Overview
Affixes are one of Esperanto's most powerful features. A single set of 9 prefixes and 18+ suffixes allows you to derive thousands of words from a smaller set of roots. Crucially, these affixes are themselves roots — they can stand alone as words when given an appropriate ending.
Example of productivity: From the single root labor- (work):
- labori (to work), laboro (work/n.), labora (working/adj.), labore (laboriously)
- laboristo (worker), laborejo (workplace), laboraĵo (a work/product)
- laborema (hardworking), laborado (sustained work), laborado (continuous working)
- ellabori (to work out/develop), prilabori (to work on/process)
- maltaŭge + labori combinations...
Prefixes (9)
bo- — in-law relationship
Forms words for in-law family relationships.
| Root |
With bo- |
Meaning |
| patro |
bopatro |
father-in-law |
| patrino |
bopatrino |
mother-in-law |
| frato |
bofrato |
brother-in-law |
| fratino |
bofratino |
sister-in-law |
| filo |
bofilo |
son-in-law |
| filino |
bofilino |
daughter-in-law |
| edzo |
boedzo |
(step-husband / spouse's former husband — less common) |
Usage note: bo- attaches to any family relationship word to indicate the equivalent by marriage.
dis- — dispersion, separation
Indicates that an action scatters, divides, or distributes outward.
| Root |
With dis- |
Meaning |
| doni |
disdoni |
to distribute, hand out |
| iri |
disiri |
to disperse, go in different directions |
| ŝiri |
disŝiri |
to tear apart |
| rompi |
disrompi |
to shatter, break into pieces |
| fali |
disfali |
to fall apart, disintegrate |
| sendi |
dissendi |
to broadcast, send out to many |
| flugi |
disflugi |
to fly apart, scatter (of birds) |
| meti |
dismeti |
to spread out, lay apart |
Contrast: disdoni (distribute to many) vs. doni (give to one).
ek- — beginning of action, sudden/momentary action
Marks the start of an action or a brief, punctual event.
| Root |
With ek- |
Meaning |
| dormi |
ekdormi |
to fall asleep |
| krii |
ekkrii |
to cry out suddenly |
| ridi |
ekridi |
to burst out laughing |
| brili |
ekbrili |
to light up, flash |
| kanti |
ekkanti |
to begin singing, burst into song |
| paroli |
ekparoli |
to start speaking |
| ami |
ekamii |
to fall in love |
| timi |
ektimi |
to be suddenly afraid |
Contrast with -ad-: ekdormi (fall asleep — momentary beginning) vs. dormadi (keep sleeping — ongoing).
Indicates a former holder of a role.
| Root |
With eks- |
Meaning |
| prezidento |
eksprezidento |
ex-president |
| edzo |
eksedzo |
ex-husband |
| edzino |
eksedzino |
ex-wife |
| ministro |
eksministro |
ex-minister |
| direktoro |
eksdirektoro |
ex-director |
| amiko |
eksamiko |
former friend |
| studento |
eksstudento |
former student |
Usage note: eks- can also be used with professions and social roles. Often written with hyphen in compound: eks-prezidento.
fi- — moral condemnation, worthlessness
Expresses strong disapproval, moral revulsion, or low quality.
| Root |
With fi- |
Meaning |
| homo |
fihomo |
scoundrel, despicable person |
| aĵo |
fiaĵo |
vile thing, nastiness |
| verko |
fiverko |
trash/vile work |
| ulo |
fiulo |
villain, scoundrel |
| vorto |
fivorto |
curse word, obscenity |
| heroo |
fiheroo |
anti-hero (ironic villain) |
| konduto |
fikonduto |
vile behavior |
Usage note: fi- is productive and can be attached to almost anything to add strong negative moral judgment. Different from mal- which is merely "opposite."
ge- — both sexes together, mixed-gender group
Forms words that include both male and female members.
| Root |
With ge- |
Meaning |
| patro |
gepatroj |
parents (father and mother) |
| frato |
gefratoj |
siblings (brothers and sisters) |
| edzo |
geedzoj |
married couple (husband and wife) |
| amiko |
geamikoj |
friends (male and female) |
| instruisto |
geinstruistoj |
teachers (mixed gender) |
| studento |
gestudentoj |
students (mixed gender) |
| knabo |
geknaboj |
children (boys and girls) |
Usage note: ge- is most natural in the plural. In the singular it's unusual unless both people are meant as a unit (la gepatroj = the parents).
mal- — direct opposite
The most frequently used and productive prefix. Forms the antonym of any word.
