High Valyrian vs Dothraki is the natural first question for any Game of Thrones fan thinking about learning one of the show’s languages. Both were created by linguist David J. Peterson for HBO’s Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin supplied only a handful of words in the books, and Peterson built both into full languages. They could hardly be more different, though: one is the classical tongue of a fallen empire, the other the living speech of horse-lords. This guide compares them honestly: creator, grammar, difficulty, and resources, so you can choose the right one to learn first.
Quick Answer
High Valyrian is the prestige language of ancient Valyria (think Latin) with SOV word order, four noun classes, and eight cases. Dothraki is the language of the Dothraki horse-lords with simpler SVO word order, two noun classes, and five cases. For learning, High Valyrian has more published reference material, which makes it the easier language to study seriously.
High Valyrian vs Dothraki: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | High Valyrian | Dothraki |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | David J. Peterson for HBO’s Game of Thrones | David J. Peterson for HBO’s Game of Thrones |
| In-world role | Prestige language of ancient Valyria: a classical tongue like Latin, spoken by nobles and scholars | Living language of the Dothraki horse-lords of the Dothraki Sea |
| Word order | SOV (Subject-Object-Verb): the verb goes last | SVO (Subject-Verb-Object): the same basic order as English |
| Noun classes and cases | Four classes (lunar, solar, terrestrial, aquatic); eight cases | Two classes (animate, inanimate); five cases (nominative, accusative, genitive, allative, ablative) |
| Verb complexity | Rich conjugation across tenses, moods, and agreement; verbs mark person and number | Verbs conjugate in infinitive, past, present, future, two imperatives, and an archaic participle; they agree with person, number, and polarity |
| Learning resources | More published reference material: dictionaries, grammar guides, translators, and active community tools | Documentation is thinner; the community-run wiki is the main reference |
| Difficulty for English speakers | Harder grammar (SOV order, more cases and classes) but a smoother learning curve thanks to better resources | Easier word order and fewer cases, but thinner documentation makes self-study harder |
Two Languages, One Creator
Any high valyrian vs dothraki comparison starts with the creator. Both languages were designed by the same linguist for the same show, yet Peterson gave them deliberately different characters. High Valyrian sounds ancient and formal: long vowels, flowing consonants, the language of dragonlords and their descendants. Dothraki sounds harsher and more direct, fitting a nomadic warrior culture. In-universe they are unrelated. High Valyrian descends from the Valyrian language family, while Dothraki is the native tongue of the Dothraki people with no connection to Valyrian. Martin’s books contained only a few words of each; everything beyond that is Peterson’s construction.
Grammar: Where High Valyrian and Dothraki Diverge
The biggest practical difference in the high valyrian vs dothraki debate is word order. Dothraki is SVO, exactly like English: subject, then verb, then object. An English speaker can follow Dothraki sentences almost immediately. High Valyrian is SOV: the verb comes last, which requires rewiring how you build sentences. Once it clicks, it becomes second nature.
The noun systems differ in size but not in kind. Dothraki nouns divide into two classes (animate and inanimate) and decline across five cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, allative, and ablative, with animate nouns also marking number. High Valyrian doubles the complexity: four noun classes and eight cases. On the verb side, both languages conjugate richly. Dothraki verbs mark person, number, and polarity across several tenses and two imperatives, while High Valyrian verbs carry their own extensive tense, mood, and agreement system.
How They Sound to the Ear
Even before you study grammar, the two languages feel different, and sound is where the high valyrian vs dothraki contrast hits you first. High Valyrian is vowel-rich and flowing: long macron vowels (ā ē ī ō ū ȳ), the rounded y, and soft consonants give it a classical, almost Latinate music, fitting for the language of a fallen empire’s nobility. Dothraki leans on guttural consonants (kh, q, zh) with short, punchy syllables, matching the directness of a warrior culture. If you love how a language sounds, sample both: listen to Daenerys commanding her dragons in High Valyrian, then to the khalasar’s dialogue in Dothraki, and notice which music pulls you. Peterson himself has described Dothraki’s sound as drawing on Arabic and Spanish, while High Valyrian’s aesthetic leans classical. These were deliberate design choices, not accidents: each language was engineered to reflect its speakers’ culture.
Famous Phrases Compared
Both languages have lines every fan knows. In High Valyrian, dracarys (“dragonfire”) and valar morghulis (“all men must die”) are the iconic show moments. A spelling note for learners: the show’s subtitles write the dragonfire command as “Dracarys,” while Peterson’s published dictionary form is drakarys. They are the same word in two spellings; pick one and stay consistent. In Dothraki, the greeting m’athchomaroon (“with respect”) and the self-introduction anha lajak (“I am a fighter,” literally “I fighter,” since Dothraki has no copula verb) play the same role. Notice how much grammar hides in that tiny Dothraki example: the zero copula (“I fighter” instead of “I am a fighter”) is one of Dothraki’s signature features, while a High Valyrian sentence would instead push its verb to the very end.
Which Should You Learn First?
Honest answer to the high valyrian vs dothraki question: learn High Valyrian first. Not because it is simpler (its grammar is harder), but because it has more published reference material. A language with a searchable dictionary, full grammar guides, translators in both directions, pronunciation guides, and phrase collections is simply easier to study than one where documentation is thinner. Resources beat raw simplicity when you are teaching yourself. If you choose High Valyrian, start with our beginner’s guide, which walks you through sounds, your first words, and a first-week plan.
That said, if your heart belongs to the Dothraki (the khalasar scenes, the horse-lord culture), Dothraki’s English-like word order makes the early weeks gentler. Just go in knowing you will be leaning on community documentation more than published references.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which came first, High Valyrian or Dothraki?
In the show’s production, both were developed by David J. Peterson around the same period for the first season of Game of Thrones. In-universe, High Valyrian is the older language: the classical tongue of a fallen empire, while Dothraki is a living, contemporary language of the Dothraki people.
Is High Valyrian or Dothraki harder to learn?
Grammatically, High Valyrian is harder: SOV word order, four noun classes, and eight cases versus Dothraki’s English-like SVO order, two classes, and five cases. Practically, though, High Valyrian is easier to study because far more reference material exists for it.
Are High Valyrian and Dothraki related in-world?
No. They belong to different language families within the world of Westeros and Essos. High Valyrian is part of the Valyrian family (with descendant dialects like Astapori and Meereenese Valyrian), while Dothraki is unrelated to Valyrian entirely.
Can I learn both languages at once?
You can, but it is not recommended for beginners. The two grammars pull in opposite directions (SOV vs. SVO, different case systems), which causes interference early on. Master one language’s fundamentals first. We suggest High Valyrian for the resource advantage, then add the second.
Which language has more learning resources?
High Valyrian, by a clear margin: dictionaries, grammar guides, bidirectional translators, pronunciation guides, and phrase collections. Dothraki’s documentation is thinner, with the community-run wiki as the central reference. This resource gap is the main reason we recommend starting with High Valyrian.
Do High Valyrian and Dothraki have writing systems?
Neither language was given a native writing system in the show; both are written with the Latin alphabet in all published materials. High Valyrian’s macron-marked long vowels (ā ē ī ō ū ȳ) are part of its standard romanization.