Kirundi basic phrases
Basic vocabulary
- Oya – no
- Ego – yes
- Ingo – come!
- Cane – much, many, a lot, very (Ndashonje cane – I'm very hungry)
- Gose (gose cane) – many, much (stronger than cane)
- Buhorobuhoro/bukebuke – slowly
- Mpore! – attention!
- Bangwe! – stop!
- Kira! – Bless you!
- Kaze! – welcome! (often used "Karibu!" – swahili expression)
- Amahera/amafranga – money
- Sindabizi – I don't know
- Ndibaza – maybe
- Neza – good
- Imodoka – a car
Greetings
- Bwakeye / Mwaramutse – hello, good morning!
- Mwiriwe – good afternoon/evening
- Ijoro ryiza – good night
- Turabonaye / Nakagaruka – see you later
- N'agasaga – see you, good bye
- Urakomeye? – how are you? (reply: ego/ndakomeye = I'm well)
- Amakuru? – What's news?
- Amahoro – peace, widely used as greetins (reply: n'amahoro)
- Genda n'amahoro – go (be) in peace
- Urugendo gwiza! – Have a good journey!
Expressing gratitude
- Urakoze – thank you (addressing one person), murakoze (more than 1 person)
- Urakoze cane – Thank you very much
Other useful expressions
- canke – or
- hehe? – where?
- aha – here (Ni aha – It's here)
- kuki? – why?
- kuko – because
- ninde? – who?
- ryari? – when?
- canecane – particularly, especially
- ejo – tomorrow, yesterday (depends on the context)
- vuba – soon
- Amahera angahe? – How much does it cost?
- Jewe nitwa – my name is
- Ndashonje – I'm hungry
- Ndanezerewe – I'm not happy
- Ndihuta – I'm in hurry
- Mfise itiro – I'm tired/I want to sleep
- Ndarushe – I'm tired
- Ndarwaye – I'm sick/ill
- Nta mahera nsigaranye – I haven't got any money
- Ntabara – Help!
- Ndaje – I'm coming!
- Ndashaka – I want/I would like
- Mpa… – give me…
- Urabesha, arabesha – you lie, he/she lies
- Ikitabu – a book
- Ishule – school
- Isoko – market
- Itabi – tobacco, cigarettes
- Ingoma – a drum/a kingdom
Food
- umukate – bread (Swahili)
- muceri – rice
- ibiraya – potatoes
- amata – milk
- amavuta – butter, cooking oil
- inyama – meat
- inkoko – chicken
- amagi – eggs (sing. igi)
- ivyema – peanuts
- urubu – yoghurt
- ubuki – honey
- ifu – flour
Fruits
- ivyamwa – fruits
- igisaga – bananas (sweet)
- inanasi – pineapple
- umucungwa – orange
- itunda (pl. amatunda) – "Japanese" fruit (fruit de Japon)
- ivoka (pl. amavoka) – avocado
Vegetables
- imboga – vegetables
- ibitoke – bananas (plantains)
- ibiharage – beans (sing. igiharage)
- ishu – cabagge
- umuhiti – cucumber
- isarata – salad
- inyanya/itomati – tomato
Drinks
- amazi – water
- inzoga – beer / used also for alcoholic drinks in general
- ikawa – coffee
- icayi – tea
- fanta – all sorts of fizzy drinks (coke, fanta, sprite,..)
- urwawa – banana wine
- impeke – sorghum beer (home made)
- kanyanga/rutuku – prohibited locally brewed spirit (made of manioc)
- umunanasi/umuraha – pineapple spirit
Dishes, cuttlery
- ikiyiko – spoon
- imbugita – knife
- ifurshet – fork
- isahan – plate/dish
- icupa – bottle
- urupfunguruzo – bottle opener
- ikirahuri – a glass
Animals
- inka – cow
- imfizi – bull
- ishuri – young bull
- impene – goat
- intama – sheep
- inkoko – hen, chicken
- ingona – crocodile
- imvubu – hippo
- akayabo – cat
- imbga – dog
- inkende – monkey
- isato – python
Persons
- jewe – me
- wewe – you
- twebwe – we
- izina (pl. amazina) – name
- umuntu (abantu) – a person
- umwana (abana) – child
- umugore (abagore) – woman
- umugabo (abagabo) – man
- umuhungu (abahangu) – boy
- umukobga (abakobga) – girl
- umuzungu (agazungu) – white man (a European)
- umuzungukazi – white woman
- umwirabure – an African (a black person)
- umwami (bami) – king
- umugenzi (abagenzi ) – friend
- umurimyi – a villager/a farmer
- umutama – old man/wise man
- umutamakazi – old/wise woman
- umushingantahe – a notable
- umwigisha – a teacher
- umwigishwa – a pupil/a student
- Imana – the God
Landscape & weather
- ikiyaga – lake
- umusozi (pl. imisozi) – mountain, hill
- urizi (inzuzi) – river
- ikibuye (ibibuye) – rock
- ibarabara – path/road
- izuba – Sun
- ukwezi – Moon
- imvura – rain
- ikivura – storm
Numbers
- igiharuro – number
- isinzi – a big number (10 000 etc.)
1 – 10
- 1 = rimwe kimwe umwe
- 2 = kabiri – bibiri – babiri
- 3 = gatatu – bitatu – batatu
- 4 = kane – bine – bane
- 5 = gatanu – bitanu – batanu
- 6 = gatandatu
- 7 = indwi
- 8 = umunani
- 9 = icenda
- 10 = icumi
11 – 20
- 11 = cumi nu rimwe
- 12 = cumi nu kabiri
- 13 = cumi nu gatatu
- 14 = cumi nu kane
- 15 = cumi nu gatanu
- 16 = cumi nu gatandatu
- 17 = cumi n'indwi
- 18 = cumi n'umunani
- 19 = cumi n'icenda
- 20 = mirong'ibiri
- 30 = mirong'itatu
- 40 = mirong'ine
- 50 = mirong'itanu
- 60 = mirong'itandatu
- 70 = mirong'indwi
- 80 = mirong'umunani
- 90 = mirong'icenda
100 – 900
- 100 = ijana
- 200 = amajana abiri (pl. "amajana")
- 300 = amajana atatu
- 400 = amajama ane
- 500 = amajama atanu
- 600 = amajama atandatu
- 700 = amajama indwi
- 800 = amajama umunani
- 900 = amajama icenda
over 1000
- 1000 = igihumbi
- 100,000 = iraqi/ilaki
Days
- kuwambere – Monday
- kuwakabiri – Tuesday
- kuwagatatu – Wednesday
- kuwakane – Thursday
- kuwagatanu – Friday
- kuwagatandatu – Saturday
- kuwamunga – Sunday (also used kuwa imana, i.e. God's day)
Time
- umwaka (pl. imyaka) – year
- uyu munsi – today
- ejo – yesterday, tomorrow (depends on context)
- ubu – now
- ubunyene – right now
- hanyuma – later, after
- buhoro – slowly
- vuba – soon (tuzobonana vuba – see you soon)
- umusi, kumurango – day
- mwijoro – night (Ijoro ryiza – good night)
- munkoko – morning, dawn
- umugoroba – evening (umugoroba mwiza = have a nice evening!)
- igicu – midnight
- isaha – hour, a watch
