ღამე ნებისა
ɣame nebisa[ʁäme̞ ne̞bisä]
The English phrase 'good night' can be translated into Georgian as ღამე ნებისა (ɣame nebisa) or ძილი ნებისა.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Georgian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ღამე ნებისა | ɣame nebisa | [ʁäme̞ ne̞bisä] (narrow) |
| ძილი ნებისა | ʒili nebisa |
In Georgian, both phrases function as a farewell, but they are used in different contexts. ღამე ნებისა is a general farewell used when parting ways for the night, much like saying 'have a good night'. ძილი ნებისა is the standard way to wish someone a good night specifically when they are going to sleep.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ღამე ნებისა literally means 'night of goodness', while ძილი ნებისა literally means 'sleep of goodness'.
Which one should you use?
ძილი ნებისა is more common and carries a warmer tone than ღამე ნებისა when you are wishing someone well specifically before they go to bed.
How do you pronounce it?
ɣame nebisa
Did you know?
- The word ნებისა in both phrases stems from the word for 'will' or 'desire'. This means wishing someone a 'good night' is linguistically like wishing that the night be according to their will.
- In Georgia, it is common to accompany ძილი ნებისა with a kiss on the forehead when speaking to children, reflecting the phrase's status as a warm and intimate expression.
- The word for 'sleep' ძილი is closely related to words in the Mingrelian and Laz languages, such as ჯირა and ნჯირი. These are sister languages to Georgian within the Kartvelian family.
Examples in context
- მადლობა, ღამე ნებისა.madloba, ghame nibesa.Thank you, good night.
Example conversation
Davit and Elene are saying goodbye at the end of the evening.
- დავით Davidუკვე მივდივარ, ელენე.ukve mivdivar, elene.I am leaving now, Elene.
- ელენე Eleneკარგი, ღამე ნებისა!kargi, ghame nebisa!Okay, good night!
- დავით Davidშენც ღამე ნებისა.shents ghame nebisa.Good night to you too.
- ელენე Eleneნახვამდის, დავით.nakhvamdis, davit.Goodbye, Davit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries ღამე ნებისა, ძილი ნებისა, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ღამე, ძილი, CC BY-SA 4.0.
