Shona Made Easy

introduction to shona alphabet& Click to edit Master subtitle style pronunciation of basic words

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Shona Alphabet

23 letters no L, X, Q 5 vowels a, e, i, o, u 18 consonants b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, y, z

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Vowels pronunciation

a is pronounced as in Arnold amai = mother aenda = s/he has gone auya = s/he has come anoda = s/he loves Tawanda aenda kumba- Tawanda has gone home
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as in ernest ese = all enda = go(away)

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as in innocent iyi = this imba= house *kumba= home

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as in obvious ose= all mabhuku ose all books ona= look ona imba iyi look at this house

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utsi= smoke unoda=you love/like/want unoda mari you want money muti= tree uyu= this muti uyu this tree musikana uyu this girl
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Consonants

b is not pronounced as in bike baba(n)= father *dnt pronounce as barber bata(v)= touch/hold *dnt pronounce as butter bata mwana uyu hold this baby basa(n)= job/work hapana basa no job
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bh

is pronounced as b in bike bha, bhe, bhi, bho, bhu

bha bhe bhi bho bhu
q

barrel best

biscuits boss blue

most shona words with bh prefix are borrowed from english eg qbhazi bus qbhutsu boots qbhegi bag 6/4/12

ch

no shona words exist in the form ca, ce, ci, co, cu c does not exist on itself or with another letter except in conjugation with h cha, che, chi, cho, chu pronounced as in chapter, chest, children, chocolate, (chu-)tube
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chikoro(n)= school

d is not pronounced as in dice dama(n)= cheek *dnt pronounce as dammer dare(n)= court dama rangu ririkurwadza my cheek is painful denga(n)= sky, heaven haupindi denga you will not enter 6/4/12 heaven

dh

is pronounced as d in dice dha, dhe, dhi, dho, dhu

dha dhe dhi dho dhu data dent discuss donkey dumela

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dz

dza, dze, dzi, dzo, dzu sadza dzidza(v) =learn dzidzo(n) =education dzana(v) =dance dzenga dzosa(v) =return e.g dzosa bhuku rangu= return my book 6/4/12

f, g, gw, h, hw, j, k

famba(v)= walk gara(v)= sit Gwanda hama(n)= relative hwahwa(n)= beer (also called doro) hwai(n)=sheep hondo= war jira(n)= blanket

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m, mh, mb

ma, me, mi, mo, mu mha, mhe, mhi, mho, mhu mba, mbe, mbi, mbo, mbu munhu(n)= human being/person mai(n)= mother mbavha(n)= thief mharadzi(n)= someone who destroys mbiri(n)= fame/popularity may also

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n, nh, nj, nz, nzw, nzv

na, ne, ni, no, nu nha, nhe, nhi, nho, nhu nja, nje, nji, njo, nju nza, nze, nzi,nzo,nzu nzwa, nzwe, nzwi,nzwo, nzwu nzva, nzve, nzvi, nzvo, nzvu namata(v)= pray nhamo(n)= poverty

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pano =here pese= pa- used when pointing to something padumbu, paziso, panzeve *there is no ph

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*no rh ramba(v)= refuse, deny, turn down e.g ramba mukomana rova(v)= beat rova nyoka =beat the snake rima(n)= darkness ronga(v)= arrange, organise, plan rongedza(v)= pack 6/4/12

s, sh, sv,

sa, se, si, so, su sha, she, shi, sho, shu sva, sve, svi, svo, svu sadza sveta(v)= suck shasha(n)= expert shanda(v)= work shiri(n)= bird

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t, ts

*no th tora(v)= take tenga(v)= buy tese= all of us tenda(v)= thank tatenda= thank you tinoda= we want/like/love e.g tinoda chikoro=we love xul 6/4/12

v, vh

va, ve, vi, vo, vu vha, vhe, vhi, vho, vhu vana(n)= children, plural of mwana vhara(v)= close vhara mukova= close the door Muvhuro(n)= Monday chivharo(n)= lid
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*no wh wa, we, wi, wo, wu wangu= mine mudiwa wangu wedu= ours lecturer wedu ndinokuda nemoyo wese wakura waenda wadya

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ya, ye, yi, yo, yu moyo(n)= heart

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z, zh, zv

za, ze, zi, zo, zu zha, zhe, zhi, zho, zhu zva, zve, zvi, zvo, zvu

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-dzw-, -nzw-, -bw

ibwe= stone (also known as dombo) Zimbabwe udzwa

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