Lumasaaba
Masaaba
Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Masaba-Luhya)
Masaaba (Lumasaaba, also called Gisu/Lugisu) is the fourth-largest indigenous language of Uganda, spoken by the Bagisu people on the western slopes of Mt Elgon. The language belongs to the Masaba-Luhya cluster (JE31) which extends into Kenya as Luhya (luy). The Bagisu are famous for the Imbalu male circumcision ceremony, a UNESCO-recognized cultural practice held every two years. Tonal with full Bantu noun-class agreement.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Masaaba
Water
kamaatsi
/kamaːtsi/
Fire
kamulilo
/kamulilo/
Sun
suuba
/suːba/
Moon
umweesi
/umweːsi/
Mother
mayi
/maji/
Father
papa
/papa/
Eat
khulya
/kʰuʎa/
Drink
khunywa
/kʰuɲwa/
Love
khusima
/kʰusima/
Heart
umwoyo
/umwojo/
Tree
kumusaala
/kumusaːla/
House
nzu
/nzu/
Dog
imbwa
/imbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Hand
kumukhono
/kumukʰono/
Eye
liiso
/liːso/
Hello
mulembe
/mulembe/
Thank you
ole nise
/ole nise/
One
mulala
/mulala/
Good
kalayi
/kalaji/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Masaba-Luhya) languages
| Meaning | Masaaba | Bukusu | Luhya | Nyaturu | Shambala | Runyankole | Sangu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | kamaatsi /kamaːtsi/ | kamatsi /kamatsi/ | amatsi /amatsi/ | maazi /maːzi/ | mazi /mazi/ | amaizi /amaizi/ | ameenzi /ameːnzi/ |
| Fire | kamulilo /kamulilo/ | kamulilo /kamulilo/ | omuliro /omuliro/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | omuriro /omuriro/ | umoto /umoto/ |
| Sun | suuba /suːba/ | liuba /liuba/ | liuba /liuba/ | nzua /nzua/ | zuwa /zuwa/ | izooba /izoːba/ | liluga /liluɡa/ |
| Moon | umweesi /umweːsi/ | kumwesi /kumwesi/ | omwesi /omwesi/ | umweri /umweɾi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | umwesi /umwesi/ |
| Mother | mayi /maji/ | mayi /maji/ | mayi /maji/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | maawe /maːwe/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ |
| Eat | khulya /kʰuʎa/ | khulya /kʰuʎa/ | khulia /kʰulia/ | kuria /kuɾia/ | kuya /kuja/ | kurya /kurja/ | kulya /kuʎa/ |
| Drink | khunywa /kʰuɲwa/ | khunywa /kʰuɲwa/ | khunywa /kʰuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ |
| Love | khusima /kʰusima/ | busiani /busiani/ | obuyanzi /obujanzi/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | kwenda /kwenda/ | rukundo /rukundo/ | ulungu /uluŋɡu/ |
| Heart | umwoyo /umwojo/ | kumwoyo /kumwojo/ | omwoyo /omwojo/ | umutima /umutima/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | omutima /omutima/ | umutima /umutima/ |
| Tree | kumusaala /kumusaːla/ | kumusaala /kumusaːla/ | omusala /omusala/ | umuti /umuti/ | mti /mti/ | omuti /omuti/ | umuti /umuti/ |
| House | nzu /nzu/ | enju /endʒu/ | enzu /enzu/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | enju /endʒu/ | inyumba /iɲumba/ |
| Dog | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | enyawu /eɲawu/ | lipusi /lipusi/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | kapa /kapa/ | paka /paka/ |
| Hand | kumukhono /kumukʰono/ | kumukhono /kumukʰono/ | omukhono /omukʰono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | ukono /ukono/ | omukono /omukono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ |
| Eye | liiso /liːso/ | liiso /liːso/ | liiso /liːso/ | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | izo /izo/ | eriiso /eriːso/ | iliho /iliho/ |
| Hello | mulembe /mulembe/ | mulembe /mulembe/ | mulembe /mulembe/ | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | agandi /aɡandi/ | mbasala /mbasala/ |
| Thank you | ole nise /ole nise/ | orio /orio/ | orio /orio/ | ahsante /ahsante/ | asante /asante/ | webare /webare/ | nashukulu /naʃukulu/ |
| One | mulala /mulala/ | ndala /ndala/ | ndala /ndala/ | umwe /umwe/ | imo /imo/ | emwe /emwe/ | imo /imo/ |
| Good | kalayi /kalaji/ | kalayi /kalaji/ | malayi /malaji/ | kihi /kihi/ | hedi /hedi/ | kirungi /kiruŋɡi/ | kwifwa /kwifwa/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.