Giryama (Kigiryama)

Giryama is a variety of Mijikenda, a Northeast Coast Bantu language spoken by about 944,000 people mainly in the Kilifi County in the Coast Province in the southeast of Kenya. There are also speakers of Giryama in Kwale and Mombasa counties.

Giryama is known as Kigiryama by the people who speak it. Other names for the language include Giriyaraa and Giriama. There are three dialects of Giryama: Weruni (Veldt) Giryama, Central Giryama and Northern Giryama. It is written with the Latin script.

Giryama alphabet (Ndzora za Kigiryama)

Giryama alphabet (Ndzora za Kigiryama)

Download a Giryama alphabet chart (Excel)
Details of Giryama pronunciation (PDF) provided by Wolfram Siegel

Notes

Tone indication appears to be optional.

Sample text

  1. Bai Jesu akiambira, “Kala munavoya ambani, ‘Baba, [Uriye ko mulunguni], Dzinaro narikale rieri, Uthawaliwo naudze, [Mahendzogo nagahendeke kuku ts'i, here gahendekazho ko mulunguni.]
  2. Kila siku hup'e chakurya chehu cha kuhuthosha.
  3. Na uhusamehe makosa gehu, kwani siswi naswi hunaasamehe osi mahukosao. Na usihuhirike majezoni, [ela fuokole na ye Mui].’ ”

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/2207/LUK.11.NYF

Translation

  1. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
  2. Give us day by day our daily bread.
  3. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
    The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample videos in Giryama

Information about Giryama | Numbers

Links

Information about Giryama
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giryama_dialect
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giriama_(langue)
https://sw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigiryama
http://www.language-archives.org/language/nyf
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/nyf
https://teachyourselfgiriama.blogspot.com/p/vocabulary.html
https://archive.org/stream/giryamavocabula01taylgoog/giryamavocabula01taylgoog_djvu.txt
https://malindians.com/culture/fascinating-giriama-language/
https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/giriama.html
https://teachyourselfgiriama.blogspot.com/2015/

Bantu languages

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.07.25

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