Fulfulde
Fula
Atlantic-Congo (Senegambian, Fula)
Fula (Fulfulde, Pulaar, Pular) is a major Atlantic-Congo language of the Senegambian branch, with ~40M speakers spread across the entire Sahel from Senegal to Sudan — the most geographically dispersed African language. Its speakers, the traditionally pastoralist Fulani/Peul people, played a major role in West African Islamic empires (Sokoto Caliphate, Fulani jihads of the 18th-19th c.). Multiple regional varieties (Pulaar, Pular, Fulfulde, Fulani Adamawa) form a continuum. The Adlam script, invented in 1989 by Guinean brothers Ibrahima and Abdoulaye Barry to better fit Fula phonology, gained Unicode status in 2016.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Fula
Water
ndiyam
/ndijam/
Fire
yiite
/jiːte/
Sun
naange
/naːŋɡe/
Moon
lewru
/lewɾu/
Star
hoodere
/hoːdeɾe/
Mother
yumma
/jumːa/
Father
baaba
/baːba/
I
miin
/miːn/
You
aan
/aːn/
Name
innde
/inːde/
Eye
yiitere
/jiːteɾe/
Hand
junngo
/dʒuŋːɡo/
Heart
ɓernde
/ɓeɾnde/
Love
yiɗde
/jiɗːe/
Tree
lekki
/lekːi/
House
suudu
/suːdu/
Dog
rawandu
/ɾawandu/
Cat
ullundu
/ulːundu/
Eat
ñaamde
/ɲaːmde/
Drink
yarude
/jaɾude/
One
go'o
/ɡoʔo/
Two
ɗiɗi
/ɗiɗi/
Hello
jam tan
/dʒam tan/
Thank you
a jaaraama
/a dʒaːɾaːma/
Good
moƴƴo
/moƴːo/
Sources
- Ethnologue: ful
- Sylla (1982) Grammaire moderne du pulaar
- Adlam Unicode Block (U+1E900-1E95F)
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Senegambian, Fula) languages
| Meaning | Fula | Serer | Kurukh | Akkadian | Koyraboro Senni | Koyra Chiini | Telugu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ndiyam /ndijam/ | mbox /mbɔx/ | अम्म /amm/ | 𒈬 /muː/ | hari /hari/ | hari /hari/ | నీళ్ళు /niːɭːu/ |
| Fire | yiite /jiːte/ | ngir /ŋɡiɾ/ | चिच /tʃitʃ/ | 𒉈𒌋 /iʃaːtu/ | nuune /nuːne/ | nuune /nuːne/ | నిప్పు /nippu/ |
| Sun | naange /naːŋɡe/ | naangu /naːŋɡu/ | बेरी /beɾiː/ | 𒀭𒌓 /ʃamʃu/ | wayna /wajna/ | wari /wari/ | సూర్యుడు /suːɾjuɖu/ |
| Moon | lewru /lewɾu/ | weer /weːɾ/ | चांदो /tʃaːndoː/ | 𒌗 /warχu/ | handu /handu/ | handu /handu/ | చంద్రుడు /tʃəndɾuɖu/ |
| Star | hoodere /hoːdeɾe/ | xôr /xɔːr/ | बिनको /binkoː/ | 𒀯 /kakːabu/ | handariya /handaːɾija/ | handariya /handaːɾija/ | నక్షత్రం /nakʂat̪ram/ |
| Mother | yumma /jumːa/ | yaay /jaːj/ | अयो /ajoː/ | 𒌝𒈬 /umːu/ | nya /ɲa/ | nya /ɲa/ | అమ్మ /əmːə/ |
