Kimashami
Machame
Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Chaga)
Machame (Kimashami) is the largest of the Chaga Bantu languages of Mount Kilimanjaro's southern slopes in northern Tanzania. The Chaga people are famous as one of the most economically successful indigenous groups in East Africa, having developed a sophisticated agroforestry "homegarden" (kihamba) system on the rich volcanic soils of Kilimanjaro. Tonal with elaborate noun-class system; Machame and the closely related Vunjo, Rombo, and Kibosho dialects form a continuum spanning the Kilimanjaro escarpment.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Machame
Water
mringa
/mɾiŋɡa/
Fire
mòò
/moːʔ/
Sun
ìsùwà
/isuwa/
Moon
mwezi
/mwezi/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
baba
/baba/
Eat
ìlya
/iʎa/
Drink
ìnyo
/iɲo/
Love
ìkwenda
/ikwenda/
Heart
mòyò
/mojo/
Tree
mtí
/mti/
House
nyumba
/ɲumba/
Dog
mbwa
/mbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Hand
kùoòko
/kuoːko/
Eye
rítiò
/ɾitio/
Hello
máshàlòmà
/maʃaloma/
Thank you
ahsànte
/ahsante/
One
ìmwí
/imwi/
Good
ìchá
/itʃa/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Chaga) languages
| Meaning | Machame | Shambala | Asu | Nyaturu | Makonde | Sangu | Nyamwezi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | mringa /mɾiŋɡa/ | mazi /mazi/ | mende /mende/ | maazi /maːzi/ | mashi /maʃi/ | ameenzi /ameːnzi/ | minzi /minzi/ |
| Fire | mòò /moːʔ/ | moto /moto/ | mshika /mʃika/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | umoto /umoto/ | moto /moto/ |
| Sun | ìsùwà /isuwa/ | zuwa /zuwa/ | nyu /ɲu/ | nzua /nzua/ | lyuva /ʎuβa/ | liluga /liluɡa/ | izuba /izuβa/ |
| Moon | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | umweri /umweɾi/ | mwedi /mwedi/ | umwesi /umwesi/ | ng'wezi /ŋweːzi/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mayu /majʊ/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ |
| Eat | ìlya /iʎa/ | kuya /kuja/ | kurya /kuɾja/ | kuria /kuɾia/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kulya /kuʎa/ |
| Drink | ìnyo /iɲo/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ |
| Love | ìkwenda /ikwenda/ | kwenda /kwenda/ | lumba /lumba/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | kupenda /kupenda/ | ulungu /uluŋɡu/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ |
| Heart | mòyò /mojo/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | ngiti /ŋɡiti/ | umutima /umutima/ | mtima /mtima/ | umutima /umutima/ | mtima /mtima/ |
| Tree | mtí /mti/ | mti /mti/ | mti /mti/ | umuti /umuti/ | mti /mti/ | umuti /umuti/ | mti /mti/ |
| House | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | inyumba /iɲumba/ | kaya /kaja/ |
| Dog | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | nshenye /nʃeɲe/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ |
| Hand | kùoòko /kuoːko/ | ukono /ukono/ | mkono /mkono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | nkono /nkono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | ikobo /ikoβo/ |
| Eye | rítiò /ɾitio/ | izo /izo/ | jicho /dʒitʃo/ | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | liso /liso/ | iliho /iliho/ | liso /liso/ |
| Hello | máshàlòmà /maʃaloma/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | shiloi /ʃiloi/ | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | nakushukuru /nakuʃukuɾu/ | mbasala /mbasala/ | mwadita /mwadita/ |
| Thank you | ahsànte /ahsante/ | asante /asante/ | mwasanga /mwasaŋɡa/ | ahsante /ahsante/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | nashukulu /naʃukulu/ | twabakaba /twaβakaβa/ |
| One | ìmwí /imwi/ | imo /imo/ | imwe /imwe/ | umwe /umwe/ | nimo /nimo/ | imo /imo/ | imo /imo/ |
| Good | ìchá /itʃa/ | hedi /hedi/ | mwamba /mwamba/ | kihi /kihi/ | shibwana /ʃibwana/ | kwifwa /kwifwa/ | lihi /lihi/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.