Mende
Niger-Congo (Mande, Southwestern)
Mende is a major language of Sierra Leone, mother tongue of the country's southern and eastern interior and one of two principal national languages alongside Temne. The Kikakui (Mende) syllabary, devised by Mohammed Turay around 1921, is one of the few indigenous African scripts created in the 20th century, though Latin orthographies developed for Bible translation are now far more widely used. Mende belongs to the Mande family of the Niger-Congo phylum.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Mende
Water
njei
/ndʒei/
Fire
ngombu
/ŋɡombu/
Sun
foni
/foni/
Moon
ngewɔ
/ŋɡewɔ/
Mother
nje
/ndʒe/
Father
nya
/ɲa/
Eat
mɛ
/mɛ/
Drink
ngu
/ŋɡu/
Love
ndolo
/ndolo/
Heart
mola
/mola/
Tree
ngulu
/ŋɡulu/
House
pɛlɛ
/pɛlɛ/
Dog
nguje
/ŋɡudʒe/
Cat
gɔngɔ
/ɡɔŋɡɔ/
Hand
lɔkɔ
/lɔkɔ/
Eye
ngama
/ŋɡama/
Hello
bua
/bua/
Thank you
bisɛ
/bisɛ/
One
yila
/jila/
Good
nyande
/ɲande/
Words compared
Compared with related Niger-Congo (Mande, Southwestern) languages
| Meaning | Mende | Dii | Zande | Mano | Fijian | Old Sundanese | Dan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | njei /ndʒei/ | mam /mam/ | ime /ime/ | yi /ji/ | wai /wai/ | cai /tʃai/ | yi /ji/ |
| Fire | ngombu /ŋɡombu/ | mvə̀ /mvə/ | nako /nako/ | kɔ /kɔ/ | buka /mbuka/ | seuneu /sɯnɯ/ | siŋ /siŋ/ |
| Sun | foni /foni/ | ngə̄ə̀ /ŋɡəə/ | urure /uɾuɾe/ | lɛ /lɛ/ | siga /siŋa/ | poé /poe/ | lai /lai/ |
| Moon | ngewɔ /ŋɡewɔ/ | mboɔn /mbɔɔn/ | diwi /diwi/ | lɔ /lɔ/ | vula /βula/ | bulan /bulan/ | siŋ /siŋ/ |
| Mother | nje /ndʒe/ | na /na/ | na /na/ | ɲɛ /ɲɛ/ | tina /tina/ | indung /induŋ/ | da /da/ |
| Father | nya /ɲa/ | ba /ba/ | ba /ba/ | de /de/ | tama /tama/ | bapa /bapa/ | de /de/ |
| Eat | mɛ /mɛ/ | kpén /kpen˥/ | ri /ɾi/ | mɛ /mɛ/ | kana /kana/ | dahar /dahar/ | dɛ /dɛ/ |
| Drink | ngu /ŋɡu/ | kpɔ̀ /kpɔ/ | mbira /mbiɾa/ | mi /mi/ | gunu /ŋunu/ | nginum /ŋinum/ | mi /mi/ |
| Love | ndolo /ndolo/ | kūngí /ku˧ŋɡi˥/ | kpinyemu /kpiɲemu/ | ŋalo /ŋalo/ | loloma /loloma/ | nyaah /ɲaːh/ | be /be/ |
| Heart | mola /mola/ | ngēli /ŋɡeli/ | ngbongbo /ŋɡboŋɡbo/ | gba /ɡba/ | uto /uto/ | hate /hate/ | gbɔɔ /ɡbɔː/ |
| Tree | ngulu /ŋɡulu/ | ngà /ŋɡa/ | ngua /ŋɡua/ | ka /ka/ | kau /kau/ | tangkal /taŋkal/ | gbe /ɡbe/ |
| House | pɛlɛ /pɛlɛ/ | gā /ɡa/ | bambu /bambu/ | kpɛ /kpɛ/ | vale /βale/ | imah /imah/ | kɔ /kɔ/ |
| Dog | nguje /ŋɡudʒe/ | mvù /mvu˩/ | ango /aŋɡo/ | gba /ɡba/ | koli /koli/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | gbɛ /ɡbɛ/ |
| Cat | gɔngɔ /ɡɔŋɡɔ/ | ngwā /ŋɡwa/ | gbabo /ɡbabo/ | poso /poso/ | pusi /pusi/ | ucing /utʃiŋ/ | nyaa /ɲaː/ |
| Hand | lɔkɔ /lɔkɔ/ | paà /paa/ | be /be/ | kɔ /kɔ/ | liga /liŋa/ | leungeun /lɯŋɯn/ | kɔ /kɔ/ |
| Eye | ngama /ŋɡama/ | ngə̀ə /ŋɡəə/ | bangiri /baŋɡiɾi/ | mi /mi/ | mata /mata/ | panon /panon/ | ŋkɛ̃ /ŋkɛ̃/ |
| Hello | bua /bua/ | mbóò /mboo/ | mo ima ya /mo ima ja/ | ye /je/ | bula /mbula/ | wilujeng /wiludʒəŋ/ | daka /daka/ |
| Thank you | bisɛ /bisɛ/ | vɛɛɛ /vɛːɛ/ | oni-tambua /oni-tambua/ | nyɛŋ /ɲɛŋ/ | vinaka /βinaka/ | nuhun /nuhun/ | kpe /kpe/ |
| One | yila /jila/ | hīn /hin/ | sa /sa/ | do /do/ | dua /ndua/ | hiji /hidʒi/ | do /do/ |
| Good | nyande /ɲande/ | gáà /ɡa˥a˩/ | wene /wene/ | kɛlɛ /kɛlɛ/ | vinaka /βinaka/ | hade /hade/ | ka /ka/ |
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