Bassa wuɖu
Bassa
Niger-Congo (Atlantic-Congo, Kru, Western, Bassa)
Bassa (Bassa wuɖu, autonymously "Bassa speech") is the largest of the Western Kru languages of Niger-Congo, the principal language of coastal Liberia's Bassa County. The Vah script — a unique indigenous syllabic-alphabetic script developed by Liberian Bassa scholar Thomas Narven Lewis around 1907 — is used as a cultural and identity marker, though Latin is dominant in everyday writing. Bassa shows classical Kru features: 7-vowel system, simple tone system (high/mid/low), and verbs marking aspect through suffix tonal changes. Bassa was the principal language of pre-colonial coastal Liberia and remains influential in Liberian English/Pidgin via lexical contributions.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Bassa
Water
ne
/ne/
Fire
so
/so/
Sun
plɔ
/plɔ/
Moon
hwɔɖɔ
/hʷɔɖɔ/
Star
kùɖù
/kùɖù/
Mother
mãɖe
/mãɖe/
Father
gbe
/ɡbe/
I
M̀
/m̩/
You
Ɓe
/ɓe/
Name
nyɛ
/ɲɛ/
Eye
di
/di/
Hand
kɔ
/kɔ/
Heart
kẽ
/kẽ/
Love
wɛ̃ɖaa
/wɛ̃ɖaː/
Tree
tu
/tu/
House
kõ
/kõ/
Dog
gbo
/ɡbo/
Cat
blete
/blete/
Eat
gbɔ̃a
/ɡbɔ̃a/
Drink
mɔ̃e
/mɔ̃e/
One
ɖaa
/ɖaː/
Two
sɔ̃
/sɔ̃/
Hello
nyɔɔnpe
/ɲɔːnpe/
Thank you
mɔãĩ
/mɔãĩ/
Good
nõ
/nõ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Niger-Congo (Atlantic-Congo, Kru, Western, Bassa) languages
| Meaning | Bassa | Mano | Odia | Seychellois Creole | Bororo | Dan | Ga |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ne /ne/ | yi /ji/ | ପାଣି /paːɳi/ | delo /delo/ | yje /ʝje/ | yi /ji/ | nu /nu/ |
| Fire | so /so/ | kɔ /kɔ/ | ନିଆଁ /niãː/ | dife /dife/ | owe /ɔwe/ | siŋ /siŋ/ | la /la/ |
| Sun | plɔ /plɔ/ | lɛ /lɛ/ | ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ /suːɾjɔ/ | soley /solej/ | parado /paɾadu/ | lai /lai/ | hulu /hulu/ |
| Moon | hwɔɖɔ /hʷɔɖɔ/ | lɔ /lɔ/ | ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର /tʃɔndɾɔ/ | lalin /lalin/ | aroe /aɾɔe/ | siŋ /siŋ/ | ŋɔɔŋmɔ /ŋɔɔŋmɔ/ |
| Star | kùɖù /kùɖù/ | sĩ̄ã́ŋēlè /sĩ̄ã́ŋēlè/ | ତାରା /taɾa/ | zetwal /zetwal/ | kajewu /kaˈʒewu/ | céé /tséː/ | ŋulami /ŋùlámi/ |
