Ngäbere
Chibchan
Ngäbere (also Guaymí, Movere) is the largest Chibchan language by speakers, spoken by ~170,000 Ngäbe people across Panama and Costa Rica. The Chibchan family (~14 living languages, ~300K total speakers) once dominated the Costa Rica-Panama isthmus and northern Colombia/Venezuela before Spanish conquest; while Ngäbere has the most speakers, it is not the only Chibchan language still vigorous today — Guna (Kuna), with over 60,000 speakers and co-official status in Guna Yala, is also actively transmitted. The Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca (1997, expanded 2008) is one of the largest indigenous-administered regions in Latin America. Linguistically, Ngäbere has classical Chibchan features: nasal-prenasalized stops, a complex vowel system, and SOV constituent order. Active language preservation continues through bilingual education and Comarca radio broadcasts.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Ngäbere
Water
ñö
/ɲø/
Fire
nio
/nio/
Sun
ngwen
/ŋʷen/
Moon
só
/só/
Star
muke
/muke/
Mother
meye
/meje/
Father
rün
/rɨn/
I
ti
/ti/
You
mä
/mæ/
Name
kä
/kæ/
Eye
okwä
/okwɨ/
Hand
kise
/kise/
Heart
brukwä
/bɾukwɨ/
Love
tare
/taɾe/
Tree
krätä
/kɾɨtɨ/
House
ju
/dʒu/
Dog
nukro
/nukɾo/
Cat
mishi
/miʃi/
Eat
mrö
/mrø/
Drink
ñögö
/ɲøɡø/
One
krati
/kɾati/
Two
krobu
/kɾobu/
Hello
käre
/kɨɾe/
Thank you
kuin
/kuin/
Good
kuin
/kuin/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Chibchan languages
| Meaning | Ngäbere | Misak | Northern Ndebele | Swazi | Mi'kmaq | Adangme | Zulu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ñö /ɲø/ | unø /unø/ | amanzi /amanzi/ | emanti /emanti/ | samqwan /samɡʷan/ | nyu /ɲu/ | amanzi /amanzi/ |
| Fire | nio /nio/ | nipi /nipi/ | umlilo /umlilo/ | umlilo /umlilo/ | puktew /puɡdew/ | la /la/ | umlilo /umlilo/ |
| Sun | ngwen /ŋʷen/ | shi /ʃi/ | ilanga /ilaŋɡa/ | lilanga /lilaŋɡa/ | naku'set /naɡuːset/ | hyɛ /çɛ/ | ilanga /ilaŋɡa/ |
| Moon | só /só/ | atru /atɾu/ | inyanga /iɲaŋɡa/ | inyanga /iɲaŋɡa/ | tepkunaset /tebɡunaset/ | nyɔnyɔɛ /ɲɔɲɔɛ/ | inyanga /iɲaŋɡa/ |
| Star | muke /muke/ | kualøm /kwalʌm/ | inkanyezi /iŋkaɲezi/ | inkhanyeti /iŋkʰaɲeti/ | kloqoej /kl̩qwetʃ/ | ŋulami /ŋulami/ | inkanyezi /iŋkaˈɲeːzi/ |
| Mother | meye /meje/ | mama /mama/ | umama /umama/ | make /make/ | nikij /niɡidʒ/ | nyɛ /ɲɛ/ | umama /umama/ |
| Father | rün /rɨn/ | tata /tata/ | ubaba /uɓaɓa/ | babe /ɓaɓe/ | nujj /nudʒː/ | tsɛ /tsɛ/ | ubaba /uɓaɓa/ |
| I | ti /ti/ | na /na/ | mina /mina/ | mine /míne/ | ni'n /niːn/ | i /i/ | mina /ˈmiːna/ |
| You | mä /mæ/ | ñui /ɲui/ | wena /wena/ | wena /wéna/ | ki'l /kiːl/ | mo /mo/ | wena /ˈweːna/ |
| Name | kä /kæ/ | wetø /wetʌ/ | ibizo /ibizo/ | libito /libiːto/ | wisun /wisun/ | biɛ /biɛ/ | igama /iˈɡaːma/ |
| Eye | okwä /okwɨ/ | kab /kab/ | ilihlo /iliɬo/ | liso /liso/ | pukweck /puɡʷedʒɡ/ | hiŋmɛ /hiŋmɛ/ | iso /iso/ |
| Hand | kise /kise/ | mar /maɾ/ | isandla /isandɮa/ | sandla /sandɮa/ | piten /biden/ | nine /nine/ | isandla /isandɮa/ |
| Heart | brukwä /bɾukwɨ/ | mun /mun/ | inhliziyo /inɬizijo/ | inhlitiyo /inɬitijo/ | ukamlamun /uɡamlamun/ | tsui /tsui/ | inhliziyo /inɬizijo/ |
| Love | tare /taɾe/ | kausrap /kawsɾap/ | uthando /utʰando/ | lutsandvo /lutsandwo/ | kesalk /ɡesalɡ/ | suɔmi /suɔmi/ | uthando /utʰando/ |
| Tree | krätä /kɾɨtɨ/ | yu /ju/ | isihlahla /isiɬaɬa/ | sihlahla /siɬaɬa/ | nipi /nibi/ | tso /tso/ | isihlahla /isiɬaɬa/ |
| House | ju /dʒu/ | ya /ja/ | indlu /indɮu/ | indlu /indɮu/ | wikuom /wiɡuom/ | we /we/ | indlu /indɮu/ |
| Dog | nukro /nukɾo/ | kuchi /kutʃi/ | inja /indʒa/ | inja /indʒa/ | lmu'j /lmuːdʒ/ | gbe /ɡbe/ | inja /indʒa/ |
| Cat | mishi /miʃi/ | mishi /miʃi/ | ikati /ikati/ | likati /likati/ | mia'wj /miaʔwdʒ/ | adi /adi/ | ikati /ikati/ |
| Eat | mrö /mrø/ | mɵ /mɵ/ | ukudla /ukuɮa/ | kudla /kuɮa/ | mij /midʒ/ | ye /je/ | ukudla /ukuɮa/ |
| Drink | ñögö /ɲøɡø/ | ushi /uʃi/ | ukunatha /ukunatʰa/ | kunatsa /kunatsa/ | sa'q /saːɡ/ | nu /nu/ | ukuphuza /ukupʰuza/ |
| One | krati /kɾati/ | kan /kan/ | nye /ɲe/ | kunye /kuɲe/ | newt /newt/ | kake /kake/ | kunye /kuɲe/ |
| Two | krobu /kɾobu/ | pa /pa/ | kubili /kubili/ | kubili /kubiːli/ | ta'pu /taːbu/ | enyɔ /eɲɔ/ | kubili /kuˈɓili/ |
| Hello | käre /kɨɾe/ | ma'rik /maʔɾik/ | salibonani /saliɓonani/ | sawubona /sawuɓona/ | kwe' /kweː/ | daa /daː/ | sawubona /sawuɓona/ |
| Thank you | kuin /kuin/ | payn /pajn/ | ngiyabonga /ŋijaɓoŋɡa/ | ngiyabonga /ŋijaɓoŋɡa/ | wela'lin /welaːlin/ | ojakuɛ /odʒakwɛ/ | ngiyabonga /ŋɡijaɓoŋɡa/ |
| Good | kuin /kuin/ | kausrik /kawsɾik/ | kuhle /kuɬe/ | kuhle /kuɬe/ | kelu'lk /ɡeluːlɡ/ | hɛŋmi /hɛŋmi/ | kuhle /kuɬe/ |
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