Hausa overview

57 basic Hausa phrases, with pronunciation

Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Hausa spelling, the English meaning, and a respelling with the stressed syllable in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.

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First words

Greet someone and be polite

  • SannuHello/SAN-noo/
  • Na godeThank you/na GO-deh/
  • Barka da zuwaWelcome/BAR-ka da ZOO-wa/
  • Sai an jimaGoodbye/sigh an-JEE-ma/
  • IiYes/EE/
  • A'aNo/AH-ah/
  • Don AllahPlease/don al-LAH/
  • Yi haƙuriSorry/yee ha-KOO-ree/

Meeting people

Say who you are and ask after someone

  • Kana lafiya?How are you?/KA-na la-FEE-ya/
  • Lafiya lauI am fine/la-FEE-ya LAU/
  • Mene ne sunanka?What is your name?/MEH-neh neh soo-NAN-ka/
  • Sunana...My name is.../soo-NA-na/
  • RuwaWater/ROO-wa/
  • AbinciFood/a-BEEN-chee/
  • AbokiFriend/a-BO-kee/
  • KuɗiMoney/KOO-dee/

Counting

Numbers and asking a price

  • ƊayaOne/DA-ya/
  • BiyuTwo/BEE-yoo/
  • UkuThree/OO-koo/
  • HuɗuFour/HOO-doo/
  • BiyarFive/BEE-yar/
  • GomaTen/GO-ma/
  • Nawa ne?How much is it?/NA-wa neh/
  • KasuwaMarket/ka-SOO-wa/
  • Ina son sayiI want to buy/EE-na son SA-yee/

Family

The people closest to you

  • UwaMother/OO-wa/
  • UbaFather/OO-ba/
  • Ɗan uwaBrother/dan OO-wa/
  • 'Yar uwaSister/yar OO-wa/
  • YaroChild/YA-ro/
  • IyaliFamily/ee-YA-lee/
  • MataWife/MA-ta/
  • MijiHusband/MEE-jee/

Days and times

Say when something happens

  • YauToday/YOW/
  • GobeTomorrow/GO-beh/
  • JiyaYesterday/JEE-ya/
  • YanzuNow/YAN-zoo/
  • Da safeIn the morning/da SA-feh/
  • Da ranaIn the afternoon/da RA-na/
  • Da yammaIn the evening/da YAM-ma/
  • Da dareAt night/da DA-reh/

Food and drink

Order and share a meal

  • RuwaWater/ROO-wa/
  • AbinciFood/a-BEEN-chee/
  • NamaMeat/NA-ma/
  • ShinkafaRice/shin-KA-fa/
  • BurodiBread/boo-RO-dee/
  • MadaraMilk/ma-DA-ra/
  • Ina jin yunwaI am hungry/EE-na jin YOON-wa/
  • Yana da dadiIt is delicious/YA-na da DA-dee/

Getting around town

Directions and travel words

  • MotaCar/MO-ta/
  • KasuwaMarket/ka-SOO-wa/
  • GidaHouse/GEE-da/
  • HanyaRoad/HAN-ya/
  • HaguLeft/HA-goo/
  • DamaRight/DA-ma/
  • Kai tsayeStraight ahead/kai TSA-yeh/
  • TsayaStop/TSA-ya/

Questions people ask about Hausa

Is Hausa hard to learn?

  • Hausa uses hooked letters ɓ, ɗ and ƙ for sounds English does not have.
  • It is tonal, with high, low and falling tones.
  • Long and short vowels are different words, so vowel length matters.

Where is Hausa spoken?

Northern Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon — around 80 million including second-language speakers. Writing system: Latin alphabet (Boko), historically also Arabic script (Ajami).

Can I learn Hausa for free?

Yes. This phrasebook is free to read, and SemaSoma gives you the first three units of the course plus 15 translations a day before anything is paid.

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