Lubukusu
Bukusu
Niger-Congo
Bukusu (Lubukusu) is a Bantu language of the Luhya cluster (Glottolog JE31c), spoken by approximately 750,000 to 1.4 million people in Bungoma and Trans-Nzoia counties of western Kenya. The Bukusu community is the largest of the ~17 Luhya subgroups, distinguishing themselves through circumcision rites (sikhebo), warrior traditions, and Mt Elgon mythology shared with sister-language Masaaba (myx) across the Uganda border. Linguistically, Bukusu retains conservative Bantu features (15-18 noun classes, complex verbal morphology with tense-aspect-mood, two-tone register system), with Mutonyi (2000) providing the most comprehensive modern linguistic description. The Bible was translated into Bukusu in the 1960s, and there is active community publishing in folktales and proverbs.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Bukusu
Water
kamatsi
/kamatsi/
Fire
kamulilo
/kamulilo/
Sun
liuba
/liuba/
Moon
kumwesi
/kumwesi/
Mother
mayi
/maji/
Father
papa
/papa/
Eat
khulya
/kʰuʎa/
Drink
khunywa
/kʰuɲwa/
Love
busiani
/busiani/
Heart
kumwoyo
/kumwojo/
Tree
kumusaala
/kumusaːla/
House
enju
/endʒu/
Dog
imbwa
/imbwa/
Cat
enyawu
/eɲawu/
Hand
kumukhono
/kumukʰono/
Eye
liiso
/liːso/
Hello
mulembe
/mulembe/
Thank you
orio
/orio/
One
ndala
/ndala/
Good
kalayi
/kalaji/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Niger-Congo languages
| Meaning | Bukusu | Luhya | Masaaba | Soga | Runyankole | Nyaturu | Tooro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | kamatsi /kamatsi/ | amatsi /amatsi/ | kamaatsi /kamaːtsi/ | amaaji /amaːdʒi/ | amaizi /amaizi/ | maazi /maːzi/ | amaizi /amaizi/ |
| Fire | kamulilo /kamulilo/ | omuliro /omuliro/ | kamulilo /kamulilo/ | omuliro /omuliɾo/ | omuriro /omuriro/ | moto /moto/ | omuriro /omuriro/ |
| Sun | liuba /liuba/ | liuba /liuba/ | suuba /suːba/ | enjuba /eɲɟuba/ | izooba /izoːba/ | nzua /nzua/ | eizooba /eizoːba/ |
| Moon | kumwesi /kumwesi/ | omwesi /omwesi/ | umweesi /umweːsi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | umweri /umweɾi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ |
| Mother | mayi /maji/ | mayi /maji/ | mayi /maji/ | maama /maːma/ | maawe /maːwe/ | mama /mama/ | nyinya /ɲiɲa/ |
| Father | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | taata /taːta/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | isho /iʃo/ |
| Eat | khulya /kʰuʎa/ | khulia /kʰulia/ | khulya /kʰuʎa/ | kulya /kulja/ | kurya /kurja/ | kuria /kuɾia/ | kulya /kulja/ |
| Drink | khunywa /kʰuɲwa/ | khunywa /kʰuɲwa/ | khunywa /kʰuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲʷa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ |
| Love | busiani /busiani/ | obuyanzi /obujanzi/ | khusima /kʰusima/ | kwagala /kwaɡala/ | rukundo /rukundo/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | kugonza /kuɡonza/ |
| Heart | kumwoyo /kumwojo/ | omwoyo /omwojo/ | umwoyo /umwojo/ | omutima /omutima/ | omutima /omutima/ | umutima /umutima/ | omutima /omutima/ |
| Tree | kumusaala /kumusaːla/ | omusala /omusala/ | kumusaala /kumusaːla/ | omuti /omuti/ | omuti /omuti/ | umuti /umuti/ | omuti /omuti/ |
| House | enju /endʒu/ | enzu /enzu/ | nzu /nzu/ | enju /eɲɟu/ | enju /endʒu/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | enju /endʒu/ |
| Dog | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | embwa /embwa/ |
| Cat | enyawu /eɲawu/ | lipusi /lipusi/ | paka /paka/ | enkaaku /eŋkaːku/ | kapa /kapa/ | paka /paka/ | paaka /paːka/ |
| Hand | kumukhono /kumukʰono/ | omukhono /omukʰono/ | kumukhono /kumukʰono/ | omukono /omukono/ | omukono /omukono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | omukono /omukono/ |
| Eye | liiso /liːso/ | liiso /liːso/ | liiso /liːso/ | eriiso /eɾiːso/ | eriiso /eriːso/ | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | eriiso /eriːso/ |
| Hello | mulembe /mulembe/ | mulembe /mulembe/ | mulembe /mulembe/ | mwaakire /mwaːkiɾe/ | agandi /aɡandi/ | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | oraire ota /oraire ota/ |
| Thank you | orio /orio/ | orio /orio/ | ole nise /ole nise/ | weebale /weːbale/ | webare /webare/ | ahsante /ahsante/ | webale /webale/ |
| One | ndala /ndala/ | ndala /ndala/ | mulala /mulala/ | ndala /ndala/ | emwe /emwe/ | umwe /umwe/ | emoi /emoi/ |
| Good | kalayi /kalaji/ | malayi /malaji/ | kalayi /kalaji/ | bulungi /buluŋɡi/ | kirungi /kiruŋɡi/ | kihi /kihi/ | kurungi /kuruŋɡi/ |
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