The expression “hamasaday” has been declared the youth word of the year and has sparked a heated discussion

The German Embassy in Tajikistan announced on its official Facebook page that the expression “ҳама садай” was chosen as the most popular phrase among Tajik youth, and the author of the suggestion was awarded a prize.

According to the embassy, users were invited in November to suggest slang words or expressions that are most commonly used in the everyday speech of young people. As a result of the voting, the expression “ҳама садай” received the most “likes” and was declared the winner. The embassy congratulated the author of the phrase and presented him with an award.

The initiative of the German embassy sparked mixed reactions in society, with heated debates erupting on social media. Some users perceived the embassy’s initiative as “an insult to the Tajik language.”

“You insult our language and then reward those who demean it?” wrote one user.

User Bakhtiyor Faizulloyev stated that this initiative has nothing to do with dialects. According to him, the concept of Jugendwort (German for youth word) does not mean dialect, but refers to a slang word or expression used by youth in informal settings, and is part of youth culture. He emphasized that such expressions do not replace the literary language, and the goal of the initiative is to showcase the living language of youth and cultural exchange.

At the same time, social media activist and linguist Umed Jaihoni sharply criticized this initiative on his Facebook page, calling it a humiliation of the values of the national language. He even called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan to assess the actions of the German embassy staff for “insulting the national language of Tajiks.”

In response to Umed Jaihoni’s criticism, the German embassy issued a clarification. The embassy emphasized its deep respect for the Tajik language as one of the national treasures.

“The German Embassy in Dushanbe holds the Tajik language in deep respect as one of the national values and highly appreciates it. This is evidenced by the use of the Tajik language as the primary language of our publications on social media,” the embassy noted.

The embassy also explained that it is about the word of the year among youth, not a dialect or literary language. According to them, such practices are common in Germany. For example, the expression “Das crazy” became the youth word of the year 2025 in Germany, which was originally borrowed from English.

The embassy also noted that the conditions of the competition were transparent: the winner was the suggestion that received the most “likes”.

“We did not propose the expression ‘ҳама садай’ nor did we choose it. It was chosen by Tajik youth. If another suggestion had received more ‘likes’, it would have been the winner.”

The embassy also emphasized that the video does not have a political or official character.

“This is humor. This expression is widely used in youth speech. What is the problem?” the German embassy questioned.

In its statement, the German embassy once again officially emphasized that the video is purely humorous for the subscribers of the page and does not pursue any political or offensive goals.

Tajik social media users reacted differently to the initiative of the German embassy in Dushanbe. Some viewed it as an example of cultural exchange and a reflection of real youth speech, while others saw it as a manifestation of disrespect for the national language.

So far, the official bodies responsible for cultural issues and the Tajik language, including the Committee on Language and Terminology under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, as well as other experts and linguists, have not officially responded to this initiative.