Gather your loved ones. Here’s yet another of our absolutely free lessons through which you get to learn how to speak Luhya. Ile ya kuomba maji. This time, we meet 20+ Luhya Lingala word pairings whose construction, meaning and pronunciations are somewhat, if not completely, similar.
20+ diverse and interesting Luhya Lingala word pairings
The way we go about this is that we will list the word in English; and then translate the word first into Lingala; and finally in at least three Luhya words from different dialects. This way, we hope to generate as many Luhya Lingala word pairings as we can.
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noun. The body part.
Ligala: Mokongo
Olunyole: Omukongo
Lubukusu: Kumukongo
To promise
Lingala: Kolaka
Olunyole: Okhulaka
Lubukusu: Khulaka
Path
Ligala: Nzela
Olunyole: Injila
Lubukusu: Engila
Lulogooli: Inzira.
To eat
Lingala: Kolia
Olunyole: Okhulia
Lubukusu: Khulia/Khukhacha/Khunyanya/Khuchura
Lulogooli: Kuria
To cry
Lingala: Kolela
Olunyole: Okhulila
Lubukusu: Khulila
Lulogooli: Kurira
Hunger
Lingala: Nzala
Olunyole: Injala
Lubukusu: Enjala
Lulogooli: Inzara
To block by filling with some material
Lingala: Kosiba.
Olunyole: Okhusiba.
Lubukusu: Khusira.
Lulogooli: Kusiba.
Today
Lingala: Lelo.
Olunyole: Lelo.
Lubukusu: Lelo or alternatively “Luno“.
Lulogooli: Rero.
To laugh
Lingala: Koseka.
Olunyole: Okhuchekha.
Lubukusu: Khuchekha.
Lulogooli: Koseka.
More free lessons on learning how to speak Luhya
- Mulembe Nation’s Kinyarwanda and Kimaragoli Tongues Hack: 15+ Words With Surprisingly Similar Pronunciation and Meaning
- Ultimate List Of Kinyarwanda – Lulogooli Words That Sound The Same But Mean Different Things
- Learn Lunyole Online: The Mulembe Nation List Of 30+ Common Lunyole Words, Their Translation And Meaning
- How to greet in Bukusu: 10 different ways, for all occasions, to say “Hello” in Bukusu
- Learn how to say the time of day in Bukusu
- Describing weather in Bukusu
- Today tomorrow yesterday in Bukusu
- Days of the week in Bukusu
- Learn Lubukusu: On First fruits and Bukusu culture
Are you okay?
Lingala: Ozali malamu?
Olunyole: Oli omulamu?
Lubukusu: As we saw in our post in Bukusu greetings, “oli mulamu” or still “oli omulamu” as the Anyole say “oli omulamu”.
Lulogooli: Ove muramu?
Night
noun. The period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours.
Lingala: Butu.
Olunyole: Butukhu.
Lubukusu: Musilo.
Lulogooli: Vudiku.
Woman
Lingala: Mwasi.
Olunyole: Omukhasi.
Lubukusu: Omukhasi.
Lulogooli: Mukari.
To think
Lingala: Kokanisa.
Olunyole: Okhukanakana.
Lubukusu: Khukanakana.
Lulogooli: Kuganagana.
Thief
Lingala: Moyibi.
Olunyole: Omwibi.
Lubukusu: Omwifwi.
Lulogooli: Omwivi.
To hit
Lingala: Kotuta.
Olunyole: Okhututa.
Lubukusu: Khukhupa.
Lulogooli: Kukuba.
To fight each other
Lingala: Koluana.
Olunyole: Okhulwana.
Lubukusu: Khulwana.
Lulogooli: Kulwana.
To cry, be sad
Lingala: Kobelela.
Olunyole: Okhubelela.
Lubukusu: Khubeelela.
Lulogooli: Kubeerera.
To kneel
Lingala: Kofukama.
Olunyole: Okhusikama.
Lubukusu: Khusikama.
Lulogooli: Kusigama.
To give
Lingala: Kokaba.
Olunyole: Okhukaba.
Lubukusu: Khukaba.
Lulogooli: Kugavura works here, though the more appropriate Lulogooli word meaning ‘to give’ is “kuhaa”. Mary ya kuhaa Mathew ikompyuta.
To surpass, go beyond or leave behind
Lingala: Koleka.
Olunyole: Okhuleka.
Lubukusu: Khulekha.
Lulogooli: Kureka.
To grow
Lingala: Kokola.
Olunyole: Okhukhula.
Lubukusu: Khukhula.
Lulogooli: Kuviruka is the way to say so and so has ‘grown up’. Mary ya kuviruka.
To divide
Lingala: Kokabola.
Olunyole: Okhukhabula.
Lubukusu: Khukabula.
Lulogooli: Kugavura.
SOURCES
- Abeingo Community Network. ‘Letters to the editor’.
