
Food and drink
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Flaask | fleis | meat |
| Oai | aai | egg |
| Soalt | sâlt | salt |
| Koafje | kofje | coffee |
| Bjoor | bier | beer |
| Wien | wyn | wine |
| Kouke | koeke | cake |
| Späk | spek | bacon |
| Siepel | sipel | onion |
| Skinke | ham | ham |
| Muster | moster | mustard |
| Bröödken | bôle | bread roll |
Town and village
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Stääd | stêd | town |
| Täärp | doarp | village |
| Säärke | tsjerke | church |
| Skoule | skoalle | school |
| Sträite | strjitte | street |
| Brääg | brêge | bridge |
| Wai | wei | way |
| Paad | paad | path |
| Hoawen | haven | harbour |
| Woain | wein | car |
| Dokter | dokter | doctor |
| Kening | kening | king |
Describing words
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| groot | grut | big |
| litje | lyts | small |
| oold | âld | old |
| näi | nij | new |
| goud | goed | good |
| koold | kâld | cold |
| woorm | waarm | warm |
| loang | lang | long |
| rood | read | red |
| swot | swart | black |
| wiet | wyt | white |
| jeel | giel | yellow |
Doing words
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gunge | gean | to go |
| kume | komme | to come |
| sjo | sjen | to see |
| here | hearre | to hear |
| iete | ite | to eat |
| släipe | sliepe | to sleep |
| skrieuwe | skriuwe | to write |
| leze | lêze | to read |
| moakje | meitsje | to make |
| sjunge | sjonge | to sing |
| laachje | laitsje | to laugh |
| lope | rinne | to run |
Little words you need
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| nit | net | not |
| hier | hjir | here |
| deer | dêr | there |
| wo | hoe | how |
| wät | wat | what |
| wäl | wa | who |
| un | en | and |
| oaber | mar | but |
| uk | ek | also |
| altied | altyd | always |
| nooit | nea | never |
| gau | gau | quickly |
Talking Seeltersk
| Seeltersk | West Frisian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Seeltersk | Sealterfrysk | Saterfrisian |
| lusterje | harkje | to listen |
| Sproake | taal | language |
| Woud | wurd | word |
| Woudebouk | wurdboek | dictionary |
| Froage | fraach | question |
| Räid | rie | advice |
| kwede | sizze | to say |
| spreke | sprekke | to speak |
| jädden | graach | gladly |
| teeuwe | wachtsje | to wait |
| Tonk | tank | thanks |
Ready to learn them?
The free Saterfrisian course turns these 180 words into 15 short lessons, with the same quizzes, points and streaks as the main Frisian course. It is optional, so it never gets in the way of your main course.
Start lesson 1Word forms come from the Sprachlehre des Saterfriesischen (Fryske Akademy, 2022) and Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0). Also on LearnFrisian: Old Frisian dictionary, North Frisian dictionary
