🇲🇼
Most Common Tumbuka Words
Chitumbuka
Essential Tumbuka vocabulary with pronunciation guides. Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
Nouns
| Word | English Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| munthu | person | MOON-too |
| nyumba | house | NYOOM-ba |
| maji | water | MA-ji |
| chakudya | food | cha-KOO-dya |
| nthowa | road / path | NTHO-wa |
| malo | place | MA-lo |
| chaka | year | CHA-ka |
| zuŵa | sun / day | ZU-wa |
| usiku | night | u-SI-ku |
| mwana | child | MWAN-a |
| mzati | tree | mZA-ti |
| m'phini | chief | m-PHI-ni |
| mulungu | God | mu-LOON-gu |
| mtundu | kind / type | m-TOON-du |
| chimwemwe | joy | chi-mWEM-we |
| chomwe | thing | CHOM-we |
| dzina | name | DZI-na |
| mazgu | words | MA-zgu |
| nkhondo | war | NKHON-do |
| chisomo | grace / favor | chi-SO-mo |
Verbs
| Word | English Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| yowoya | to speak | yo-WO-ya |
| kuyenda | to go | ku-YEN-da |
| kumwaza | to see | ku-MWA-za |
| kudya | to eat | KOO-dya |
| kumwa | to drink | KOOM-wa |
| kugona | to sleep | ku-GO-na |
| kufuma | to come from | ku-FOO-ma |
| kubwera | to come back | ku-BWE-ra |
| kukondwa | to be happy | ku-KON-dwa |
| kufunzika | to learn | ku-foon-ZI-ka |
| kuthandaza | to pray | ku-than-DA-za |
| kulutira | to pass | ku-loo-TI-ra |
| kupambana | to fight | ku-pam-BA-na |
| kupereka | to give | ku-pe-RE-ka |
| kughanaghanira | to think about | ku-gha-na-gha-NI-ra |
| kukumbukira | to remember | ku-koom-bu-KI-ra |
| kulemba | to write | ku-LEM-ba |
| kuŵerenga | to read / count | ku-we-REN-ga |
| kuchita | to do | ku-CHI-ta |
| kusimama | to stand | ku-si-MA-ma |
Adjectives
| Word | English Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| -kulu | big | KOO-lu |
| -ng'ono | small | NGO-no |
| -wemi | good | WE-mi |
| -bi | bad | bi |
| -khwima | strong | KHWI-ma |
| -fuphi | short | FOO-phi |
| -ndende | tall / long | nDEN-de |
| -chekecheke | thin | che-ke-CHE-ke |
| -ŵisi | new / fresh | WI-si |
| -kali | fierce / sharp | KA-li |
| -kondwa | happy | KON-dwa |
| -lemera | heavy / difficult | le-ME-ra |
| -yayi | white | YA-yi |
| -wisi | cold | WI-si |
| -tentha | hot | TEN-tha |
| -fupi | near | FOO-pi |
| -tatizga | difficult | ta-TI-zga |
| -yesayesa | easy | ye-sa-YE-sa |
| -nkhanira | helpful | NKHA-ni-ra |
| -ghanaghana | thoughtful | gha-na-GHA-na |
Adverbs
| Word | English Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| sono | today / now | SO-no |
| kale | already / before | KA-le |
| kweniso | also / too | kwe-NI-so |
| waka | just / only | WA-ka |
| chomene | very much | cho-ME-ne |
| pachoko | a little | pa-CHO-ko |
| pafupi | nearby | pa-FOO-pi |
| kutali | far away | ku-TA-li |
| chifukwa | because | chi-FOO-kwa |
| nadi | really / truly | NA-di |
| padera | together | pa-DE-ra |
| kanandi | often | ka-NAN-di |
| ntchito yake | still | ntchi-TO ya-KE |
| penepa | here | pe-NE-pa |
| apo | there | A-po |
| pa nyake | elsewhere | pa NYA-ke |
| mwangu mwangu | quickly | MWAN-gu MWAN-gu |
| pang'ono pang'ono | slowly | pan-GO-no pan-GO-no |
| chilichose | always / everything | chi-li-CHO-se |
| palije | nowhere / nothing | pa-LI-je |