Ikirundi
Kirundi
Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Great Lakes)
Kirundi (Ikirundi) is the Bantu Great Lakes language of Burundi, sister to Rwanda's Kinyarwanda within the Rwanda-Rundi cluster (mutually intelligible). It is one of the very few African languages whose territory aligns precisely with a nation-state's borders, giving Burundi exceptional linguistic homogeneity. Like Kinyarwanda, it has a complex tone+pitch system and Bantu noun-class agreement.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Kirundi
Water
amazi
/amaːzi/
Fire
umuriro
/umuɾiɾo/
Sun
izuba
/izuba/
Moon
ukwezi
/ukwezi/
Star
inyenyeri
/iɲeɲeri/
Mother
mama
/maːma/
Father
data
/data/
I
jewe
/dʒewe/
You
wewe
/wewe/
Name
izina
/izina/
Eye
ijisho
/idʒiʃo/
Hand
ikiganza
/ikiganza/
Heart
umutima
/umutima/
Love
urukundo
/uɾukundo/
Tree
igiti
/iɡiti/
House
inzu
/inzu/
Dog
imbwa
/imbwa/
Cat
akayabu
/akajabu/
Eat
kurya
/kuɾja/
Drink
kunywa
/kuɲwa/
One
rimwe
/ɾimwe/
Two
kabiri
/kabiri/
Hello
amahoro
/amahoɾo/
Thank you
murakoze
/muɾakoze/
Good
nziza
/nziza/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Great Lakes) languages
| Meaning | Kirundi | Kinyarwanda | Nyaturu | Runyankole | Shambala | Chiga | Sangu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | amazi /amaːzi/ | amazi /amaːzi/ | maazi /maːzi/ | amaizi /amaizi/ | mazi /mazi/ | amaizi /amaizi/ | ameenzi /ameːnzi/ |
| Fire | umuriro /umuɾiɾo/ | umuriro /umuɾiɾo/ | moto /moto/ | omuriro /omuriro/ | moto /moto/ | omuriro /omuriro/ | umoto /umoto/ |
| Sun | izuba /izuba/ | izuba /izuba/ | nzua /nzua/ | izooba /izoːba/ | zuwa /zuwa/ | eizooba /eizoːba/ | liluga /liluɡa/ |
| Moon | ukwezi /ukwezi/ | ukwezi /ukwezi/ | umweri /umweɾi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | umwesi /umwesi/ |
| Star | inyenyeri /iɲeɲeri/ | inyenyeri /iɲeɲeri/ | nyeenyeeri /ɲeːɲeːri/ | enyonyoozi /eɲoɲoːzi/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ | enyonyoozi /eɲoɲoːzi/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ |
| Mother | mama /maːma/ | mama /maːma/ | mama /mama/ | maawe /maːwe/ | mama /mama/ | nyina /ɲina/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | data /data/ | papa /paːpa/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ | ishe /iʃe/ | baba /baba/ |
| I | jewe /dʒewe/ | njye /ɲɟe/ | une /une/ | nyowe /ɲowe/ | niye /nije/ | nyowe /ɲowe/ | une /une/ |
| You | wewe /wewe/ | wowe /wowe/ | uwe /uwe/ | iwe /iwe/ | weye /weje/ | iwe /iwe/ | uwe /uwe/ |
| Name | izina /izina/ | izina /izina/ | izina /izina/ | eiziina /eiziːna/ | izina /izina/ | eiziina /eiziːna/ | litawa /litawa/ |
| Eye | ijisho /idʒiʃo/ | ijisho /idʒiʃo/ | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | eriiso /eriːso/ | izo /izo/ | eriisho /eriːʃo/ | iliho /iliho/ |
| Hand | ikiganza /ikiganza/ | ikiganza /ikiɡanza/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | omukono /omukono/ | ukono /ukono/ | omukono /omukono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ |
| Heart | umutima /umutima/ | umutima /umutima/ | umutima /umutima/ | omutima /omutima/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | omutima /omutima/ | umutima /umutima/ |
| Love | urukundo /uɾukundo/ | urukundo /uɾukundo/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | rukundo /rukundo/ | kwenda /kwenda/ | kukunda /kukunda/ | ulungu /uluŋɡu/ |
| Tree | igiti /iɡiti/ | igiti /iɡiti/ | umuti /umuti/ | omuti /omuti/ | mti /mti/ | omuti /omuti/ | umuti /umuti/ |
| House | inzu /inzu/ | inzu /inzu/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | enju /endʒu/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | enju /endʒu/ | inyumba /iɲumba/ |
| Dog | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ |
| Cat | akayabu /akajabu/ | injangwe /indʒaŋɡwe/ | paka /paka/ | kapa /kapa/ | paka /paka/ | kapa /kapa/ | paka /paka/ |
| Eat | kurya /kuɾja/ | kurya /kuɾja/ | kuria /kuɾia/ | kurya /kurja/ | kuya /kuja/ | kurya /kurja/ | kulya /kuʎa/ |
| Drink | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ |
| One | rimwe /ɾimwe/ | rimwe /ɾimwe/ | umwe /umwe/ | emwe /emwe/ | imo /imo/ | rumwe /rumwe/ | imo /imo/ |
| Two | kabiri /kabiri/ | kabiri /kabiri/ | aviri /aβiri/ | ibiri /iβiri/ | mbili /mbili/ | ibiri /iβiri/ | avili /aβili/ |
| Hello | amahoro /amahoɾo/ | muraho /muɾaːho/ | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | agandi /aɡandi/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | oraire /oraire/ | mbasala /mbasala/ |
| Thank you | murakoze /muɾakoze/ | murakoze /muɾakoze/ | asante /aˈsante/ | webare /webare/ | asante /asante/ | webare /webare/ | nashukulu /naʃukulu/ |
| Good | nziza /nziza/ | byiza /bjiza/ | kihi /kihi/ | kirungi /kiruŋɡi/ | hedi /hedi/ | kurungi /kuruŋɡi/ | 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.