[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: majQa'

Steven Boozer sboozer at uchicago.edu
Fri Oct 14 07:14:16 PDT 2016


> Klingon Word of the Day for Friday, October 14, 2016
> 
> Klingon word: majQa'
> Part of speech: excl
> Definition: well done, very good

TREK TRIVIA:

{majQa'} "Well done!" (Kor?, DS9 "Blood Oath")

When DS9 "A Time To Stand" originally aired in the U.S. (10/1997) there was a commercial for Playmate's Star Trek "Strike Force" toy ships in which a boy in Klingon make-up and Starfleet uniform enthused, *MAKH-kwa*," subtitled "COOL!"

[BTW one occasionally hears actors pronouncing this as *mahj kwa*.  I imagine this was a stray word in their script which they had to figure out on their own without help.]

Also {maj} "Good! Fine!" (excl):

(KGT 120):  The Klingon word {maj} is an exclamation expressing satisfaction, generally translated as simply good, and functioning as a sentence in its own right.

(KGT 159-61):  The word {qu'} may also be used as an exclamation ("Great! Wonderful!"). In this sense, it seems to be interchangeable with {chong} (literally, "be vertical"; see page 148). [...] Nonslang verbs expressing similar ideas are ... an exclamation, {maj!} ("Good!").

(DloraH):  I have heard some, including myself, simply say {maj} while going for a good warrior grasp on the arm for a Klingon 'handshake'.

(Lieven, 11/2015):  Besides of the verb {tlho'} ["thank"], remember the scene in DSN where a Klingon is given a glass of bloodwine and answers with {maj}. That's also a typical Klingon way to say 'thank you' like humans do.


SEE ALSO:
QaQ 		be good (v)


--
Voragh
tlhIngan ghantoH pIn'a'
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons





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