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
20 core words in Fula
Water
ndiyam
/ndijam/
Fire
yiite
/jiːte/
Sun
naange
/naːŋɡe/
Moon
lewru
/lewɾu/
Mother
yumma
/jumːa/
Father
baaba
/baːba/
Eat
ñaamde
/ɲaːmde/
Drink
yarude
/jaɾude/
Love
yiɗde
/jiɗːe/
Heart
ɓernde
/ɓeɾnde/
Tree
lekki
/lekːi/
House
suudu
/suːdu/
Dog
rawandu
/ɾawandu/
Cat
ullundu
/ulːundu/
Hand
junngo
/dʒuŋːɡo/
Eye
yiitere
/jiːteɾe/
Hello
jam tan
/dʒam tan/
Thank you
a jaaraama
/a dʒaːɾaːma/
One
go'o
/ɡoʔo/
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 | Koyraboro Senni | Koyra Chiini | North Frisian | Akkadian | Kullui |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ndiyam /ndijam/ | mbox /mbɔx/ | hari /hari/ | hari /hari/ | weeter /vɛːtər/ | 𒈬 /muː/ | पाणी /paːɳiː/ |
| Fire | yiite /jiːte/ | ngir /ŋɡiɾ/ | nuune /nuːne/ | nuune /nuːne/ | jüür /jyːr/ | 𒉈𒌋 /iʃaːtu/ | आग /aːɡ/ |
| Sun | naange /naːŋɡe/ | naangu /naːŋɡu/ | wayna /wajna/ | wari /wari/ | saanj /saːɲ/ | 𒀭𒌓 /ʃamʃu/ | सूरज /suːɾədʒ/ |
| Moon | lewru /lewɾu/ | weer /weːɾ/ | handu /handu/ | handu /handu/ | muune /muːnə/ | 𒌗 /warχu/ | चांद /tʃãːd/ |
| Mother | yumma /jumːa/ | yaay /jaːj/ | nya /ɲa/ | nya /ɲa/ | mam /mɑm/ | 𒌝𒈬 /umːu/ | आमा /aːma/ |
| Father | baaba /baːba/ | baay /baːj/ | baaba /baːba/ | baaba /baːba/ | baabe /baːbə/ | 𒀊 /abu/ | बाबा /baːba/ |
| Eat | ñaamde /ɲaːmde/ | niam /ɲam/ | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | äte /ɛtə/ | 𒀀𒅗𒇻 /akaːlu/ | खाणु /kʰaːɳu/ |
| Drink | yarude /jaɾude/ | ñam /ɲam/ | hane /hane/ | hane /hane/ | drinke /drɪŋkə/ | 𒊮𒌅 /ʃatuː/ | पीणु /piːɳu/ |
| Love | yiɗde /jiɗːe/ | mbutu /mbutu/ | baŋa /baŋa/ | baŋa /baŋa/ | liiwd /liːwd/ | 𒊏𒄠 /raːmu/ | प्यार /pjaːɾ/ |
| Heart | ɓernde /ɓeɾnde/ | xol /xɔl/ | bine /bine/ | bine /bine/ | hört /høɾt/ | 𒇷𒅁 /libːu/ | मन /mən/ |
| Tree | lekki /lekːi/ | garab /ɡaɾab/ | tuuri /tuːri/ | tuuri /tuːri/ | boom /boːm/ | 𒄑 /isˤu/ | रूख /ɾuːkʰ/ |
| House | suudu /suːdu/ | kër /kəɾ/ | huu /huː/ | huu /huː/ | hüs /hyːs/ | 𒂍 /biːtu/ | घर /ɡʱəɾ/ |
| Dog | rawandu /ɾawandu/ | xaj /xaj/ | hansi /hansi/ | hansi /hansi/ | hünj /hyɲ/ | 𒌨𒁇 /kalbu/ | कुकर /kukəɾ/ |
| Cat | ullundu /ulːundu/ | mboor /mboːɾ/ | muusu /muːsu/ | muusu /muːsu/ | kaat /kaːt/ | 𒋗𒊏𒉡 /ʃuraːnu/ | बिल्ली /bilːiː/ |
| Hand | junngo /dʒuŋːɡo/ | ɓod /ɓɔd/ | kambe /kambe/ | kambe /kambe/ | häänj /hɛːɲ/ | 𒋗 /qaːtu/ | हाथ /haːtʰ/ |
| Eye | yiitere /jiːteɾe/ | kën /kən/ | mo /mo/ | mo /mo/ | oog /oːx/ | 𒅆 /iːnu/ | आँख /ãːkʰ/ |
| Hello | jam tan /dʒam tan/ | na nga def /na ŋɡa dɛf/ | fofo /fofo/ | fofo /fofo/ | moin /mɔin/ | 𒁲 /ʃulmu/ | राम राम /ɾaːm ɾaːm/ |
| Thank you | a jaaraama /a dʒaːɾaːma/ | jaaraama /dʒaːɾaːma/ | barka /barka/ | barka /barka/ | toonk /toːŋk/ | 𒁲𒌅 /taʃlimtu/ | धन्यवाद /dʱənjəʋaːd/ |
| One | go'o /ɡoʔo/ | leeng /leːŋɡ/ | afo /afo/ | afo /afo/ | ian /iːan/ | 𒁹 /iʃteːn/ | एक /ek/ |
| Good | moƴƴo /moƴːo/ | xaal /xaːl/ | boori /boːri/ | boori /boːri/ | gud /ɡud/ | 𒄭𒄀 /damqu/ | भलो /bʱəlo/ |
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