Learn Chichewa

Where it's spoken

Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe

Speakers

around 12 million

Writing system

Latin alphabet

Chichewa is Malawi's national language and widely understood across the surrounding region.

What makes Chichewa different

• Also called Chinyanja, especially in Zambia.
• Spelling is regular and syllables end in vowels.
• Noun classes control agreement throughout the sentence.

Your first Chichewa phrases

Each phrase is written the way it's spelled, then respelled for English speakers with the stressed syllable in capitals.

• MoniHello/MO-nee/
• ZikomoThank you/zee-KO-mo/
• TakulandiraniWelcome/ta-koo-lan-dee-RA-nee/
• Tsalani bwinoGoodbye/tsa-LA-nee BWEE-no/
• IndeYes/EEN-deh/
• AyiNo/A-yee/
• ChondePlease/CHON-deh/
• PepaniSorry/peh-PA-nee/

Want the full list? Read the free Chichewa phrasebook with pronunciation, grab the free printable Chichewa starter kit, or compare SemaSoma with other African language apps.