Why could some people hear or understand the Valyrian language in Game of Thrones?
Game of Thrones
Updated Aug 30, 2026
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Contains spoilers: Minor spoilers for the Season 3 Astapor/Unsullied
Direct answer
Valyrian is an ordinary spoken language, not a magical ability. Anyone nearby can hear it, but only people who learned High Valyrian or a local Valyrian-derived dialect can understand it. Knowledge comes from upbringing, education, work, or living in Essos—not Targaryen blood alone.
## Hearing versus understanding
Characters do not need special powers to hear Valyrian; they hear the sounds as they would any other language. Understanding its meaning depends on whether they know that particular form of Valyrian. English subtitles are for the audience and do not mean every character in the scene understands the dialogue.
## High Valyrian and local dialects
“Valyrian” covers more than one form of speech. High Valyrian is the old, prestigious language of the Valyrian Freehold, preserved by educated elites, nobles, scholars, and diplomats. Across Essos, regional “Low” or bastard-Valyrian varieties also developed and remained common in places such as the Free Cities and Slaver’s Bay. Knowing one variety does not necessarily mean fluency in all of them.
## Why major characters understand it
Daenerys was raised in exile within a Targaryen household that preserved Valyrian culture, so she learned the language. Missandei understands several languages because she was trained and employed as an interpreter. Tyrion knows at least some Valyrian through his broad aristocratic education and experience. Residents and officials of Slaver’s Bay commonly know local Valyrian speech because it is part of their everyday social, commercial, and political environment.
## Daenerys and Kraznys
In Season 3, Episode 4, “And Now His Watch Is Ended,” Kraznys insults Daenerys in Valyrian because he assumes she cannot understand him. She intentionally lets him believe that during the Unsullied negotiation. Once the bargain is complete, she reveals her comprehension and uses Valyrian to seize control of the Unsullied. Her apparent ignorance was a tactic, not a limitation.
## Bloodline is not the explanation
Targaryen or Valyrian ancestry does not automatically grant language knowledge. The story treats Valyrian as learned cultural knowledge. A person with Valyrian ancestry who was never taught it would not automatically understand it, while a non-Valyrian such as Tyrion can learn it through education.
Characters do not need special powers to hear Valyrian; they hear the sounds as they would any other language. Understanding its meaning depends on whether they know that particular form of Valyrian. English subtitles are for the audience and do not mean every character in the scene understands the dialogue.
## High Valyrian and local dialects
“Valyrian” covers more than one form of speech. High Valyrian is the old, prestigious language of the Valyrian Freehold, preserved by educated elites, nobles, scholars, and diplomats. Across Essos, regional “Low” or bastard-Valyrian varieties also developed and remained common in places such as the Free Cities and Slaver’s Bay. Knowing one variety does not necessarily mean fluency in all of them.
## Why major characters understand it
Daenerys was raised in exile within a Targaryen household that preserved Valyrian culture, so she learned the language. Missandei understands several languages because she was trained and employed as an interpreter. Tyrion knows at least some Valyrian through his broad aristocratic education and experience. Residents and officials of Slaver’s Bay commonly know local Valyrian speech because it is part of their everyday social, commercial, and political environment.
## Daenerys and Kraznys
In Season 3, Episode 4, “And Now His Watch Is Ended,” Kraznys insults Daenerys in Valyrian because he assumes she cannot understand him. She intentionally lets him believe that during the Unsullied negotiation. Once the bargain is complete, she reveals her comprehension and uses Valyrian to seize control of the Unsullied. Her apparent ignorance was a tactic, not a limitation.
## Bloodline is not the explanation
Targaryen or Valyrian ancestry does not automatically grant language knowledge. The story treats Valyrian as learned cultural knowledge. A person with Valyrian ancestry who was never taught it would not automatically understand it, while a non-Valyrian such as Tyrion can learn it through education.