Georgian Phrases: 40 Words Every Tourist Needs (2026)

Greetings & introductions

The one word worth learning before your trip is gamarjoba — "hello". Georgians warm up to it far more than to any "hi". Literally it means "victory": it was how warriors were greeted. The reply is "gagimarjos". Don't worry about perfect pronunciation — the mere fact that a tourist tries to speak Georgian is genuinely appreciated here.

Thank you, please, sorry

These five words cover 80% of everyday situations. The most frequent is madloba ("thank you") — you say it to a waiter, a driver, a shopkeeper. In reply to "thank you", Georgians often say "arapris" — "you're welcome".

In a café or restaurant

In Tbilisi almost every café will understand English, but a couple of Georgian words turn you from "just another tourist" into a welcome guest. "The bill" is angarishi, "delicious" is gemrieli. For where to actually eat, see my guide to restaurants in Tbilisi →.

Supra (the Georgian feast), toasts and the role of the tamada are a big topic of their own. If you get invited to a Georgian table — and it happens more often than you'd expect — read about Georgian toasts and the tamada →.

Taxi & directions

Most city rides are easier through an app — the route and price are set in advance and you barely need to speak. How it works and what it costs is in my guide: taxi in Tbilisi: Bolt, Yandex and prices →. But if you flag a car on the street, these phrases help.

Shopping, prices, numbers

At the market (bazari) haggling is normal and even expected. The key phrase is "ramdeni ghirs?" ("how much?"). Prices are in lari and tetri (100 tetri = 1 lari). A few numbers won't hurt:

Emergency phrases

Hopefully you won't need these, but keep them handy. The single emergency number in Georgia is 112, and operators answer in English too.

Pronunciation: 5 rules

• Stress usually falls on the first syllable in short words and on the third-from-last in long ones. There's no strict rule, but this habit helps.
• The letter "gh" (ღ) is a throaty g, close to the French r. It's the sound in "ghvino" (wine).
• Georgian loves consonant clusters: "mtsvane" (green), "gvprtskvni". Don't insert vowels — say them together.
• There are "ejective" pairs (k/კ, p/პ) that tourists mix up — that's fine, context makes you understood.
• The main rule: smile and don't fear mistakes. A "gamarjoba" with an accent is valued far more than perfect English.

Want someone to show you the real Tbilisi and teach you a few genuine phrases on the way? On a guided walking tour it happens naturally. And if you're not sure whether you even need a guide in Tbilisi, there's a separate breakdown.