| Root |
With mal- |
Meaning |
| bona |
malbona |
bad |
| granda |
malgranda |
small |
| alta |
malalta |
low, short |
| juna |
maljuna |
old |
| nova |
malnova |
old, ancient |
| facila |
malfacila |
difficult |
| feliĉa |
malfeliĉa |
unhappy |
| varma |
malvarma |
cold |
| proksima |
malproksima |
far |
| rapida |
malrapida |
slow |
| supre |
malsupre |
below |
| antaŭe |
malantaŭe |
behind, at the back |
| ami |
malami |
to hate |
| ŝati |
malŝati |
to dislike |
| igi |
malfunkcii → malfaciligi |
to make difficult |
Note: This eliminates the need to learn separate antonym vocabulary. Bona/malbona, granda/malgranda — one root covers both.
mis- — wrongly, incorrectly
Indicates that an action is performed incorrectly or in error.
| Root |
With mis- |
Meaning |
| kompreni |
miskompreni |
to misunderstand |
| uzi |
misuzi |
to misuse |
| paroli |
misparoli |
to speak incorrectly |
| skribi |
misskribi |
to write wrongly |
| interpreti |
misinterpreti |
to misinterpret |
| kalkuli |
miskalkuli |
to miscalculate |
| konduki |
miskonduki |
to mislead, misguide |
| traduki |
mistraduki |
to mistranslate |
pra- — primordial, primitive, great- (generations removed)
Indicates the remote or ancestral form of something, or the great- prefix in family relations.
| Root |
With pra- |
Meaning |
| patro |
prapatro |
ancestor, great-grandfather |
| patrino |
prapatrino |
ancestress, great-grandmother |
| avo |
praavo |
great-grandfather |
| avino |
praavino |
great-grandmother |
| filo |
prafilo |
great-grandson |
| homo |
prahomo |
primitive human, prehistoric person |
| lingvo |
pralingvo |
proto-language |
| historio |
prahistorio |
prehistory |
| tempo |
pratempo |
primordial time |
| formo |
praformo |
original/primitive form |
re- — again, back
Indicates repetition of an action or return to a previous state.
| Root |
With re- |
Meaning |
| veni |
reveni |
to return, come back |
| iri |
reiri |
to go back |
| fari |
refari |
to redo, do again |
| skribi |
reskribi |
to rewrite |
| doni |
redoni |
to give back, return (sth) |
| konstrui |
rekonstrui |
to rebuild, reconstruct |
| legi |
relegi |
to reread |
| komenci |
rekomenci |
to restart, begin again |
| enkonduki |
reenkonduki |
to reintroduce |
| vivi |
revivi |
to revive, come back to life |
Suffixes (18 Primary + Additional)
-aĉ- — poor quality, pejorative
| Root |
With -aĉ- |
Meaning |
| domo |
domaĉo |
hovel, shack |
| libro |
libraĉo |
trashy book, tome of garbage |
| verkisto |
verkistaĉo |
hack writer |
| kanto |
kantaĉo |
awful song, caterwauling |
| konduto |
kondutaĉo |
bad behavior |
| tempo |
tempaĉo |
foul weather |
-ad- — continuous or repeated action
| Root |
With -ad- |
Meaning |
| labori |
laboradi |
to keep working, work continuously |
| kuri |
kuradi |
to keep running |
| paroli |
paroladi |
to speak on and on |
| pafi |
pafadi |
to keep shooting, fire repeatedly |
| venki |
venkadi |
to keep winning |
| plori |
ploradi |
to keep crying |
Note: -ad- emphasizes duration or repetition. Compare ekdormi (fall asleep, momentary) vs. dormadi (sleep on and on).
-aĵ- — concrete thing, stuff
Forms a concrete/tangible noun from any root.
| Root |
With -aĵ- |
Meaning |
| manĝi |
manĝaĵo |
food (stuff you eat) |
| bela |
belaĵo |
a beautiful thing |
| nova |
novaĵo |
news, something new |
| dolĉa |
dolĉaĵo |
sweet thing, confection |
| utila |
utilaĵo |
a useful thing |
| scienci |
scienco → scienĉaĵo |
a scientific finding |
| freŝa |
freŝaĵo |
fresh thing, fresh food |
| farita |
faritaĵo |
a thing made/done |
-an- — member, inhabitant, adherent
| Root |
With -an- |
Meaning |
| urbo |
urbano |
city dweller |
| klubo |
klubano |
club member |
| partio |
partiiano |
party member |
| kristano |
kristano |
Christian |
| budho |
budhano |
Buddhist |
| Ameriko |
Amerikano |
American |
| vilaĝo |
vilaĝano |
villager |
| lando |
landano |
countryman, national |
-ar- — collective, group
| Root |
With -ar- |
Meaning |
| arbo |
arbaro |
forest |
| homo |
homaro |
humanity, mankind |
| vorto |
vortaro |
dictionary (collection of words) |
| ŝtupo |
ŝtuparo |
staircase |
| insulo |
insularo |
archipelago |
| dento |
dentaro |
set of teeth |
| libro |
libraro |
library collection |
| bestо |
bestaro |
fauna, animal collection |
-ĉj- — masculine endearment (hypocoristic)
| Root |
With -ĉj- |
Meaning |
| patro |
paĉjo |
daddy |
| frato |
fraĉjo |
little brother (affectionate) |
| Johano |
Joĉjo |
Joʼs nickname (Johnny) |
| amiko |
amiĉjo |
dear little friend |
Usage: Drop some letters from the root, add -ĉj- + -o. Patterns vary.
