Ikinyarwanda

Kinyarwanda

Bantu

FamilyBantu Speakers~13M ScriptLatin CountriesRwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, DR Congo Official inRwanda (alongside English, French, Swahili) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3kin

Kinyarwanda (Ikinyarwanda; ISO 639-1: rw, ISO 639-3: kin) is a Great Lakes Bantu language spoken throughout Rwanda and in neighboring parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Tanzania. Rwanda recognizes it as the national language and as one of four official languages alongside English, French, and Kiswahili. It is closely related to Kirundi, and the two are largely mutually intelligible, forming part of a broader Rwanda-Rundi dialect continuum. Kinyarwanda is tonal and has the characteristic Bantu system of noun classes, with agreement marked across adjectives, pronouns, and verbs; verbs can contain several prefixes and suffixes expressing subject, object, tense, aspect, and derivation. It is written in a standardized Latin orthography and is used widely in daily life, broadcasting, literature, education, and public communication.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Kinyarwanda

Water

amazi

amaːzi

Fire

umuriro

umuɾiɾo

Sun

izuba

izuba

Moon

ukwezi

ukwezi

Star

inyenyeri

iɲeɲeri

Night

ijoro

iʒoro

Rain

imvura

imˈvura

Snow

shelegi

ʃeleɡi

Wind

umuyaga

umujaɣa

Earth

ubutaka

uɓutaka

Stone

ibuye

iˈɓuje

Mountain

umusozi

umusozi

Sea

inyanja

iɲandʒa

Mother

mama

maːma

Father

papa

paːpa

Daughter

umukobwa

umukobwa

I

njye

ɲɟe

You

wowe

wowe

We

twebwe

twebwe

Name

izina

izina

Person

umuntu

umuntu

Head

umutwe

umutwe

Eye

ijisho

iʒiʃo

Ear

ugutwi

uɣutwi

Nose

izuru

iˈzuɾu

Mouth

akanwa

akanwa

Tooth

iryinyo

irjiɲo

Tongue

ururimi

ururimi

Hand

ikiganza

ikiɡanza

Foot

ikirenge

ikirenɡe

Heart

umutima

umutima

Bone

igufwa

iɡufwa

Blood

amaraso

amaraso

Poop

amase

amase

Love

urukundo

uɾukundo

Tree

igiti

iɡiti

Dog

imbwa

imbwa

Cat

injangwe

indʒaŋɡwe

Fish

ifi

ifi

Bird

inyoni

iˈɲoni

Butterfly

ikinyugunyugu

ikiɲuɡuɲuɡu

Egg

igi

iɡi

Bear

idubu

iduβu

Horse

ifarashi

ifaˈraʃi

House

inzu

inzu

Milk

amata

amata

Honey

ubuki

ubuki

Salt

umunyu

umuɲu

Wine

divayi

divaji

Rice

umuceri

umuˈtʃeri

Chocolate

shokora

ʃokora

Iron

icyuma

iˈtʃuma

Wheel

uruziga

uɾuziɡa

Silk

hariri

hariri

Book

igitabo

iɡitabo

Eat

kurya

kuɾja

Drink

kunywa

kuɲwa

Sleep

gusinzira

ɡusinzira

One

rimwe

ɾimwe

Two

kabiri

kabiri

Three

gatatu

ɡatatu

Four

kane

kane

Five

gatanu

ɡataːnu

Hundred

ijana

iʒana

Hello

muraho

muɾaːho

Thank you

murakoze

muɾakoze

Good

byiza

bjiza

New

gishya

ɡiʃja

Red

utukura

utukura

White

umweru

umweru

Black

umukara

umukara

Green

icyatsi

iˈtʃaːtsi

Blue

ubururu

ubururu

Computer

mudasobwa

mudasobwa

Sushi

sushi

suʃi

Tea

icyayi

itʃaːji

Coffee

ikawa

ikawa

Sugar

isukari

isukari

Orange

icunga

itʃuŋɡa

Ninety-nine

mirongo cyenda nʼicyenda

miɾoŋɡo tʃenda nitʃenda

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Bantu

Meaning KinyarwandaKirundiRunyankoleChigaNyoroTooroNyaturu
Water amazi /amaːzi/ amazi /amaːzi/ amaizi /amaizi/ amaizi /amaizi/ amaizi /amaizi/ amaizi /amaizi/ maji /madʒi/
Fire umuriro /umuɾiɾo/ umuriro /umuɾiɾo/ omuriro /omuriro/ omuriro /omuriro/ omurro /omurro/ omurro /omurro/ moto /moto/
Sun izuba /izuba/ izuba /izuba/ eizooba /eizoːba/ eizooba /eizoːba/ izooba /izoːba/ izooba /izoːba/ yura /juɾa/
Moon ukwezi /ukwezi/ ukwezi /ukwezi/ okwezi /okwezi/ okwezi /okwezi/ okwezi /okwezi/ okwezi /okwezi/ umweri /umweɾi/
Star inyenyeri /iɲeɲeri/ inyenyeri /iɲeɲeri/ enyonyoozi /eɲoɲoːzi/ enyonyoozi /eɲoɲoːzi/ enyunyuunzi /eɲuɲuːnzi/ enyunyunzi /eɲuɲuːnzi/ njota /ndʒota/
Night ijoro /iʒoro/ ijoro /iʒoro/ ekiro /ekiro/ ekiro /etʃiro/ ekiro /ekiro/ ekiro /ekiro/ utiku /utiku/
Rain imvura /imˈvura/ imvura /imˈvura/ enjura /enˈdʒura/ enjura /eɲɟura/ enjura /eɲɟura/ enjura /eɲɟura/ mbura /mbura/
Snow shelegi /ʃeleɡi/ shelegi /ʃeleɡi/ — — ebirika /eβirika/ ebirika /eβirika/ seluji /seludʒi/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Kinyarwanda
Ndashaka gupima ikositimu nabonye mu iduka imbere ya hoteli
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 で 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
我 想 试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 里 看到的 那套西装
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with languages in the same classification

Ndikufuna kuyesa suti yomwe ndinaiona m' shopu moyangʼanira hotelo
Kinyarwanda
Ndashaka gupima ikositimu nabonye mu iduka imbere ya hoteli
Ndinoda kupfeka suti yandakaona muchitoro iri pakatarisana ne hoteru
Ninataka kujaribu suti niliyoiona katika duka mkabala na hoteli
Ndifuna ukulinga isuti endayibona evenkileni ekhangelene ne hotele

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