Learn Ewe

Where it's spoken

Ghana and Togo

Speakers

around 7 million

Writing system

Latin alphabet with ɖ, ƒ, ɣ, ŋ, ɔ and ɛ

Ewe is a major language of southeastern Ghana and southern Togo, with rich drumming and proverb traditions.

What makes Ewe different

• Tonal, with tone often unmarked in casual writing.
• Uses special letters for sounds English lacks entirely.
• Verbs combine in series to describe one action sequence.

Your first Ewe phrases

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

• WoezorHello/wo-EH-zor/
• AkpeThank you/AK-peh/
• Woezor looWelcome/wo-EH-zor loh/
• MíadogoGoodbye/mee-a-DO-go/
• Ɛ̃Yes/EHN/
• AoNo/AH-oh/
• Meɖe kukuPlease/meh-deh KOO-koo/
• Meɖe kuku, fɔ miSorry/meh-deh KOO-koo faw mee/

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