-ebl- — possible, able to be done
| Root |
With -ebl- |
Meaning |
| fari |
farebla |
doable, feasible |
| kompreni |
komprenebla |
understandable |
| legi |
legebla |
readable, legible |
| manĝi |
manĝebla |
edible |
| atingi |
atingebla |
attainable |
| eviti |
evitebla |
avoidable |
| kredi |
kredebla |
credible, believable |
Antonym: -nebl- or malebla = impossible.
-ec- — abstract quality, -ness, -ity
| Root |
With -ec- |
Meaning |
| bona |
boneco |
goodness |
| bela |
beleco |
beauty |
| rapida |
rapideco |
speed |
| libera |
libereco |
freedom, liberty |
| homo |
homeco |
humanity (quality) |
| amiko |
amikeco |
friendliness |
| granda |
grandeco |
greatness |
| sana |
saneco |
health (quality of being healthy) |
-eg- — augmentative (very large, extreme)
| Root |
With -eg- |
Meaning |
| domo |
domego |
mansion, palace |
| varma |
varmega |
scorching hot |
| bona |
bonega |
excellent |
| granda |
grandega |
enormous, huge |
| pluvo |
pluvego |
downpour |
| mano |
manego |
paw (big hand) |
| ŝtormo |
ŝtormego |
violent storm |
| ridi |
ridegi |
to roar with laughter |
-ej- — place for or associated with
| Root |
With -ej- |
Meaning |
| lerni |
lernejo |
school |
| labori |
laborejo |
workshop, workplace |
| dormi |
dormejo |
bedroom, dormitory |
| manĝi |
manĝejo |
dining room, restaurant |
| vendi |
vendejo |
shop, store |
| preĝi |
preĝejo |
church (place of prayer) |
| braki |
brakejo |
arm's-length area |
| karcero |
karcereja |
prison |
-em- — tendency, inclination, prone to
| Root |
With -em- |
Meaning |
| labori |
laborema |
hardworking |
| dormi |
dormema |
sleepy, prone to sleeping |
| paroli |
parolema |
talkative |
| ŝati |
ŝatema |
appreciative |
| plori |
plorema |
tearful, prone to crying |
| ridi |
ridema |
giggly, prone to laughing |
| obei |
obeema |
obedient |
-er- — single unit of a mass, grain
| Root |
With -er- |
Meaning |
| sablo |
sablero |
grain of sand |
| fajro |
fajrero |
spark |
| neĝo |
neĝero |
snowflake |
| mono |
monero |
coin (unit of money) |
| pluvo |
pluvero |
raindrop |
| polvo |
polvero |
dust particle |
| pano |
panero |
breadcrumb |
-et- — diminutive (small, slight, affectionate)
| Root |
With -et- |
Meaning |
| libro |
libreto |
little book, booklet |
| domo |
dometo |
cottage, little house |
| ridi |
rideti |
to smile (lit. "to little-laugh") |
| varma |
varmeta |
warm, lukewarm |
| dormi |
dormeti |
to nap |
| mano |
maneto |
little hand |
| pluvi |
pluveti |
to drizzle |
| kanto |
kanteto |
little song, ditty |
-id- — offspring, young of
| Root |
With -id- |
Meaning |
| kato |
katido |
kitten |
| hundo |
hundido |
puppy |
| koko |
kokido |
chick (baby chicken) |
| reĝo |
reĝido |
prince (king's child) |
| leono |
leonido |
lion cub |
| Izraelo |
Izraelido |
Israelite (son of Israel) |
-ig- — cause to be, make (transitivizer)
| Root |
With -ig- |
Meaning |
| pura |
purigi |
to clean, make pure |
| granda |
grandigi |
to enlarge, make big |
| malvarma |
malvarmigi |
to cool down |
| bela |
beligi |
to beautify |
| morti |
mortigi |
to kill (cause to die) |
| sidi |
sidigi |
to seat (cause to sit) |
| lerni |
lernigi |
to teach (cause to learn) |
| klara |
klarigi |
to clarify, explain |
-iĝ- — become, get (intransitivizer)
| Root |
With -iĝ- |
Meaning |
| ruĝa |
ruĝiĝi |
to turn red, blush |
| sidi |
sidiĝi |
to sit down |
| feliĉa |
feliĉiĝi |
to become happy |
| pura |
puriĝi |
to become clean |
| malvarma |
malvarmiĝi |
to cool down, get cold |
| edziĝi |
edziĝi |
to get married (become a spouse) |
| naski |
naskiĝi |
to be born |
| fariĝi |
fariĝi |
to become (most general) |
Key contrast: purigi (to clean something — transitive) vs. puriĝi (to become clean — intransitive).
