A Dothraki royal title for a queen or female counterpart of a khal, best known through Daenerys Targaryen in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones.
Use khaleesi as the Dothraki title meaning queen or khal’s wife. Capitalized Khaleesi is an English-style name or title use, especially for Daenerys, and belongs to that context.
Common mistakes
khaleesi is often treated as a personal name, translated too broadly as any queen, or confused with khal, the male title.
Etymology
From Dothraki khal, meaning king, with the feminine suffix -eesi. The word was created within the Dothraki language of A Song of Ice and Fire and later became widely recognized through Game of Thrones.
FAQ
What does khaleesi mean?
khaleesi means queen or the female counterpart of a khal in Dothraki.
Is khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen’s name?
No. Daenerys Targaryen is called khaleesi as a Dothraki title, not as her given name.
How is khaleesi pronounced in Dothraki?
The Dothraki pronunciation is /ˈxa.le.e.si/, with each vowel in le.e pronounced separately.
Where does khaleesi come from?
It comes from khal, meaning king, plus the feminine suffix -eesi.
Is khaleesi the same as khal?
No. khal is the male ruler title, while khaleesi is the female title.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
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Steady Loon
4 days ago
I like that the entry keeps Daenerys out of the definition mostly. the word belongs to the language, not only to her character
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Candid Meerkat
5 days ago
Khalessi with double s is a common misspelling online. The Dothraki word only has one s near the end
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Polar Moth
5 days ago
Funny that the made up word has a clearer etymology than half the normal names people use
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Jovial Gull
Jul 7
I would not translate every fantasy queen as khaleesi. Galadriel is not suddenly a khaleesi lol
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Bronze Owl
Jul 6
En español mucha gente la dice como nombre propio, no como titulo. Pasa igual con otros nombres de series
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Chipper Otter
Jul 3
The double e in the middle is doing work. ka-LEE-see is the lazy English version I hear most
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Dashing Okapi
Jul 4
guilty. I said it like that for years
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Fluffy Hare
Jul 3
khaleesi sounds prettier than khalakka, no wonder one escaped into real baby-name lists
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Giddy Ferret
Jun 27
My niece asked why nobody calls Drogo Khal as a name, and honestly that explained the mistake better than any lecture
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Lucky Ferret
Jun 22
i still catch myself thinking Khaleesi is her first name before my brain fixes it
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Fluffy Ibis
Jun 25
same, the show used it so much it stuck like a name
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Placid Zebra
Jun 19
English writers sometimes pluralize it as Khaleesis when talking about people named that, but that is English doing English. It doesnt tell you the Dothraki noun ending.
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Plucky Gopher
Jun 22
yeah like two Sarahs, not some secret Sarah grammar
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Wandering Puma
Jun 14
In Dothraki notes I would keep it lowercase, khaleesi. Capital Khaleesi is more the English fandom title or actual given-name spelling, since the fictional language is usually romanized anyway.
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Jolly Curlew
Jun 15
Makes sense. I always read capital Khaleesi as Daenerys specifically, not the dictionary word
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Curious Parrot
Jun 12
When people say the Dosh Khaleen are khaleesis, they mean widows or former consorts of khals in that Dothraki institution. It is not just a random council of ruling queens.
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Dashing Moose
Jun 13
yep, the widow part matters. Daenerys gets judged for not going there after Drogo dies
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Proud Raven
Jun 10
In zhey khaleesi, zhey is the address word. It is like calling out to her, not part of the title itself.
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Early Macaw
Jun 11
same with zhey qoy qoyi in the show lines, zhey is doing the hey you job
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Wise Badger
Jun 1
The kh at the start is the rough sound in Spanish jota or German Bach, not plain English k. So in careful Dothraki it is closer to kha-le-e-si, with both e vowels heard.
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Fresh Raccoon
Jun 5
this is the bit almost nobody says when they use it as a baby name, tbh