Afaan Oromoo

Oromo

Cushitic

FamilyCushitic Speakers~37M ScriptLatin (Qubee) CountriesEthiopia (Oromia Region), Kenya, Somalia Official inEthiopia (federal working language) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3orm

Oromo (Afaan Oromoo) is an East Cushitic language with ~37M speakers — Ethiopia's most-spoken language by L1 (Oromia Region) and a federal working language since 2020. Significant communities in Kenya (Borana) and Somalia. Latin script (Qubee) standardized 1991, replacing Geʽez script under Derg regime; choice was politically symbolic (rejection of Amharic dominance).

Where it is spoken

20 core words in Oromo

Water

bishaan

/biʃaːn/

Fire

ibidda

/ibidːa/

Sun

aduu

/aduː/

Moon

jiʼa

/dʒiʔa/

Mother

haadha

/haːɗa/

Father

abbaa

/abːaː/

Eat

nyaachuu

/ɲaːtʃuː/

Drink

dhuguu

/ɗuɡuː/

Love

jaalala

/dʒaːlala/

Heart

onnee

/onːeː/

Tree

muka

/muka/

House

mana

/mana/

Dog

saree

/saɾeː/

Cat

adurree

/aduɾːeː/

Hand

harka

/haɾka/

Eye

ija

/idʒa/

Hello

akkam

/akːam/

Thank you

galatoomi

/ɡalatoːmi/

One

tokko

/tokːo/

Good

gaarii

/ɡaːriː/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Cushitic languages

Meaning OromoKonsoSidamoGedeoIrulaHausaDaasanach
Water bishaan /biʃaːn/ inanta /inanta/ waayyo /waːjːo/ woyye /wojːe/ nīr /niːɾ/ ruwa /ɾuwaː/ no /no/
Fire ibidda /ibidːa/ iya /ija/ giiraa /ɡiːraː/ gira /ɡiɾa/ /tiː/ wuta /wuta/ mes /mes/
Sun aduu /aduː/ kawa /kawa/ arrishshe /arːiʃːe/ ayyaʼne /ajːaʔne/ čūriyen /tʃuːɾijen/ rana /ɾaːnaː/ sicho /sitʃo/
Moon jiʼa /dʒiʔa/ ayeena /ajeːna/ agana /aɡana/ agina /aɡina/ niLā /niɭaː/ wata /wata/ mar /mar/
Mother haadha /haːɗa/ eedda /eːdːa/ ama /ama/ aaki /aːki/ ammā /amːaː/ uwa /uwaː/ waana /waːna/
Father abbaa /abːaː/ abba /abːa/ anna /anːa/ eke /eke/ ayyā /ajːaː/ uba /ubaː/ kaaba /kaːba/
Eat nyaachuu /ɲaːtʃuː/ ihaa /ihaː/ itaa /itaː/ ittu /itːu/ činnu /tʃinːu/ ci /tʃiː/ icho /itʃo/
Drink dhuguu /ɗuɡuː/ inakkaa /inakːaː/ aguraa /aɡuraː/ agittu /aɡitːu/ kuDi /kuɖi/ sha /ʃaː/ ʔurro /ʔuro/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Oromo
An uffata hoteela fuuldura suuqii keessatti argee ofkoluuf ilaaluu barbaada
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Oromo
An uffata hoteela fuuldura suuqii keessatti argee ofkoluuf ilaaluu barbaada
Waxaan rabaa in aan isku eego sharci aan arkay dukaan ka soo horjeeda hotelka

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