-(i)mtir / -ish

Slightly: -(i)mtir and -ish

Level 5

Add -(i)mtir or -ish to a colour for a shade that is not quite that colour: koʻk (blue) → koʻkimtir, koʻkish (bluish), qora (black) → qoramtir (darkish).

How It Works

1. The forms

  • koʻk (blue) → koʻkimtir, koʻkish (bluish)
  • qora (black, dark) → qoramtir (darkish, swarthy)
  • oq (white) → oqish (whitish, pale)
  • sariq (yellow) → sargʻish, sargʻimtir (yellowish)
  • qizil (red) → qizgʻish, qizgʻimtir (reddish)

In sargʻish, the q of sariq softens to gʻ before the vowel, as in k and q softening, and the middle i drops. Qizgʻish has an older history, so learn it as a word. For black, the standard form is qoramtir. The word qorash exists only in some dialects, for a person with a dark face.

2. A shade, not a strength
These words name a colour that leans toward the base colour. Oqish is not a weak white but a colour close to white, such as a pale face or a cloudy sky. Many grammars list the endings with the ways to show a smaller degree of a quality, next to -roq and sal (a little).

3. The opposite direction
To make a colour stronger, use the strong form, as in qip-qizil (bright red), or juda. You can also describe shades with och (light) and toʻq (dark): och koʻk (light blue), toʻq qizil (dark red).

4. Using them
They work like any adjective, before a noun or at the end of the sentence: koʻkimtir tuman (a bluish mist), Uning yuzi oqish edi (His face was pale). To say something takes on a shade, use tusga kirmoq: sargʻish tusga kirdi (turned yellowish).

Examples (6)

  1. Tongda togʻlar ustida koʻkimtir tuman bor edi.

    At dawn there was a bluish mist over the mountains.

    Word by Word: Dawn-at mountains over-its-on bluish mist there-was.

  2. Kuzda barglar sargʻish tusga kiradi.

    In autumn the leaves turn yellowish.

    Word by Word: Autumn-in leaves yellowish shade-to enter.

  3. Eshikni qoramtir yuzli bir yigit ochdi.

    A young man with a darkish face opened the door.

    Word by Word: Door-(object) darkish face-with a young-man opened.

  4. Kasal bolaning yuzi oqish edi.

    The sick child's face was pale.

    Word by Word: Sick child-of face-its whitish was.

  5. Quyosh botayotganda osmon qizgʻish boʻlib qoldi.

    As the sun was setting, the sky turned reddish.

    Word by Word: Sun setting-while sky reddish becoming stayed.

  6. Menga koʻkish rangdagi koʻylak yoqdi.

    I liked the bluish shirt.

    Word by Word: Me-to bluish colour-in-which shirt pleased.

Common Mistakes

  • Building a regular form for red.

    Olmaning bir tomoni qizilish.
    Olmaning bir tomoni qizgʻish.

    Reddish is qizgʻish or qizgʻimtir. Qizil does not simply take -ish.

  • Adding -imtir after a vowel (meant: His face was darkish).

    Uning yuzi qoraimtir edi.
    Uning yuzi qoramtir edi.

    After a vowel the ending is -mtir, so qora gives qoramtir. The longer -imtir follows a consonant: koʻkimtir.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-(i)mtir / -ishLevel 5Slightly: -(i)mtir and -ish

Learn This First

Builds on Comparing With -roq and Intensified Adjectives: qip-qizil.