Family

English
Family or Father or Mother or Sister Brother Daughter Son Child or Baby or Grandmother Grandfather Grandchild Aunt Uncle or Cousin or Niece or Nephew or Husband or Wife or Father-in-law Mother-in-law Brother-in-law Sister-in-law

People
(notes)

Kirundi
in-dimwe umu-ryngo dta dwe mma mwe mwene data mwene dta umu-kbga umu-hngu umw-na umu-gisye umw-na uru-hnja nyogokuru sgokuru umw-zukuru mma wcu msenge mrume dta wcu ba-vyra bcu mwene wacu umu-kbgacu umu-sngezana umu-hngwacu mw-shwa umu-gabo umu-gnzi umu-gnzi umu-gore sebukwe mbukwe mu-ramuwe muramukazanje

English
Man or or Woman or or Boy Girl or Person People or Friend Pastor

Kirundi
umu-gabo umu-sore umu-tma umu-gore umu-zzwa umu-kamakare umu-hngu umu-kbga umw-geme umw-ernda aba-ntu aka-rwi umu-gnzi umu-sigzi

(notes) (married) (young, single) (old) (married) (young, single) (old, respectful term)

(kind person)

(group)

(preacher)

(maternal) (paternal) (maternal) (paternal) (maternal) (paternal) (daughter of sister) (daughter of brother) (son of brother) (son of sister)

or

Pronouns
English
I or or We or You (singular) or You (plural) or He She Them

Kirundi
jewe jeho je twebge tweho wewe weho mwebge mweho we we bo

(notes)

*Words in Kinyarwanda (Kin.) are mutually intelligible with Kirundi

Days of the Week

English
Sunday

Months of the Year

(notes)

Kirundi
ic-mwru or ku wa mungu ku cyumweru ku wa mbere ku wa kabiri ku wa gatatu ku wa kane ku wa gatanu ku wa gatandatu or ku isabato

English
January

Kirundi

(notes)

(Kin.) (Kin.) (Kin.) (Kin.) (Kin.) (Kin.) (Kin.) (Kin.)

February

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

March April

May

Time
English
Time Hour Minute Clock Dawn Morning Early morning Mid-morning Noon (12:00)

(notes)

June

Kirundi
umw-nya i-saha July August September October November

i-saha umu-twnzi igi-tndo (9:00-10:00a.m.) aga-tndo ku musase umu-tga (about 1:00a.m.) or ku mamima ngohe(about 3:00p.m.) Afternoon ama-hodoka (toward sundown) Mid-afternoon ama-subirayo (sun low, but visible) y'inyana ama-shka Mid-day Late afternoon umu-hngamo Dusk iki-rngazba Evening aka-gorba Night bgateranya Midnight igi-cugu Now ubu-nyene Today uyu musi Yesterday ejo Tomorrow bukeye Day before yesterday y'ejo hirya Day after tomorrow hirya y'ejo Day umu-si Week uru-husha Month ukw-zi Year umw-ka

December

ukwezi kwa mbere Nzero ukweze kwa kabiri Nyamagoma Ruhuhuma ukwezi kwa gatatu Ntwarante ukwezi kwa kane Ndamukiza Kabozambuba ukwezi kwa gatanu Rusama ukwezi kwa gatandatu Rwirabura Kiyumpu ukwezi kwa ndwi Mukakaro ukwezi kwa munani Myandagaro ukwezi kwa cenda Nyakanga ukwezi kwa cumi Gitugutu ukwezi kwa cumi na rimwe Munyonyo ukwezi kwa cumi na kabiri Kigarama

*Words in Kinyarwanda (Kin.) are mutually intelligible with Kirundi

Greetings
English
Hello!

Common Phrases
(notes)

Kirundi

English

Kirundi

(notes)

Bgakeye (morning) or Mwriwe (afternoon) Goodbye N'agasaga Good morning Bgakeye Good afternoon, Mwriwe evening Good night Ijoro ryiza Welcome Kza Thank you Urakoze or Wakoze Thank you very Murakoze cane much My name is Jewe nitwa How are you? Amakuru? or Amaki? I am well. Ndakomeye. It is good. Ni sawa. Nice to meet Ni vyiza you. kubonana nawe. See you tomorrow. a hejo. N See you soon. Tuzobonana vuba.

And ni - na Bad -bi Bless you! Kira! But ariko Excuse me kw-regra God bless you. Imana iguhezagire. Good -nza Here aha How do you say How many? -nghe? How much does Amahera engahe? it cost? How? -te? I don't know. sindabizi I don't understand. I need an interpreter. I speak English Maybe ndibaza Mr. Bgana No oya Or canke or bambe Please gu-hmbra Soon vuba Sorry! mpore! There aho What did you say? What? iki? When? ryari? Where? hehe? Which? -he? Who? ninde? Why? kuki? Yes ego

(old, respectful term)