- Hello
- Good morning
- How are you?
- Thank you
- Yes
- No
- Please
- Today
- I am well
- Tomorrow
- Do you speak English?
- Yesterday
- Goodbye
- OK
- Keep well
- I don’t know
Molo (s) / Mholweni (pl)
Molo / Molweni ekuseni
Unjani?
Enkosi
Ewe / Yebo (zulu origin)
Hayi
Ndiyacela
Namhlanje
Ndiphilile
Ngomso
Ingaba uyasithetha isingesi
Izolo
Sala kakuhle
Kulungile
Qhubeka Kakuhle
Andiyazi
About the Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the 11 official languages in South Africa and is the second most spoken indigenous language after Zulu. In is also one of Zimbabwe’s official languages. Called isiXhosa by Xhosa people who refer to themselves as the amaXhosa, it is classified as a Zunda language (together with Zulu and Ndebele), which is a branch of the Nguni languages that include Swati, Hlubi, Phuthi, Bhaca, Lala and Nhlangwini. The majority of Xhosa speakers in South Africa live in the Eastern Cape (7 million), followed by the Western Cape (3 million), Gauteng (1 million), the Free State (0.5 million) and Kwazulu-Natal (0.3 million). Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape have approximately 0.07 million Xhosa speakers and Limpopo 0.03 million.
The Xhosa people are a Bantu ethnic group that extends from Southern Africa across the Great Lakes to Central Africa. Originally spoken about 4000 years ago in Western-central Africa (modern day Cameroon), the Southern Bantu people reached modern-day Kwazulu-Natal in about 300AD. Xhosa evolved from the interaction with the Khoisan. There are two schools of thought on the origin of the name ‘Xhosa’ – one being that it came from a legendary king called uXhosa and the other that it was derived from Khoisan for ‘angry men’. About 15% of modern-day Xhosa is of San origin, as are its 18 clicks – 15 of which are also used in the Zulu language (Juǀ’hoan and Taa, spoken in Botswana, have 48 and 83 clicks respectively).
The first six clicks in Xhosa, represented by the letter ‘c’, are dental and made with the tongue on the back of the teeth to sound like “tut-tut” or “tsk-tsk” when reprimanding someone. The next six, involving the letter ‘x’, are lateral and made by the tongue at the sides of the mouth as used to chivvy on a horse. The last six, with the letter ‘q’, are alveolar and made with the tip of the tongue at the roof of the mouth, much like the sound of a cork being pulled from a bottle.
Nouns in Xhosa consists of two parts – the prefix and the stem, with the prefixes used to group nouns into classes, such as singular or plural.
- Mother/s
- Father/s
- Woman/women (also wife/wives)
- Man/men
- Husband/s
- Girl/s
- Boy/s
- Son/s
- Daughter/s (also little girl/s)
- Child/children
Umama/oomama
Utata/ ootata
Umfazi/ abafazi
Indoda/ amadoda
Umyeni/ abayeni
Intombi/ iintombi
Inkwenkwe/ amakhwenkwe
Unyana/ oonyana
Intombazana/amantombazana
Umntwana/abantwana
- Brother/s
- Sister/s
- Friend/s
- Girlfriend/s
- Boyfriend/s
- Baby/babies
- Aunt/s
- Uncle/s
- Partner/s
- Lover/s
Ubhuti/ obhuti
Usisi/ oodade
Umhlobo/ izihlobo
Iqabanekazi/ amaqabanekazi
Isoka/ amakhwenkwe
Usana/ iintsana
Umakazi/ omakazi
Umalume/ oomalume
Iqabane/ amaqabane
Isithandwa/ abathandi
Initiation among the Xhosa
Bhuti is used by boys referring to a young man who has just finished initiation when he is no longer called by his name. A man who had undergone initiation before another boy or man can also be referred to as bhuti by them. Bhuti is also used to refer to older ‘brothers’, which could be any male relation through paternal kinship (uncle, brother, cousin or clan member). Wives refer to all men older than their husbands, including their husbands’ brothers, as bhuti, which can also be used for younger men as a sign of respect and affection.
- Zero
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
Unoti
Inye
Zimbini
Zintathu
Zine
Zintlanu
Zintandatu
Zisixhenxe
Zisibhozo
Zilithoba
Lishumi
- Where?
- When?
- How?
- Why?
- Who?
- How much?
- How many?
- How far?
- What time?
- How long?
Phi?
Nini?
Njani?
Ngoba?
Ngubani?
Yimalini?
Zingaphi?
Kangakanani?
Xeshani?
Ixesha elingakanani?
Xhosa:
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo
Zulu & Xhosa:
Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho Iwayo
Sesotho:
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa, South Afrika, South Afrika.
Afrikaans
Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land.
Xhosa
Lord bless Africa
May her glory be lifted high,
Line
Zulu
Hear our petitions
Lord bless us, your children.
Line
Sesotho
Lord we ask You to protect our nation,
Intervene and end all conflicts,
Protect us, protect our nation,
Protect South Africa, South Africa.
Line
Afrikaans
Out of the blue of our heavens,
From the depths of our seas,
Over everlasting mountains,
Where the echoing crags resound,
SA National Anthem
The South African national anthem was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining extracts of the 19th century hymn Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika, the Afrikaans song Die Stem van Suid-Afrika, and new English lyrics. Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika was composed by Enoch Sontonga, a Methodist school teacher, in 1897 and was first sung as a church hymn. Die Stem van Suid-Afrika was formerly used as the South African national anthem from the late 1930s[ to the mid-1990s. Both Nkosi Sikeleli and die Stem were initially used as a dual national anthem between 1994 when South Africa became a democracy and 1997 when the current abridged anthem was adopted.
