Kwangali (RuKwangali)

Kwangali is a Bantu language spoken by about 152,000 people along the Kavango River mainly in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions in the northeast of Namibia. It is also spoken in southern Angola. Kwangali is officially recognised as a national language in Namibia, and is used as a lingua franca, and in education, the media and regional administration.

Kwangali is also known as Sikwangali, Kwangari, Kwangare, Cuangar, Rukwangali or moRukwanagli, and Kwangali speakers call their language RuKwangali. It is closely related to Kwanyama. It is written with the Latin script, and there is a translation of the Bible in the language.

Kwangali alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Kwangali (Excel)
Details of Kwangali pronunciation provided by Wolfram Siegel (PDF)

Sample idioms

Nsene mbisi za tundupo nompuku kuliharangera.
When the cat is away, the mice will play.
Mpuku zange pya usimbu kapi za wapa.
If you fry your mouse in a hurry it will not taste good. = If you rush into something, it won't work out well
Rera nyime ngaka kulye.
If you take care of a lion it will kill you = No matter how much you take care of a stranger, he might turn against you.

Source: https://www.livelingua.com/courses/Kwangali

Sample text

Jesus ta va tantere asi: “Nsene tomu kanderere, omu tante asi: ‘Guhyetu, Edina lyoge ava li pongore. Uhompa woge au wize. Mpango zoge ava zi sikise mo pevhu ngwendi meguru.
Tu pa nkenye ezuva nondya edi twa hepa.
O tu dongwenene po nonzo detu, moomu atu dongwenene po nose wononzo detu. Walye o tu twara momaheteko, nye o tu popere moudona.’ ”

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/4235/LUK.11.KWN

Translation

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.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
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 Kwangali

Information about Kwangali | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Kwangali
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwangali_language
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwangali_(Sprache)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwangali
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/kwan1273

Online Kwangali course
https://www.livelingua.com/courses/Kwangali

Bantu languages

Aka, Aushi, Bafaw-Balong, Bangi, Bangubangu, Basaa, Bemba, Bembe, Bena, Benga, Bhaca, Bila, Bube, Budu, Bujeba, Bukusu, Bulu, Bushong, Central Kilimanjaro, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chopi, Chuwabu, Comorian, Dciriku, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Fuliiru, Fwe, Ganda/Luganda, Giryama, Gogo, Gungu, Gusii, Gwere, Gyele, Ha, Haya, Hehe, Herero, Ibinda, Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki, Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kabwa, Kako, Kalanga, Kamba, Kanyok, Kgalagadi, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kobo, Kogo, Komo, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kuhane, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Kwambi, Kwangali, Kwasio, Lambya, Lega, Lengola, Lingala, Loma, Lomwe, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Luyana, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbama, Mbere, Mbosi, Mbugu, Mbukushu, Mbunda, Mbuun, Mende, Mongo, Mpiemo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Myene, Nambya, Nande, Ndau, Ndonga, Ngoni, Ngwii, Njebi, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyoro, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Pare, Phuthi, Punu, Rangi, Ronga, Safwa, Seki, Sena, Sengele, Shambala, Shi, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Suba, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Taita, Talinga, Tanga, Tembo, Tetela, Tonga, Tongwe, Tooro, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Turu, Umbundu, Venda, Vili, Vwanji, Wanzi, West Teke, Xhosa, Yakam, Yansi, Yao, Yasa, Yeyi, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 19.08.25. Last modified: 19.08.25

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