ant
1. sweswa (odorous black house ant). 2. lumenyu (sugar ants). 3. ntjenje (mound-building ants or field ants).
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English-Kalanga Quick Reference Dictionary
Search English headwords and Kalanga equivalents from the draft bilingual dictionary.
A entries
203 entries
antbear hole
dzete.
Suggest a correctionantbears
whombela.
Suggest a correctionanti-spill branch
fiko.
Suggest a correctionanti-spill branches
mafiko.
Suggest a correctionants
mbomboro; alt. mboromboro.
Suggest a correctionanus
pato (Nya.); ipato (Lil.); alt. ng'ale (usu. used when insulting, like asshole).
Suggest a correctionanxious (be)
thaabala.
Suggest a correctionanywhere
kumwe (Nya.); kung’we (Lil.).
Suggest a correctionapex
1. denga (top of a roof). 2. pehhugwi (highest point).
Suggest a correctionaphrodisiac
mpeswu; mvusankunzi (coloq. Ndebele).
Suggest a correctionapplause
mhande (Nya.); phande (Lil.).
Suggest a correctionapple
apula.
Suggest a correctionapply
longa tjikumbilo; aplaya.
Suggest a correctionapply anaesthesia
tindibadza.
Suggest a correctionapply lotion
hhodza (Nya.); zhodza (Lil.); hhola (Nya.); zhola (Lil.).
Suggest a correctionappointed (to do something)
thang’wa; alt. thang'iwa.
Suggest a correctionapportion tasks
kobana.
Suggest a correctionapricot
ntungulu hhudzi.
Suggest a correctionApril
Tjabewhomba.
Suggest a correctionapron
khiba.
Suggest a correctionargue
1. kakabadza (as in shouting at each other). 2. nyanyayidza (to argue against). 3. simisa ndebeleko (argue for something).
Suggest a correctionargument
1. gakabadzo (shouting against each other). 2. ndebeleko (making a case for something, like in an academic argument).
Suggest a correctionargumentative person
tjitatalala (Nya.); itatalala (Lil.).
Suggest a correctionarm
n. 1. luboko (human hand). 2. simisa ne mathumo (to provide weapons).
Suggest a correctionarmpit
hapkhwa; hapkwha.
Suggest a correctionarmpit swelling
ntotji.
Suggest a correctionarmy
masole.
Suggest a correctionarrange
1. baakanya (set things in a particular order, line things up). 2. kulumaka (arrange things that are haphazardly set, e.g. utensils).
Suggest a correctionarrange haphazardly
biyapidza.
Suggest a correctionarrest
1. swunga (e.g. arrest a suspect). 2. mmisa (e.g. stop the decline of something).
Suggest a correctionarrest (cause police)
swungisa.
Suggest a correctionarrested
swungwa; bhakhwa.
Suggest a correctionarrival place
bukotokelo; alt. maswikilo.
Suggest a correctionarrive
swika (see also reach); kotoka.
Suggest a correctionarrive first
tangila.
Suggest a correctionarrive late
nonoka.
Suggest a correctionarrive together
swikidzana.
Suggest a correctionartery
lutshinga.
Suggest a correctionArtificial Intelligence (AI)
Luzibo Gwe Mitjina (LGM).
Suggest a correctionascend
tanha (Nya.), tatha (Lil.).
Suggest a correctionash
nlota.
Suggest a correctionashamed (be)
be/bhakhwa ne honi (Nya.); be/bhakhwa ne shoni (Lil.); swaba.
Suggest a correctionashtray
ndilo nlota.
Suggest a correctionaside
ntome.
Suggest a correctionask
bhuzwa.
Suggest a correctionask (question; enquire; find out)
bhuzwa.
Suggest a correctionask for
kumbila.
Suggest a correctionasleep (be)
yezela/yizela.
Suggest a correctionassemble
kubungana.
Suggest a correctionassemblies
makubungano.
Suggest a correctionassembly
1. kubungana (to assemble). 2. gubungano (as in parliamentary or other people assembly).
Suggest a correctionassembly place
lubahhe (Nya.); lubazhe (Lil.); khuta (coloq.).
Suggest a correctionasshole
ng'ale.
Suggest a correctionassist
bhatsha.
Suggest a correctionassistance
lubhatsho.
Suggest a correctionassistant
mbhatshi.
Suggest a correctionasthma
fuba.
Suggest a correctionastonish
kaabadza (also tjenamisa).
Suggest a correctionastonishment
gaabadzo (also jenamiso).
Suggest a correctionThis is a draft edition for public comment and correction. Entry wording and dialect labels follow The Bulilima-Mangwe Institute of Technology Comprehensive Bilingual English-TjiKalanga Quick Reference Dictionary (PDF edition). © Ndzimu-unami Emmanuel Moyo 2026.