A family of languages descended from an ancestor spoken in the region of the N Ural Mts over 7000 years ago. Although some have been written since the 13th-c, Uralic languages are now in decline, largely because of the propagation of Russian in their place. The major languages are Finnish, Estonian, and Lapp, with an isolated member, Magyar, in Hungary. Numerous minor languages are scattered through N Russia.
| English | Proto-Uralic | Finnish | Estonian | North Sami | Erzya | Mari | Komi | Khanty | Mansi | Hungarian | Nenets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fire | *tuli | tuli | tuli | dolla | tol | tul | tyl- | - | - | - | tu |
| fish | *kala | kala | kala | guolli | kal | kol | - | kul | kul | hal | xalya |
| nest | *pesä | pesä | pesa | beassi | pize | pəžaš | poz | pel | pit'ii | fészek | pyidya |
| hand, arm | *käti | käsi | käsi | giehta | ked´ | kit | ki | köt | kaat | kéz | - |
| eye | *śilmä | silmä | silm | čalbmi | śel´me | šinča | śin | sem | sam | szem | sæw° |
| fathom | *süli | syli | süli | salla | sel´ | šülö | syl | Löl | täl | öl | tyíbya |
| vein / sinew | *sïxni | suoni | soon | suotna | san | šün | sën | Lan | taan | ín 'sinew, tendon' | te' |
| bone | *luwi | luu | luu | - | lovaža | lu | ly | loγ | luw | - | le |
| liver | *mïksa | maksa | maks | - | makso | mokš | mus | muγəl | maat | máj | mud° |
| urine | *kunśi | kusi | kusi | gožža | - | kəž | kudź | kos- | końć- | húgy | - |
| to go | *meni- | mennä | minema | mannat | - | mija- | mun- | mən- | men- | megy | myin- |
| to live | *elä- | elää | elama | eallit | il'e- | ila- | ol- | - | - | él | yilye- |
| to die | *kaxli- | kuolla | - | - | kulo- | kola- | kul- | kol- | kool- | hal | xa- |
| to wash | *mośki- | - | mõskma | - | muśke- | muška- | myśky- | - | - | mos | masø- |
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