| Father | baaba /baːba/ | baay /baːj/ | बाबा /baːbaː/ | 𒀊 /abu/ | baaba /baːba/ | baaba /baːba/ | నాన్న /naːnːə/ |
| I | miin /miːn/ | mi /mi/ | एन /eːn/ | 𒀀𒈾𒆪 /anaːku/ | ay /aj/ | ay /aj/ | నేను /neːnu/ |
| You | aan /aːn/ | wo /wo/ | नीन /niːn/ | 𒀜𒋫 /atːa/ | ni /ni/ | ni /ni/ | నువ్వు /nuʋːu/ |
| Name | innde /inːde/ | sant /sant/ | नाम /naːm/ | 𒈬 /ʃumu/ | maa /maː/ | maa /maː/ | పేరు /peːru/ |
| Eye | yiitere /jiːteɾe/ | kën /kən/ | ख़न्न /xanː/ | 𒅆 /iːnu/ | mo /mo/ | mo /mo/ | కన్ను /kənːu/ |
| Hand | junngo /dʒuŋːɡo/ | ɓod /ɓɔd/ | खेखा /xekːʰaː/ | 𒋗 /qaːtu/ | kambe /kambe/ | kambe /kambe/ | చేయి /tʃeːjɪ/ |
| Heart | ɓernde /ɓeɾnde/ | xol /xɔl/ | ठांगरा /tʰaːŋɡɾaː/ | 𒇷𒅁 /libːu/ | bine /bine/ | bine /bine/ | హృదయం /ɦɾudəjəm/ |
| Love | yiɗde /jiɗːe/ | mbutu /mbutu/ | मरटी /maɾʈiː/ | 𒊏𒄠 /raːmu/ | baŋa /baŋa/ | baŋa /baŋa/ | ప్రేమ /pɾeːmə/ |
| Tree | lekki /lekːi/ | garab /ɡaɾab/ | मन्ना /manːaː/ | 𒄑 /isˤu/ | tuuri /tuːri/ | tuuri /tuːri/ | చెట్టు /tʃeʈːu/ |
| House | suudu /suːdu/ | kër /kəɾ/ | एरपा /eɾpaː/ | 𒂍 /biːtu/ | huu /huː/ | huu /huː/ | ఇల్లు /ɪlːu/ |
| Dog | rawandu /ɾawandu/ | xaj /xaj/ | अल्ला /alːaː/ | 𒌨𒁇 /kalbu/ | hansi /hansi/ | hansi /hansi/ | కుక్క /kukːə/ |
| Cat | ullundu /ulːundu/ | mboor /mboːɾ/ | बिल्ली /bilːiː/ | 𒋗𒊏𒉡 /ʃuraːnu/ | muusu /muːsu/ | muusu /muːsu/ | పిల్లి /pɪlːɪ/ |
| Eat | ñaamde /ɲaːmde/ | niam /ɲam/ | ओनना /onːaː/ | 𒀀𒅗𒇻 /akaːlu/ | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | తినడం /tɪnəɖəm/ |
| Drink | yarude /jaɾude/ | ñam /ɲam/ | ओंकना /oŋkːnaː/ | 𒊮𒌅 /ʃatuː/ | hane /hane/ | hane /hane/ | తాగడం /taːɡəɖəm/ |
| One | go'o /ɡoʔo/ | leeng /leːŋɡ/ | ओंटा /oːnʈaː/ | 𒁹 /iʃteːn/ | afo /afo/ | afo /afo/ | ఒకటి /okəʈɪ/ |
| Two | ɗiɗi /ɗiɗi/ | ɗak /ɗak/ | एण्ड /eːɳɖ/ | 𒈫 /ʃina/ | ihinka /ihiŋka/ | ihinka /ihiŋka/ | రెండు /reɳɖu/ |
| Hello | jam tan /dʒam tan/ | nam fiyo /nam fijo/ | खद्दी /kʰadːiː/ | 𒁲 /ʃulmu/ | fofo /fofo/ | fofo /fofo/ | నమస్కారం /nəməskaːɾəm/ |
| Thank you | a jaaraama /a dʒaːɾaːma/ | jaaraama /dʒaːɾaːma/ | धोन्नोबाद /dʱonːobaːd/ | 𒁲𒌅 /taʃlimtu/ | barka /barka/ | barka /barka/ | ధన్యవాదాలు /dʱənjəʋaːdaːlu/ |
| Good | moƴƴo /moƴːo/ | xaal /xaːl/ | होय /hoːj/ | 𒄭𒄀 /damqu/ | boori /boːri/ | boori /boːri/ | మంచి /məntʃɪ/ |
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