Sandawe
Khoisan (proposed isolate or with Hadza)
Sandawe is a click language of central Tanzania, sometimes proposed as a Khoe relative or grouped with Hadza, but generally considered a language isolate. It has four phonemic click types (dental, alveolar, lateral, palatal) and a five-tone system, making it one of the phonologically most complex languages in Africa. About 60,000 Sandawe live in the rocky uplands of Dodoma Region, retaining hunter-gatherer traditions and rock-art heritage that link them culturally to the Khoesan world.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Sandawe
Water
tsʼa
/tsʼa/
Fire
tsʼoo
/tsʼoː/
Sun
kʼɔɔ
/kʼɔː/
Moon
tsoa
/tsoa/
Star
hĩǀáwã
/hĩ́ǀáwã̀ː/
Mother
yei
/jei/
Father
ai
/ai/
I
tsi
/tsíː/
You
hapu
/hapu/
Name
ǁwâ
/ǁʷâ/
Eye
gaa
/ɡaː/
Hand
kxʼaa
/kxʼaː/
Heart
ǁʼampoo
/ǁʼampoː/
Love
kalokisi
/kalokisi/
Tree
hetsʼee
/hetsʼeː/
House
ge
/ɡe/
Dog
ǀɔɔ
/ǀɔː/
Cat
misho
/miʃo/
Eat
ǁee
/ǁeː/
Drink
ʔee
/ʔeː/
One
tsʼekʼe
/tsʼekʼe/
Two
kisó
/kísôxì/
Hello
gabaeesa
/ɡabaeːsa/
Thank you
musʼokoyo
/musʼokojo/
Good
tlʼobe
/tɬʼobe/
Words compared
Compared with related Khoisan (proposed isolate or with Hadza) languages
| Meaning | Sandawe | Wayuu | Aguacateco | Kurukh | Hausa | Berom | Aramaic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | tsʼa /tsʼa/ | wuin /wuin/ | aʼ /aʔ/ | अम्म /amm/ | ruwa /ɾuwaː/ | bí /bi/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ |
| Fire | tsʼoo /tsʼoː/ | siki /siki/ | qʼaq /qʼaq/ | चिच /tʃitʃ/ | wuta /wuta/ | cá /tʃa/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ |
| Sun | kʼɔɔ /kʼɔː/ | kaʼi /kaʔi/ | qʼijl /qʼihl/ | बेरी /beɾiː/ | rana /ɾaːnaː/ | kọs /kɔs/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ |
| Moon | tsoa /tsoa/ | kashi /kaʃi/ | xahaw /ʃahaw/ | चांदो /tʃaːndoː/ | wata /wata/ | cwèl /tʃwel/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ |
| Star | hĩǀáwã /hĩ́ǀáwã̀ː/ | jolotsü /holotsɨ/ | chumeʼl /tʃumeʔl/ | बिनको /binkoː/ | tauraro /tauraːro/ | taŋaten /taŋaˈten/ | ܟܘܟܒܐ /koːχβaː/ |
| Mother | yei /jei/ | ei /ei/ | naa /naː/ | अयो /ajoː/ | uwa /uwaː/ | ne /ne/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ |
| Father | ai /ai/ | ashi /aʃi/ | mam /mam/ | बाबा /baːbaː/ | uba /ubaː/ | da /da/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ |
| I | tsi /tsíː/ | taya /taja/ | in /in/ | एन /eːn/ | ni /niː/ | mé /me/ | ܐܢܐ /ʔanaː/ |
| You | hapu /hapu/ | pia /pia/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | नीन /niːn/ | kai /kai/ | hó /ho/ | ܐܢܬ /ʔatt/ |
| Name | ǁwâ /ǁʷâ/ | anülia /anɨlia/ | bʼiʼ /ɓiʔ/ | नाम /naːm/ | suna /suːnaː/ | reza /ˈrɛza/ | ܫܡܐ /ʃmaː/ |
| Eye | gaa /ɡaː/ | oʼu /oʔu/ | witzʼ /witsʼ/ | ख़न्न /xanː/ | ido /idoː/ | nyíí /ɲiː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ |
| Hand | kxʼaa /kxʼaː/ | ajapü /axapɨ/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | खेखा /xekːʰaː/ | hannu /hanːu/ | kpàá /kpaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ |
| Heart | ǁʼampoo /ǁʼampoː/ | aaʼin /aːʔin/ | kʼuum /kʼuːm/ | ठांगरा /tʰaːŋɡɾaː/ | zuciya /zutʃija/ | kúgú /kuɡu/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ |
| Love | kalokisi /kalokisi/ | alasüin /alasɨin/ | xajan /ʃahan/ | मरटी /maɾʈiː/ | ƙauna /kʼauna/ | shìr /ʃiɾ/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ |
| Tree | hetsʼee /hetsʼeː/ | wunuʼu /wunuʔu/ | tzeʼ /tseʔ/ | मन्ना /manːaː/ | bishiya /biʃija/ | kàn /kan/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ |
| House | ge /ɡe/ | miichi /miːtʃi/ | nya /ɲa/ | एरपा /eɾpaː/ | gida /ɡida/ | wùm /wum/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajtaː/ |
| Dog | ǀɔɔ /ǀɔː/ | erü /eɾɨː/ | txʼiʼ /tʃʼiʔ/ | अल्ला /alːaː/ | kare /kaɾe/ | cà /tʃa/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ |
| Cat | misho /miʃo/ | misho /miʃo/ | mis /mis/ | बिल्ली /bilːiː/ | kyanwa /kʲanwa/ | mìshí /miʃi/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ |
| Eat | ǁee /ǁeː/ | ekaa /ekaː/ | wii /wiː/ | ओनना /onːaː/ | ci /tʃiː/ | rì /ɾi/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔaːχel/ |
| Drink | ʔee /ʔeː/ | asaa /asaː/ | uuk /uːk/ | ओंकना /oŋkːnaː/ | sha /ʃaː/ | nyaŋ /ɲaŋ/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaː/ |
| One | tsʼekʼe /tsʼekʼe/ | wanee /waneː/ | jun /hun/ | ओंटा /oːnʈaː/ | ɗaya /ɗaja/ | kòp /kop/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ |
| Two | kisó /kísôxì/ | piama /piama/ | kaʼwutz /kaʔwuts/ | एण्ड /eːɳɖ/ | biyu /biju/ | bà /ba/ | ܬܪܝܢ /treːn/ |
| Hello | gabaeesa /ɡabaeːsa/ | jamaya /xamaja/ | kʼamta /kʼamta/ | खद्दी /kʰadːiː/ | sannu /sanːu/ | kèèlé /keːle/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ |
| Thank you | musʼokoyo /musʼokojo/ | talé /tale/ | tixwajʼ /tiʃwahʼ/ | धोन्नोबाद /dʱonːobaːd/ | na gode /na ɡode/ | gèyak /ɡejak/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ |
| Good | tlʼobe /tɬʼobe/ | anasü /anasɨ/ | saqʼ /saqʼ/ | होय /hoːj/ | nagari /naɡaɾi/ | mwa /mwa/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.