| Root |
With -il- |
Meaning |
| tranĉi |
tranĉilo |
knife (cutting tool) |
| skribi |
skribilo |
writing tool (pen/pencil) |
| kudri |
kudrilo |
needle |
| kombri |
kombrilo |
comb |
| bari |
barilo |
barrier, fence |
| lavi |
lavilo |
washbasin |
| sonori |
sonorilo |
bell |
| komuti |
komutilo |
switch |
-in- — feminine
| Root |
With -in- |
Meaning |
| patro |
patrino |
mother |
| frato |
fratino |
sister |
| reĝo |
reĝino |
queen |
| instruisto |
instruistino |
female teacher |
| kato |
katino |
female cat |
| leono |
leonino |
lioness |
| hundo |
hundino |
female dog, bitch |
| amiko |
amikino |
female friend |
Usage note: The basic form of a role noun is gender-neutral or implicitly male in some roots. Use -in- to specify female. Use ge- prefix + plural for mixed groups.
-ind- — worthy of, worth doing
| Root |
With -ind- |
Meaning |
| vidi |
vidinda |
worth seeing |
| legi |
leginda |
worth reading |
| laŭdi |
laŭdinda |
praiseworthy |
| ami |
aminda |
lovable, amiable |
| bedaŭri |
bedaŭrinda |
pitiable, unfortunate |
| imiti |
imitinda |
worth imitating |
| kredi |
kredinda |
credible, trustworthy |
-ist- — professional, specialist, devotee
| Root |
With -ist- |
Meaning |
| muziko |
muzikisto |
musician |
| dokotro |
doktoristo |
(academic doctor — less common) |
| paco |
pacisto |
pacifist |
| socialism |
socialismo → socialisto |
socialist |
| biero |
bieristo |
brewer |
| ĵurnalo |
ĵurnalisto |
journalist |
| lingvo |
lingvisto |
linguist |
| komputilo |
komputilisto |
computer specialist |
| sporto |
sportisto |
athlete |
-nj- — feminine endearment (hypocoristic)
| Root |
With -nj- |
Meaning |
| patrino |
panjo |
mommy |
| fratino |
franjo |
little sister (affectionate) |
| Ana |
Anjo |
Annie (nickname) |
-uj- — container, country (from nationality adjective)
| Root |
With -uj- |
Meaning |
| mono |
monujo |
wallet, purse (money container) |
| kandelo |
kandelujo |
candlestick |
| cigaro |
cigarujo |
cigar case |
| Franco |
Francujo |
France (land of French people) |
| Germano |
Germanujo |
Germany |
| Polo |
Polujo |
Poland |
| Japano |
Japanujo |
Japan |
Note: Country names can also be formed with -io suffix (Francio, Germanio), which is increasingly preferred.
-ul- — person characterized by a quality
| Root |
With -ul- |
Meaning |
| riĉa |
riĉulo |
rich person |
| malbona |
malbonaulo |
bad person, villain |
| juna |
junulo |
young person, youth |
| fremda |
fremdulo |
foreigner, stranger |
| stulta |
stultulo |
fool, stupid person |
| grasa |
grasulo |
fat person |
| kurioza |
kuriozulo |
curious person |
-um- — vague/idiomatic suffix
-um- has no fixed meaning and is used for words that don't fit another suffix. Each -um- word must be learned individually:
| Root |
With -um- |
Meaning |
| plena |
plenumi |
to fulfill, carry out |
| butono |
butonumi |
to button up |
| kolo |
kolumo |
collar (neck-thing) |
| proksima |
proksimume |
approximately |
| aero |
aerumi |
to air out, ventilate |
| somero |
somerumi |
to summer, spend summer |
| komuniko |
komunikilumo? |
— (creative/nonce) |