Comorian (Shikomori)
Niger-Congo (Bantu, Sabaki)
Ngazidja Comorian, locally called Shingazidja (ISO 639-3: zdj), is a Sabaki Bantu language spoken on Grande Comore, the largest island of the Union of the Comoros. It is one of four closely related Comorian varieties, alongside Shimwali, Shindzuani, and Shimaore, but linguistic research treats it as distinct from Swahili and comparatively divergent within the Comorian group. Shingazidja is the principal vernacular of Grande Comore and is included within Shikomori, which has official status in the Union alongside French and Arabic. It has the noun-class and agreement morphology typical of Bantu languages and is written in both Latin and Arabic-based orthographies, although spelling practices are not fully standardized.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Comorian (Shikomori)
Water
maji
/madʒi/
Fire
moto
/moto/
Sun
jua
/dʒua/
Moon
mwezi
/ᵐwezi/
Star
nyota
/ɲota/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
baba
/ɓaba/
I
wami
/wami/
You
wawe
/wawe/
Name
dzina
/dzina/
Eye
jicho
/dʒitʃo/
Hand
mkono
/ᵐkono/
Heart
moyo
/moyo/
Love
upendo
/uːpendo/
Tree
mti
/ᵐti/
House
nyumba
/ɲũba/
Dog
mbwa
/ᵐbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Eat
kula
/kula/
Drink
kunywa
/kʊɲwa/
One
moja
/moːdʒa/
Two
mbili
/mbili/
Hello
Jeje / Bariza
/dʒedʒe / baːriza/
Thank you
Marahaba
/marahaːba/
Good
nzuri
/ⁿzuri/
Words compared
Compared with related Niger-Congo (Bantu, Sabaki) languages
| Meaning | Comorian (Shikomori) | Maore Comorian | Swahili | Shambala | Sena | Nyaturu | Makonde |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | maji /madʒi/ | maji /maji/ | maji /madʒi/ | mazi /mazi/ | madzi /madzi/ | maazi /maːzi/ | mashi /maʃi/ |
| Fire | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /ˈmoto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ |
| Sun | jua /dʒua/ | jua /dʒua/ | jua /dʒua/ | zuwa /zuwa/ | dzuwa /dzuwa/ | nzua /nzua/ | lyuva /ʎuβa/ |
| Moon | mwezi /ᵐwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwezi /ˈmwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ | umweri /umweɾi/ | mwedi /mwedi/ |
| Star | nyota /ɲota/ | nyota /ɲota/ | nyota /ˈɲota/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ | nyeenyeeri /ɲeːɲeːri/ | ntondwa /ntondwa/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /ˈmama/ | mama /mama/ | mai /mai/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | baba /ɓaba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /ˈbaba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ |
| I | wami /wami/ | wami /wami/ | mimi /ˈmimi/ | niye /nije/ | ine /ine/ | une /une/ | une /une/ |
| You | wawe /wawe/ | wawe /wawe/ | wewe /ˈwewe/ | weye /weje/ | iwe /iwe/ | uwe /uwe/ | uve /uve/ |
| Name | dzina /dzina/ | dzina /dzina/ | jina /ˈdʒina/ | izina /izina/ | dzina /dzina/ | izina /izina/ | lina /lina/ |
| Eye | jicho /dʒitʃo/ | jicho /dʒiʃo/ | jicho /dʒitʃo/ | izo /izo/ | diso /diso/ | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | liso /liso/ |
| Hand | mkono /ᵐkono/ | mkono /mkono/ | mkono /mˈkono/ | ukono /ukono/ | nkono /nkono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | nkono /nkono/ |
| Heart | moyo /moyo/ | moyo /moʝo/ | moyo /mojo/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | mtima /mtima/ | umutima /umutima/ | mtima /mtima/ |
| Love | upendo /uːpendo/ | mahaba /mahaba/ | upendo /uˈpendo/ | kwenda /kwenda/ | kufuna /kufuna/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | kupenda /kupenda/ |
| Tree | mti /ᵐti/ | mti /mti/ | mti /ˈmti/ | mti /mti/ | mtengo /mteŋɡo/ | umuti /umuti/ | mti /mti/ |
| House | nyumba /ɲũba/ | nyumba /njumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | mbwa /ᵐbwa/ | mbwa /ɱbwa/ | mbwa /ᵐbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | nshenye /nʃeɲe/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /ˈpaka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ |
| Eat | kula /kula/ | kula /kula/ | kula /ˈkula/ | kuya /kuja/ | kudya /kudja/ | kuria /kuɾia/ | kulya /kuʎa/ |
| Drink | kunywa /kʊɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kumwa /kumwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kukumbila /kukumbila/ |
| One | moja /moːdʒa/ | moja /moja/ | moja /modʒa/ | imo /imo/ | posi /posi/ | umwe /umwe/ | nimo /nimo/ |
| Two | mbili /mbili/ | mbili /ᵐbili/ | mbili /mˈbili/ | mbili /mbili/ | piŵiri /piwiri/ | aviri /aβiri/ | vavili /vaʋili/ |
| Hello | Jeje / Bariza /dʒedʒe / baːriza/ | Habari /habari/ | habari /haˈbari/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | mwadzukabwanji /mwadzukabwandʒi/ | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | nakushukuru /nakuʃukuɾu/ |
| Thank you | Marahaba /marahaːba/ | asante /asante/ | asante /aˈsante/ | asante /asante/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ | asante /aˈsante/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ |
| Good | nzuri /ⁿzuri/ | nzuri /ɲzuri/ | nzuri /ˈnzuri/ | hedi /hedi/ | nadidi /nadidi/ | kihi /kihi/ | shibwana /ʃibwana/ |
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