Mando'a
| Synonyms: | Mandalorian |
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Mando'a is the language spoken by Mandalorians in the Star Wars universe. Fans have created extensive dictionaries of official terms from a variety of canon sources, as well as creating their own words and systems.
Canon
In the Star Wars Rebels episode "Visions and Voices," Mando'a text is written in the Nightsister lair by Maul, spelling out "Kenobi."
In Clone Wars episode "Legacy of Mandalore," Sabine Wren introduces herself in Mando'a. She says "Su'cuy aliit Wren. Ibici Sabine Wren, ara'novor. Gedet'ye me'vaar ti gar.", translated as "Hailing Clan Wren. This is Sabine Wren on approach. Please respond."
Much of the Official Mando'a came from Republic Commando: Triple Zero by Karen Traviss, contained in a glossary at the back of the book, other Official Mando'a could be found on Karen Traviss' website:
I'm not writing any more Star Wars, so I won't be developing the language further or adding to the dictionary as planned, and I'm not dealing with any more queries on it, but there's enough here to keep you busy for years
if you don't like something in it, make up some fanon that keeps you happy. It's just background to some fiction, and it really isn't worth getting your panties in a bunch about it. Treat it like real languages - they also evolve daily and spawn different versions.
Canon Resources
Fandom
The scene where Jango Fett meets Obi-Wan Kenobi was translated into Mando'a by Mandoa Lessons on YouTube.
Mando'a is often used by Clones and Mandalorians in fanfiction, with Obi-Wan Kenobi knowing or learning the language. In some fanfiction this is as a result of Jango Fett teaching him, others his prior familiarity with Satine Kryze when he was younger, borrowing from Star Wars Legends canon.
As of April 27 2025, there are 3,991 works on Archive of Our Own tagged with 'Mando'a Language', although much of the fanfiction that uses the language is not necessarily tagged as including it. There are 2,404 works tagged with 'Mandalorian Culture & Customs', excluding those tagged with the language specifically.
Fans of the language and culture are still learning and understanding where words originate from:
How did I just realize that the Mandalorian word for droid is beskar'ad? Mandalorians literally call droids, "Iron-child".
Fan Interpretations
- Mandalorian Font
- Mando'a Dictionary on MandoCreator
- c, cy, yc why are they pronounced like that? by ranahan on Tumblr
- Concord Dawn alphabet by blueberry-ry on Tumblr
- kaysh mirsh solus
Communities
Example Fanworks
Fanworks using Mando'a.
Fanfiction
- Kal'Koora by MusicSoul1982 Explicit, tagged with "Mandalorian Culture", no specific language tags
- SW Clone Wars - Prompt One Shots by Br00kthe0taku - first work posted on the Mandalorian Language AO3 tag
Fanart
- This is the way :D by Carrion-art on Tumblr
Films
- The Old Republic: Rescue Mission by Torrm Production (2015)