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika originally became a pan-African liberation song with versions of it later adopted as the national anthems of Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe after independence, with Namibia and Zimbabwe subsequently adopting new compositions for their anthems. It includes versions in Chichewa (Malawi and Zambia). The ruling African National Congress (ANC) first used the hymn in 1925 and it was sung regularly at meetings and other events during the anti-apartheid movement of the 1970s and 80s.
In Finland the same melody is used as the children’s psalm “Kuule, Isä taivaan, pyyntö tää” (“Hear, Heavenly Father”). The hymn has appeared in Virsikirja, the hymnbook of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, with lyrics by Jaakko Löytty.
The modulation and ending of the SA national anthem in a different key is a compositional feature shared with the Italian and Philippine national anthems.
- Sorry/ excuse me
- Name
- Surname
- Go
- It’s nothing
- Stay behind
- My
- Your
- Home
- Go home
Uxolo
Igama
Ifani
Hamba
Akukho
Sala
Lam/ Yam
lakho/ Yakho
Ikhaya
Goduka
- Hot
- Cold
- Visited
- Arrived
- I’m tired
- Can’t complain
- To do
- Teach
- Study
- I am not well
Kushushu
Kuyabanda
Hambela
Fike
Ndidiniwe
Andikhalazi
Enza
Fundisa
Funda
Andiphilanga
- What are you saying?
- Do you have kids?
- Where do you come from?
- When were you born?
- Where do you live?
- Who do you live with?
- What work do you do?
- Do you like?
- Did you hear?
- Are you married?
Uthini?
Unabantwana?
Uvelaphi?
Uzalelwe phi?
Uhlalaphi?
Uhlala nabani?
Usebenza ntoni?
Uyathanda?
Uvile?
Utshatile?
- Kitchen
- Food
- Water
- Bread
- Meat
- Milk
- Tea
- Coffee
- Sugar
- Butter
Ekhitshini
ukutya
Amanzi
Isonka
Inyama
Ubisi
Iti
Kofu
Iswekile
Ibhotolo
- Happy birthday!
- How old are you?
- You’re welcome
- What do you want to drink?
- What do you want to eat?
- Hello my friend
- What are you doing?
- Goodnight
- Can you come?
- Don’t be late!
Usuku lokuzalwa olumnandi!
Unganganani ngeeminyaka?
Wamkelekile
Ufuna ukusela ntoni?
Ingaba ufuna ukutya ntoni?
Molo tshomi wam
Wenzani?
Busuju bonzolo
Ungaze?
Sukulibala!
- Fish
- Chicken
- Beef
- Pork
- Eggs
- Porridge
- Juice
- Beer
- Xhosa beer
- Wine
Intlanzi
Inkukhu
Inyama yenkomo
Inyama yehagu
Amaqanda
Ipapa
Ijusi
Ibhiya
Umqombothi
isiselo somdiliya
- iGauteng
- iLimpopo
- iMpumalanga
- iFreystatha
- iKwazulu Natali
- Umntla-ntshona (North West)
- Umntla-Koloni (Northern Cape)
- Impuma-Koloni (Eastern Cape)
- Intshona-Koloni (Western Cape)
Neighbours
- iZimbabhwe
- iButswana
- iNamibhiya
- iMozambikh
- iLesotho
- ESwatini
- iGoli
- iPitoli
- iKapa
- iTheku
- iBhayi
- iMonti
- Umgungundlovu
- iKomani
- IQonce
- iCacadu
- iGcuwa
Johannesburg
Pretoria
Cape Town
Durban
Port Elizabeth
East London
Pietermaritzburg
Queenstown
King William’s Town
Lady Frere
Butterworth
- Abahlobo
- Urhulumente
- Isizwe
- Ilizwe
- Ootitshala
- Umsebenzi
- Ifemeli
- Iofisi
- Indlu
- Lipi ikhaya?
Friends
Government
Nation
Country
Teachers
Work
Family
Office
House
Where is home?
- Ubomi
- Goduka!
- Nabani?
- Ndawoni?
- Uzalwe nini?
- Uzalelwe phi
- Uvela phi?
- Ushushu!
- Uphambene
- Ukukhazeka?
Life
Go home!
With whom?
Where exactly?
In which year were you born?
Where were you born?
Where do you come from?
You are crazy!
You are mad!
Are you sad?
- Ndilibele
- Yeka ukukhathzeka
- Yibangcono
- Andiqondi
- Awu ndivile
- Abantwana bam ndiyabathanda
- Amagama abo nguAsanda noZizele
- Andikuthandi
- Asivuli ngomso
- Baphi abazali bakho?
Life
Go home!
With whom?
Where exactly?
In which year were you born?
Where were you born?
Where do you come from?
You are crazy!
You are mad!
Are you sad?
- NdinguXayiya
- Andidlali
- Ndiya eRhawutini
- Ndivela eBhayi
- Kushushu ehlotyeni
- Kumnandi eKapa
- Kuyanetha ekwindla
- Ndihlala elalini
- Ndizalelwe eMzantsi Afrika
- Wenza ntoni?
I am Xayiya
I don’t play
I am going to Gauteng
I came from Port Elizabeth
It is hot in summer
It is nice in Cape Town
It is raining in autumn
I stay in the village
I was born in South Africa
What do you do?