All languages
Southern Africa
Shona
chiShonaThe most widely spoken language of Zimbabwe, and the language of the builders of Great Zimbabwe. Rich in proverbs (tsumo) that carry law, humour and advice in a single line.
- Family
- Niger–Congo (Bantu)
- Script
- Latin
- Speakers
- ~15 million speakers
- Spoken in
- Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia
The course
Five units, one word at a time
0/5 mastered
Unit 1
Greetings
Shona greetings come in pairs — a question and its expected answer.
- Mhoro — Hello
- Mangwanani — Good morning
- Makadii? — How are you?
- Ndiripo — I am well
- Maswera sei? — How was your day?
- Tatenda — Thank you
Unit 2
People and family
Family words, and the totem system behind them.
- Munhu — Person
- Vanhu — People
- Amai — Mother
- Baba — Father
- Shamwari — Friend
- Mwana — Child
Unit 3
Numbers one to ten
The basics for money, time and counting.
- Poshi / motsi — One
- Piri — Two
- Tatu — Three
- China — Four
- Shanu — Five
- Gumi — Ten
Unit 4
Food and the market
Sadza is the centre of the plate and the vocabulary.
- Sadza — Maize meal staple
- Mvura — Water
- Chikafu — Food
- Marii? — How much?
- Musika — Market
- Ndinoda — I want
Unit 5
Getting around
Asking the way, and asking someone to slow down.
- Kupi? — Where?
- Handinzwisisi — I don't understand
- Ndapota — Please
- Hongu — Yes
- Kwete — No
- Handei — Let's go
How to sound right
- Every syllable ends in a vowel, so words break cleanly: ma-ngwa-na-ni.
- 'Sv' and 'zv' are whistling sounds — try a soft whistle while saying s or z.
- Greetings are plural by default as a mark of respect.
The audio button in lessons uses your device's speech engine, which rarely has a native African voice. Treat it as a rough guide and trust the written pronunciation hints and the coach instead.