Zulu phrasebook
Zulu (isiZulu) is the language of the Zulu people, the majority of them living in South Africa.
Pronunciation guide
Note that Zulu is a tonal language, so the meaning of some words depends on whether you use a high or low pitch. For instance, "Unjani?" with a high tone on the 'u' means "How are you?" whereas a low thone on the 'u' means "How are they?"
Vowels
Zulu vowels are very similar to those found in English.
Consonants
Zulu has three click consonants, represented by "c," "q," and "x" in written Zulu.
c: Click your tongue off the back of your teeth, like a disapproving "tsk tsk."
x: This sounds like the click made to summon a horse. Click the side of your tongue off your molars, on either or both sides of your mouth.
q: This is the hardest click. It should sound somewhat like a cork being popped from a bottle. Put your tongue on the edge of your hard palate, and pull it off sharply. This will take some practice.
Here are the other consonants that can be difficult:
t like the "t" in "tea"
k somewhere between English "k" and English "g"
kh this is a digraph; it is pronounced like a hard k in English, like k in "kick".
hh A digraph, this is a voiced "h", like "ch" in the Scottish "loch" but softer.
y Like the English "y"
b Like the English "b"
Phrase list
Basics
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Common signs
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- Hello (to one person)
- Sawubona.
- Hello (to a group of people)
- Sanibonani.
- How are you? (singular 'you')
- Unjani?
- How are you? (plural 'you')
- Ninjani?
- I'm fine.
- Ngiyaphila
- We're fine.
- Siyaphila
- What's your name?
- Ungubani igama lakho?
- My name is _____.
- Igama lami ngingu _____.
- Can you help me?
- Ungangisiza?
- How much (does it cost)?
- Yimalini?
- What's the time?
- Isikhathisini?
- Where are you from?
- Uphumaphi?
- I come from ___________.
- Ngiphuma _____.
- Do you speak English?
- Uyasikhuluma isiNgisi?
- Thank you.
- Ngiyabonga.
- Stay well / Go well. (used as 'goodbye')
- Sala kahle / Hamba kahle.
Problems
- Leave me alone.
- Ngiyeke!
- Don't touch me!
- Ungangithinti!
- I will call the Police.
- Ngizobiza amaPhoyisa.
- Police!
- Phoyisa!
- Thief!
- Sgebengu!
- I need your help.
- Ngidinga usizo lwakho.
- It's an emergency.
- Kuyaphuthuma.
- I'm lost.
- Ngidukile.
- I lost my bag.
- Ngilahlekelwe isikhwama sami.
- I lost my wallet.
- Ngilahlekelwe isikhwama sami semali.
- I'm sick.
- Ngiyagula.
- I need a doctor.
- Ngidinga udokotela.
- Please can I use your phone.
- Ngicela ukusebenzisa ucingo lwakho.
Numbers
Numbers in Zulu are quite complex, with all of them acting as adjectives that alter the subsequent word. The numbers listed below are the traditional Zulu numbers, but virtually all Zulu speakers use the English counting system for convenience.
- zero
- iqanda
- one
- kunye
- two
- kubili
- three
- kuthathu
- four
- kune
- five
- isihlanu
- six
- isithupha
- seven
- isikhombisa
- eight
- isishiyagalombili
- nine
- isishiyagalolunye
- ten
- ishumi
- eleven
- ishumi nanye
- twelve
- ishumi nambili
- thirteen
- ishumi nantathu
- fourteen
- ishumi nane
- fifteen
- ishumi nesihlanu
- sixteen
- ishumi nesithupha
- seventeen
- ishumi nesikhombisa
- eighteen
- ishumi nesishiyagalombili
- nineteen
- ishumi nesishiyagalolunye
- twenty
- amashumi amabili
- twenty-one
- amashumi amabili nanye
- twenty-two
- amashumi amabili nambili
- twenty-three
- amashumi amabili nantathu
- twenty-four
- amashumi amabili nane
- twenty-five
- amashumi amabili nesihlanu
- twenty-six
- amashumi amabili nesithupha
- twenty-seven
- amashumi amabili nesikhombisa
- twenty-eight
- amashumi amabili nesishiyagalombili
- twenty-nine
- amashumi amabili nesishiyagalolunye
- thirty
- amashumi amathathu
- forty
- amashumi amane
- fifty
- amashumi amahlanu
- sixty
- amashumi ayisithupha
- seventy
- amashumi ayisikhombisa
- eighty
- amashumi ayisishiyagalombili
- ninety
- amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye
- hundred
- ikhulu
- one hundred one
- ikhulu nanye
- one hundred two
- ikhulu nambili
- two hundred
- amakhulu amabili
- three hundred
- amakhulu amathathu
- four hundred
- amakhulu amane
- five hundred
- amakhulu amahlanu
- six hundred
- amakhulu ayisithupha
- seven hundred
- amakhulu ayisikhombisa
- eight hundred
- amakhulu ayisishiyagalombili
- nine hundred
- amakhulu ayisishiyagalolunye
- thousand
- inkulungwane
- two thousand
- izinkulungwane ezimbili
- three thousand
- izinkulungwane ezintathu
- four thousand
- izinkulungwane ezine
- five thousand
- izinkulungwane ezinhlanu
- six thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyisithupha
- seven thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa
- eight thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyisishiyagalombili
