All languages
Southern Africa
Xhosa
isiXhosaOne of South Africa's official languages, famous for its click consonants borrowed from Khoisan neighbours. The language of Nelson Mandela, Miriam Makeba and the Eastern Cape.
- Family
- Niger–Congo (Bantu, Nguni)
- Script
- Latin
- Speakers
- ~19 million speakers
- Spoken in
- South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho
The course
Five units, one word at a time
0/5 mastered
Unit 1
Greetings
Xhosa hello is a small ceremony — never skip it.
- Molo — Hello (to one person)
- Molweni — Hello (to many)
- Unjani? — How are you?
- Ndiphilile — I am well
- Enkosi — Thank you
- Sala kakuhle — Goodbye (stay well)
Unit 2
People and family
Ubuntu starts with the word for person.
- Umntu — Person
- Abantu — People
- Umama — Mother
- Utata — Father
- Umhlobo — Friend
- Umntwana — Child
Unit 3
Numbers one to ten
Counting in isiXhosa.
- Inye — One
- Zimbini — Two
- Zintathu — Three
- Zine — Four
- Zintlanu — Five
- Lishumi — Ten
Unit 4
Food and the market
Buying, asking, and saying what you'd like.
- Amanzi — Water
- Ukutya — Food
- Isonka — Bread
- Yimalini? — How much?
- Ndifuna — I want
- Imarike — Market
Unit 5
Getting around
Directions and the polite basics.
- Iphi? — Where?
- Andiqondi — I don't understand
- Nceda — Please / help
- Ewe — Yes
- Hayi — No
- Masihambe — Let's go
How to sound right
- Three clicks: c is a tut-tut (dental), x is a side click like urging a horse, q is a sharp pop off the palate.
- Molo greets one person; molweni greets a group.
- Nouns carry class prefixes — isiXhosa is the language, amaXhosa the people, umXhosa one person.
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.