Learn Shona

Where it's spoken

Zimbabwe, with speakers in Mozambique and Zambia

Speakers

around 15 million

Writing system

Latin alphabet

Shona is Zimbabwe's most spoken language and a straightforward entry point into the Bantu languages of southern Africa.

What makes Shona different

• Spelling is highly regular — words are read exactly as written.
• Every syllable ends in a vowel, so pronunciation is even and rhythmic.
• Greetings change depending on how many people you are addressing.

Your first Shona phrases

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

• MhoroHello/MHO-ro/
• NdatendaThank you/n-da-TEN-da/
• MauyaWelcome/ma-OO-ya/
• ChisaraiGoodbye/chee-sa-RAI/
• HonguYes/HON-goo/
• KweteNo/KWEH-teh/
• NdapotaPlease/n-da-PO-ta/
• Ndine uromboSorry/n-DEE-neh oo-ROM-bo/

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