# Kwanyama

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Dialect in Namibia

Kwanyama Oshikwanyama Native to Angola and Namibia Region Cunene Province (Angola), Ovamboland (Namibia) Native speakers 1,003,783 in Angola (2024);[1] 250,000 in Namibia (2006) Language family Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Kavango–Southwest Southwest Bantu Ovambo Kwanyama Language codes ISO 639-1 kj ISO 639-2 kua ISO 639-3 kua Glottolog kuan1247 Guthrie code R.21[2] Linguasphere 99-AUR-la

**Kwanyama** ([Portuguese](/source/Portuguese_language): *Cuanhama*) is a [national language](/source/National_language) of [Angola](/source/Angola) and [Namibia](/source/Namibia). It is a standardized dialect of the [Ovambo language](/source/Ovambo_language), and is [mutually intelligible](/source/Mutual_intelligibility) with [Oshindonga](/source/Oshindonga), the other Ovambo dialect with a standard written form.

The entire Christian Bible has been translated into Kwanyama and was first published in 1974 under the name *Ombibeli* by the South African Bible Society.[3] Jehovah's Witnesses released a translation of the [new testament](/source/New_Testament), the *New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures* in Kwanyama in 2019,[4] both printed and [electronic online version](https://www.jw.org/kj/oishangomwa/ombibeli/bi12/omambo/).

## Phonology

Consonants Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Plosive voiceless p t~t̪ tʃ k voiced b d~d̪ dʒ prenasal ᵐb ⁿd ⁿdʒ ᵑɡ Fricative voiceless f (s) ʃ x h voiced v Nasal voiced m n ɲ voiceless m̥ n̥ ɲ̊ ŋ̊ Approximant w l j

/t/ and /d/ are dentalized when followed by a front vowel /i/. An /s/ sound can only occur in loanwords.

Vowels Front Back Close i u Mid e o Open a

**Tones**

Kwanyama has two tones : high and low.

## Grammar

### Verbs

Verbs are inflected for two tenses: present and non-present. There is a mandatory subject concord before verbs, indicating person, tense, and negation. Verbs are divided into two categories, active and stative, each of which have different subject concords. The future tense in active verbs is indicated by inserting the auxiliary *ka* after the nonpast subject concord.

Kwanyama subject concords Active Stative Person Negation Past Nonpast Person Negation Past Present Future 1S + Onda Ohandi/Ohai 1S + Onda li ndi Ondi Ohandi ka kala ndi - Inandi Itandi - Kandi li ndi Kandi/ Nghi Itandi ka kala ndi 2S + Owa Oto 2S + Owa li u Ou Oto ka kala u - Ino Ito - Kwa li u Ku Ito ka kala u 3S + Okwa Ota 3S + Okwa li e oku Ota ka kala e - Ina Ita - Ka li e Ke Ita ka kala e 1P + Otwa Ohatu 1P + Otwa li tu Otu Ohatu ka kala tu - Inatu Itatu - Katwa li tu Katu Itatu ka kala tu 2P + Omwa Otamu 2P + Omwa li mu Omu Otamu ka kala mu - Inamu Itamu - Kamwa li mu Kamu Itamu ka kala mu 3P + Ova Otaa/Otava 3P + Ova li ve Ove Otava ka kala ve - Inaa/Inava Itaa/Itava - Kava li ve Kave Itava ka kala ve

Another way to negate a verb is to add the prefix *ha-* before the verb stem (ex. *okwiimba* 'to sing' -> *okuhaimba* 'to not sing').[5]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-censoAO_1-0)** ["Resultados Definitivos do Recenseamento Geral da População e Habitação - 2024"](https://www.ine.gov.ao/Arquivos/arquivosCarregados//Carregados/Publicacao_638992698392586291.pdf) (PDF) (in Portuguese). 2025-11-20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Guthrie_2-0)** Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. [New Updated Guthrie List Online](https://web.archive.org/web/20180203191542/http://goto.glocalnet.net/mahopapers/nuglonline.pdf)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Ombibeli, 1974, front page

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Jehovah's Witnesses Release the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures in Kwanyama"](https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/south-africa/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Release-the-New-World-Translation-of-the-Christian-Greek-Scriptures-in-Kwanyama/). *Jw.org*. 20 August 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [*A Beginners Guide to Oshikwanyama*](https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/PeaceCorps/Kwanyama/haiti.pdf) (PDF). Peace Corps.

## Bibliography

- Crane, Thera; Lindgren-Streicher, Karl; Wingo, Andy (2004). [*Hai ti! A Beginner's Guide to Oshikwanyama*](http://wingolog.org/pub/hai-ti/hai-ti.pdf) (PDF).

- Halme, Riikka (2004). [*A Tonal Grammar of Kwanyama*](https://archive.org/details/tonalgrammarkwan00halm). pp. [12](https://archive.org/details/tonalgrammarkwan00halm/page/n6)-18.

