Mbukushu (thiMbukushu)

Mbukushu is a Bantu language spoken by about 95,000 people in mainly in Namibia, and also in Angola, Botswana and Zambia. About 45,000 Mbukushu speakers are found in the Kavango East Region in the northeast of Namibia. In Botswana it is spoken along the Okavango River in the North-West District. It is spoken in the Cuando Cubango Province in southeast of Angola, and in Zambia it is spoken along the Kwando River in the southwest of the Western Province.

Mbukushu is also known as Humbukushu or Thimbukushu, and the people who speak it call themselves Hambukushu. It is a national language in Namibia, is written with the Latin script, and is taught in schools in Namibia and Botswana.

Mbukushu alphabet

Download an alphabet chart for Mbukushu (Excel)

Notes

Mbukushu has tones, but they are not usually indicated in writing.

Sample text

O mabandela Nyambe azalisi likolo na nce.
Nc’eliki bulunganu mpe mpamba; mpe liti liliki o likolo li mai ma ntongu: mpe Molimo mombe Nyambe monyengani yule‐yule o likolo li mai.
Nyambe alobi ete, “Ncengi se lizalaka:” mpe ncengi lizali.

Translation

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/3431/GEN.1.Mbukushu

Videos in Mbukushu

Links

Information about Mbukushu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbukushu_language
https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbukushu
http://olac.ldc.upenn.edu/language/mhw
https://phoible.org/inventories/view/1270
https://www.facebook.com/bahambukushu/
https://vdoc.pub/download/thimbukushu-grammar-1jnb996atmp0
https://www.facebook.com/groups/35931192947/

Bantu languages

Bangi, Basaa, Bemba, Bena, Benga, Bhaca, Bukusu, Bulu, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chuwabu, Comorian, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Ganda/Luganda, Gogo, Gusii, Gwere, Haya, Hehe, Herero, Ibinda, Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kamba, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Lambya, Lingala, Loma, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbukushu, Mbunda, Mende, Mongo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Nambya, Nande, Ngoni, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Punu, Ronga, Safwa, Sena, Sengele, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Tanga, Tembo, Tonga, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Vwanji, Xhosa, Yao, Yasa, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page create: 20.09.23. Last modified: 03.09.24

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