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Kirundi
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- 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