- Zimmerman, W.; Hasheela, P. (1998). *Oshikwanyama Grammar*. Windhoek: Gamsberg Macmillan.

## Further reading

- Turvey, B. H. C. (1977) *Kwanyama-English Dictionary*; compiled by B. H. C. Turvey; edited by W. Zimmermann and G. B. Taapopi. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0854943153](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0854943153) (based on the work compiled by George Tobias & Basil Henry Capes Turvey, 1954)

## External links

- [Language map of Namibia](http://www.ethnologue.com/show_map.asp?name=NA&seq=10)

- [Grammar and vocabulary](http://www.ikuska.com/Africa/Lenguas/kwanyama/index.htm) (in Spanish)

- [PanAfrican L10n page on Kwanyama](http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Kwanyama)

- [Omalinjongameno Ōngeleka. (Services of the Church in Kwanyama Authorised for Use in the Diocese of Damaraland, 1957)](http://mammana.org/bcp/kwanyama1957/) digitized by Richard Mammana 2015

***[Kwanyama test](https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/kj)*** of [Wikipedia](/source/Wikipedia) at [Wikimedia Incubator](https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Incubator)

v t e Languages of Angola Official language Portuguese National languages Bolo Chokwe Gciriku Hakaona Herero Holu Ibinda Khwe Kimbundu Kongo !Kung Kung-Ekoka Kuvale Kwadi Kwangali Kwanyama Lunda Mbunda Ndonga Oshiwambo Umbundu Lucazi Luimbi Luvale Luyana Mashi Mbali Mbangala Mbukushu Ndombe Ngambwe Ngoya Nkumbi Nsongo Nyaneka Nyengo Ruund Sama Sekele Zemba

v t e Languages of Namibia Official language English Recognized regional Oshiwambo Kwanyama Ndonga Afrikaans German Other Bantu languages Otjiherero Rukwangali Setswana Zemba Gciriku Fwe Kuhane Thimbukushu Shiyeyi Khoisan Nama/Damara Naro ǃXóõ Kung-Ekoka ǂKxʼauǁʼein Kxoe Sign languages Namibian Sign Language Immigrant languages Portuguese

v t e Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S) (by Guthrie classification) Zone N N10 N11 Manda N12 Ngoni N13 Matengo N14 Mpoto N15 Tonga [N101 Ndendeule N102 Nindi N121 Ngoni of Malawi N20 N21 Tumbuka [N201 Mwera of Mbamba Bay N30 N31a Nyanja N31b Cewa N31c Manganja N40 N41 Nsenga N42 Kunda N43 Nyungwe N44 Sena N45[44] Rue N46[44] Podzo [N441 Sena-Malawi Zone P P10 P11 Ndengereko P12 Ruihi P13 Matumbi P14 Ngindo P15 Mbunga P20 P21 Yao P22 Mwera P23 Makonde P24 Ndonde P25 Mabiha P30 P31 Makua P32 Lomwe P33 Ngulu P34 Cuabo [P311 Koti P312 Sakati P331 Lomwe of Malawi P341 Moniga Zone R R10 R11 Umbundu R12 Ndombe R13 Nyaneka R14 Khumbi [R101 Kuvale R102 Kwisi R103 Mbali R20 R21 Kwanyama R22 Ndonga R23 Kwambi R24 Ngandyera [R211 Kafima R212 Evale R213 Mbandja R214 Mbalanhu R215 Ndongwena R216 Kwankwa R217 Dombondola R218 Esinga R241 Kwaluudhi R242 Kolonkadhi-Eunda R30 R31 Herero [R311 North-West Herero R312 Botswana Herero R40 R41 Yei Zone S S10 S11 Korekore S12 Zezuru S13a Manyika S13b Tebe S14 Karanga S15 Ndau S16 Kalanga S20 S21 Venda S30 S31a Tswana S31b Kgatla S31c Ngwatu S31d[311] Khalaxadi S32a Pedi S32b Lobedu S33 Sotho [S301 Phalaborwa S302 Kutswe S303 Pai S304 Pulana S40 S41 Xhosa S42 Zulu S43 Swati S44 (Northern) Ndebele [S401 Old Mfengu S402 Bhaca S403 Hlubi S404 Phuthi S405 Nhlangwini S406 Lala S407 South Ndebele S408 Sumayela Ndebele S50 S51 Tswa S52[53] Gwamba S53 Tsonga S54 Ronga [S511 Hlengwe S60 S61 Copi S62 Tonga [S611 Lenge Italics indicate extinct languages. Languages between parentheses are varieties of the language on their left. The Guthrie classification is geographic and its groupings do not imply a relationship between the languages within them. Narrow Bantu languages by Guthrie classification zone templates Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones A–B) Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones C–D) Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones E–H) Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones J–M) Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kwanyama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanyama) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanyama?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.