ամոթ
amotʻ/ɑˈmotʰ/
The English word shame is translated into Armenian as ամոթ (amotʻ) or խայտառակություն.
Meaning: uncomfortable or painful feeling (noun)
Ways to say it
| Armenian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ամոթ | amotʻ | /ɑˈmotʰ/ (Eastern Armenian) /ɑˈmot/ (Western Armenian) |
| խայտառակություն | xaytaṙakutʻyun | /χɑjtɑrɑkuˈtʰjun/ (Eastern Armenian) /χɑjdɑɾɑɡuˈtʏn/ (Western Armenian) |
Armenian uses different words depending on whether you are referring to a person's internal feeling or a specific behavior.
Which one should you use?
Use ամոթ to refer to the internal, uncomfortable or painful emotion of shame. Use խայտառակություն to describe disgraceful behavior or a shameless situation rather than the emotion itself.
How do you pronounce it?
The word ամոթ is pronounced /ɑˈmotʰ/. The sound /ɑ/ is like the [a] in l[a]va, /m/ is like the [m] in [m]ine and /tʰ/ is like the [t] in [t]op.
Did you know?
- Armenians may use the phrase ամոթ է to express that a situation is 'a pity' or 'too bad', shifting the meaning from moral disgrace to simple regret.
- The concept of ամոթ is closely tied to the idea of 'face' and family honor, meaning an individual's shame is often viewed as belonging to their entire kinship group.
- In Armenian, the concept of shame is often linked to the idea of 'modesty' or 'decency' rather than just a negative feeling. Using ամոթ can sometimes function as a way to describe someone having a sense of moral propriety.
Example sentences for Armenian are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Two friends discussing a social mistake.
- Արտաշ ArtashԵս դեռ զգում եմ ամոթ այսօրվա համար:Yes der zgum em amot aysorva hamar.I still feel shame for today.
- Մարիամ MariamԱրտաշ, մի՛ անհանգստացի, ոչ ոք չի հիշում:Artash, mi' anhangstatsi, voch voq chi hishum.Artash, don't worry, nobody remembers.
- Արտաշ ArtashԲայց դա իսկական ամոթ էր:Bayts da iskakan amot er.But it was a real shame.
- Մարիամ MariamՄարիամն ասում է, որ ամեն ինչ լավ է:Mariamn asum e, vor amen inch lav e.Mariam says that everything is fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shame” translations and entries ամոթ, խայտառակություն, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
