A collection of useful phrases in Chichewa, a Bantu language spoken in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The language is known as Chewa (chicheŵa) in Malawi, and Nyanja (chinyanja) in Zambia and Mozambique.
See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
| Phrase | chicheŵa (Chichewa) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Zikomo |
| Hello (General greeting) | Moni Moni onse (hello all of you) |
| Hello (on phone) | |
| How are you? | Muli bwanji? |
| Reply to 'How are you?' | Zimkomo, kaya inu? Ndiri bwino, kaya inu? Ndiri bwino, kaya anzathu? |
| Long time no see | Papita thawi tisanaonane |
| What's your name? | Dzina lanu ndani? Dzina lanu ndi yani? |
| My name is ... | Dzina langa ndi ... |
| Where are you from? | Mumachokera kuti? |
| I'm from ... | Ndimachokera ku ... |
| Pleased to meet you | Ndakondwera kukudziwani |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) |
Mwauka bwanji? Mwadzuka bwanji? Ndadzuka bwino (reply) |
| Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting) |
Mwaswela bwanji? Ndaswela bwin (reply) |
| Good evening (Evening greeting) |
Mwachoma bwanji Ndachoma bwino (reply) |
| Good night | Usiku wabwino Gonani bwino (sleep well) Mugone bwino (sleep well) |
| Goodbye (Parting phrases) |
Ndapita (I'm going) Yendani Bwino (Go well) Tsalani bwino (Stay well) Pitani bwino (Go well) Tionana (See you later) Tionana mawa (See you tomorrow) |
| Good luck! | Mafuna abwino |
| Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking) |
|
| Have a nice day | Mukhale ndi tsiku labwino |
| Bon appetit / Have a nice meal |
|
| Bon voyage / Have a good journey |
Yendani bwino Muyende bwino |
| Yes | Ee Eya Inde |
| No | Iyayi Ayi |
| Maybe | Kapena |
| I don't know | Sindidziwa |
| I understand | Ndamvetsetsa |
| I don't understand | Sindimvetsa Sindikumvetsa Sindikunvetsani |
| Please speak more slowly | Chonde lankhulani pangono pangono |
| Please say that again | Chonde mwati bwanji |
| Please write it down | Chonde lembani |
| Do you speak English? | Mumalankhula chizungu? Mumalankhula chingelesi? |
| Do you speak Chichewa? | Mumalankhula chicheŵa? Mumalankhula chicheŵa? |
| Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?') |
Eya, pangono |
| I'm learning Chichewa | Ndikuphunzira Chichewa |
| Speak to me in Chichewa | Ndilankhuleni mu Chichewa |
| How do you say ... in Chichewa? | Mumati chiyani ... mu Chichewa? |
| Excuse me | Pepani |
| How much is this? | Ndalama zingati? |
| Sorry | Pepani |
| Please | Chonde |
| Thank you | Zikomo Zikomo kwambiri |
| Reply to thank you | |
| Where's the toilet / bathroom? | Chimbudzi chili kuti? |
| This gentleman will pay for everything | Mbambo uyu alipila zonse |
| This lady will pay for everything | Mzimayi uyu alipila zonse |
| Would you like to dance with me? | Ungafune kuvina ndi ine? |
| I miss you | Ndakusowa |
| I love you | Ndimakukonda Ndimakukondani Ndimakukondanso (I love you too) Ndimakukondaninso (I love you too) |
| Get well soon | Pezanibwino mwa msanga |
| Go away! | Choka! |
| Leave me alone! | Ndilekeni! Ndisiyeni! |
| Help! | Mundithandize! Ndithadizeni |
| Fire! | Moto! |
| Stop! | Ima! |
| Call the police! | Itanani a police! |
| Christmas greetings | Sangalalani pa Khirisimasi |
| New Year greetings | Chaka chatsopano |
| Easter greetings | |
| Birthday greetings | Sangalalani pa tsiku la chibadwi chanu (frm/pl) Sangalalani pa tsiku la chibadwi chako (inf) |
| Congratulations! | Zikomo! |
| One language is never enough | Chilankhulo chimodzi sichokwanila |
| My hovercraft is full of eels |
Some phrases provided by Yamikani Ken Jnr Chalira
Hear how to pronounce Chichewa:
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Chichewa | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel
Other collections of Chichewa phrases
http://malawi.tripod.com/chichewa.html
http://wikitravel.org/en/Nyanja_phrasebook
http://pghpip.org/malawi/chichewa.shtml
http://www.orbusafrica.org/index.php?page=chichewa-pronunciation-guide
https://www.scribd.com/document/112283712/Chichewa-Phrases
Bemba, Chichewa, Chokwe, Duala, Herero, Ibinda, Kikuyu, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Lozi, Luganda, Ndebele (Northern - South Africa), Ndebele (Northern - Zimbabwe), Ndebele (Southern) Ngoni, Nkore, Northern Sotho, Oshiwambo, Shona, Southern Sotho (seSotho), Swahili, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
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