Shona Talking Dictionary

An example search has returned 100 entries

#banha

kick

#bika

verb, intransitive cook

#bvarura

tear

#dema

black (colour)

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

#dhonza

pull

#dzoka

return

#fara

happy

#fidha

feed

#mwe

another

#rasa

throw away

#rota

dream

#rova

hit

#sarudza

choose

#shama nyai

yawn

#shambira

swim

#sunda

push

#svipa

spit

#tiza

escape

#tsauka

turn

#tyora

break

#vhura

open

Aive madziva, ave mazambuko.

proverb (tsumo) Pools have become shallow crossings.

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

bapu

lung

bazi

branch

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

beche

vagina

bhurauni

brown

chikepe

boat

chiuno

waist

churu

thousand

denderedzwa

noun circle

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

dongo

outside Mt Darwin (IM)

[LL] noun abandoned home

Example: outside Mt Darwin (IM)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

edina

name

garwe

crocodile

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

gore

noun cloud (not fog), year

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

guvi

adjective baby

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

hanga

noun guinea fowl, guinea fowls

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

imba

house

ino

this

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

itsvo

kidney(s)

kubaya

verb (infinitive) stab

kubika

verb (infinitive) cook

kudya

verb (infinitive) to eat

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

kudyisa

verb (infinitive) feed

kudzoka

verb (infinitive) return

kudzvanya

verb (infinitive) press

kufamba

verb (infinitive) walk

kugara pasi

verb phrase sit down

kugeza vhudzi

verb (infinitive) wash hair

kuhetsura

verb (infinitive) sneeze

kukama

verb (infinitive) comb

kukurumidza

be fast, hurry

kumhanya

verb (infinitive) run

kunorara

verb (infinitive) go to sleep

kunwa

verb (infinitive) drink

kunyepa

verb (infinitive) lie (tell untruth)

kutsauka

verb (infinitive) turn

kutya

verb (infinitive) fear

kuverenga

verb (infinitive) count

kuvhara

verb (infinitive) close

kuvhura

verb (infinitive) open

kuziva

verb (infinitive) know (facts)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

maburi

holes

machongwe

cocks

mapatya

twin

masikati

noun (good) afternoon

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

maswera sei?

phrase How have you spent your day?

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

matendere

nests

mbabvu

rib

mudzi

noun root (botanics)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

mukoko

hive

mukuru

old person

munhukadzi

female

muromo

mouth, lip

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

musha

village

musoro

noun head (anatomic)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

mvura

noun water

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

mwanakomana

son

Mwena

Mwena

noun

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

mwimbi

singer

ngoma

drum

nguva yechando

winter

nhenga

noun feather (large, not down)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

njiri

noun warthog

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

nyuchi

bees

nzira

noun path (road, trail; not street)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

reba

adjective long (not ’wide’)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

ruoko

noun hand

rurimi

noun tongue (anatomical)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

sei

why

shamwari

friend

shanu

five

shiri

noun bird

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

svondo

week

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

tezvara

father-in-law

tsamwa

sad

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

tsvuku

adjective red (colour)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

twiza

noun giraffe, giraffes

uri kutyei?

phrase What are you afraid of?

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

uswa

grass

vana

children

There are currently 685 entries, 212 audio files, and 12 images.

All content copyright © Shona community. (2014)
Dictionary produced by Ignatius T. Mabasa, Dr. Jeffrey Wills, Gregory D. S. Anderson and K. David Harrison. (2014).
All rights reserved. Do not distribute or reproduce without permission.
how to cite: Anderson, Gregory D.S., Ignatius T. Mabasa, Jeffrey Wills and K. David Harrison. 2014. Shona Talking Dictionary. Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. http://www.talkingdictionary.org/shona

Interface and database design under the direction of Jeremy Fahringer and Swarthmore College ITS.

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