| Mother | mãɖe /mãɖe/ | ɲɛ /ɲɛ/ | ମା /maː/ | manman /mãmã/ | e /e/ | da /da/ | nyɛ /ɲɛ/ |
| Father | gbe /ɡbe/ | de /de/ | ବାପା /baːpaː/ | papa /papa/ | apyge /apɨɡe/ | de /de/ | tsɛ /tsɛ/ |
| I | M̀ /m̩/ | mā /ma˧/ | ମୁଁ /mũ/ | mon /mɔ̃/ | imi /imi/ | ŋ̄ /ŋ̄/ | mi /mì/ |
| You | Ɓe /ɓe/ | ī /ī/ | ତୁମେ /tume/ | ou /u/ | aki /aki/ | ī /i/ | bo /bo/ |
| Name | nyɛ /ɲɛ/ | tɔ́ /tɔ́/ | ନାମ /namɔ/ | non /nɔ̃/ | ie /iɛ/ | tɔ́ /tɔ́/ | gbɛi /gbɛ́i/ |
| Eye | di /di/ | mi /mi/ | ଆଖି /aːkʰi/ | lizye /lizje/ | ba /ba/ | ŋkɛ̃ /ŋkɛ̃/ | hiŋmɛi /hiŋmɛi/ |
| Hand | kɔ /kɔ/ | kɔ /kɔ/ | ହାତ /haːtɔ/ | lanmen /lãmɛ̃/ | ekra /ekɾa/ | kɔ /kɔ/ | nine /nine/ |
| Heart | kẽ /kẽ/ | gba /ɡba/ | ହୃଦୟ /hɾudɔjɔ/ | leker /lekeʁ/ | mara /maɾa/ | gbɔɔ /ɡbɔː/ | tsui /tsui/ |
| Love | wɛ̃ɖaa /wɛ̃ɖaː/ | ŋalo /ŋalo/ | ପ୍ରେମ /pɾemɔ/ | lanmour /lãmuʁ/ | cya /tʃja/ | be /be/ | suɔmɔ /suɔmɔ/ |
| Tree | tu /tu/ | ka /ka/ | ଗଛ /ɡɔtʃʰɔ/ | pye dibwa /pje dibwa/ | mae /mae/ | gbe /ɡbe/ | tso /tso/ |
| House | kõ /kõ/ | kpɛ /kpɛ/ | ଘର /ɡʱɔɾɔ/ | lakaz /lakaz/ | jara /jaɾa/ | kɔ /kɔ/ | shia /ʃia/ |
| Dog | gbo /ɡbo/ | gba /ɡba/ | କୁକୁର /kukuɾɔ/ | lisyen /lisjɛ̃/ | rebo /ɾebo/ | gbɛ /ɡbɛ/ | gbei /ɡbei/ |
| Cat | blete /blete/ | poso /poso/ | ବିଲେଇ /bilei/ | sat /sat/ | kuie /kwie/ | nyaa /ɲaː/ | adi /adi/ |
| Eat | gbɔ̃a /ɡbɔ̃a/ | mɛ /mɛ/ | ଖାଇବା /kʰaːɪbaː/ | manze /mãze/ | paje /paje/ | dɛ /dɛ/ | yɛ /jɛ/ |
| Drink | mɔ̃e /mɔ̃e/ | mi /mi/ | ପିଇବା /piːɪbaː/ | bwar /bwaʁ/ | aru /aɾu/ | mi /mi/ | nu /nu/ |
| One | ɖaa /ɖaː/ | do /do/ | ଏକ /ekɔ/ | enn /ɛn/ | mokojie /mokɔje/ | do /do/ | ekome /ekome/ |
| Two | sɔ̃ /sɔ̃/ | plɛ̀ɛ̀ /plɛː˩/ | ଦୁଇ /dui/ | de /de/ | pobe /pobe/ | plɛ̀ /plɛ˩/ | enyɔ /eɲɔ/ |
| Hello | nyɔɔnpe /ɲɔːnpe/ | ye /je/ | ନମସ୍କାର /nɔmɔskaːɾɔ/ | bonzour /bõzuʁ/ | are /aɾe/ | daka /daka/ | ɔ jɔ /ɔ jɔ/ |
| Thank you | mɔãĩ /mɔãĩ/ | nyɛŋ /ɲɛŋ/ | ଧନ୍ୟବାଦ /dʱɔnjɔbaːdɔ/ | mersi /mɛʁsi/ | iya /ija/ | kpe /kpe/ | oyiwala /ojiwala/ |
| Good | nõ /nõ/ | kɛlɛ /kɛlɛ/ | ଭଲ /bʱɔlɔ/ | bon /bõ/ | boe /bɔe/ | ka /ka/ | ekpakpa /ekpakpa/ |
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