- nine thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyisishiyagalolunye
- ten thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi
- eleven thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi ezinanye
- twelve thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi ezimbili
- thirteen thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi ezintathu
- fourteen thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi ezine
- fifteen thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi ezinhlanu
- sixteen thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi eziyisithupha
- seventeen thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi eziyisikhombisa
- eighteen thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi eziyisishiyagalombili
- nineteen thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyishumi eziyisishiyagalolunye
- twenty thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamashumi eziamabili
- thirty thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamashumi eziamathathu
- forty thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamashumi eziamane
- fifty thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamashumi eziamahlanu
- sixty thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamashumi eziamathupha
- seventy thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamashumi eziamakhombisa
- eighty thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamashumi eziamaisishiyagalombili
- ninety thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamashumi eziamaisishiyagalolunye
- hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziyikhulu
- two hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamakhulu eziamabili
- three hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamakhulu eziamathathu
- four hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamakhulu eziamane
- five hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamakhulu eziamahlanu
- six hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamakhulu eziamathupha
- seven hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamakhulu eziamakhombisa
- eight hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamakhulu eziamaisishiyagalombili
- nine hundred thousand
- izinkulungwane eziamakhulu eziamaisishiyagalolunye
- one million
- isigidi
Time
- now
- (manje/njengamanje...)
- later
- (esikhathini esizayo...)
- before
- (esikhathini esidlulile...)
- morning
- (ekuseni...)
- afternoon
- (ntambama...)
- evening
- (ntambama...)
- night
- (ebusuku...)
Clock time
- What time is it?
- (ubani/sithini isikhathi...)
- one o'clock (when AM/PM is obvious)
- (ihora lokuqala...)
- two o'clock (when AM/PM is obvious)
- (ihora lesibili...)
- one o'clock AM
- (ihora lokuqala ekuseni...)
- two o'clock AM
- (ihora lesibili ekuseni...)
- noon
- (ntambama...)
- one o'clock PM
- (ihora lokuqala ntambama...)
- two o'clock PM
- (ihora lesibili ntambama...)
- midnight
- (phakathi kwamabili...)
Duration
- _____ minute(s)
- (imizuzu...)
- _____ hour(s)
- (amahora...)
- _____ day(s)
- (izinsuku...)
- _____ week(s)
- (amaviki...)
- _____ month(s)
- (izinyanga...)
- _____ year(s)
- (iminyaka...)
Days : (Izinsuku)
- Monday
- uMsombuluko
- Tuesday
- uLwesibili
- Wednesday
- uLwesithathu
- Thursday
- uLwesine
- Friday
- uLwesihlanu
- Saturday
- uMgqibelo
- Sunday
- iSonto
Months : (Izinyanga)
- January
- (Masingana)
- February
- (Nhlolanja)
- March
- (Ndasa)
- April
- (Mbasa)
- May
- (Nhlaba)
- June
- (Nhlangulana)
- July
- (Ntulikazi)
- August
- (Ncwaba)
- September
- (Mandulo)
- October
- (Mfumfu)
- November
- (Lwezi)
- December
- (Zibandlela)
Writing time and date
- day
- (usuku...)
- week
- (iviki...)
- month
- (inyanga...)
- year
- (unyaka...)
- century
- (...)
- leap year
- (...)
- 1:00 PM
- (...)
- 2:00 PM
- (...)
Colors
- blue
- luhlaza okwesibhakabhaka
- orange
- kusawolintshi
- purple
- kunsomi
- green
- luhlaza okotshani
- gray
- mpunga
- brown
- nsundu
- black
- mnyama
- white
- mhlophe
Transportation
[English word] - [Zulu word] ([plural Zulu word])
car - imoto (izimoto)
bus - ibhasi (amabhasi)
ship -umkhumbi (imikhumbi)
plane - indiza, ibhanoyi (izindiza, amabhanoyi)
motorcycle - isithuthuthu (izithuthuthu)
train - isitimela (izitimela)
Authority
- I haven't done anything wrong.
- (Angenzanga lutho okubi)
- It was a misunderstanding.
- (Beku yimpazamo)
- Where are you taking me?
- (Ungisaphi)
- Am I under arrest? ; (Ngiyaboshwa na?)
- I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.
- (ngi ngum_______)
- I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.
- (...)
- I want to talk to a lawyer.
- (Ngifuna ukukhuluma nommeli wami)
- Can I just pay a fine now?
- (Ngicela ukukhokha ifayini manje)
Learning more
- How do you say _____ in Zulu?
- (Usho ______ kanjani ngesiZulu)
- What is this/that called?
- (kungabe kuyini lento/Ibizwa ngani)