Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Kinyarwanda spelling, the English meaning, and a respelling with the stressed syllable in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.
First words Greet someone and be polite
Muraho Hello Murakoze Thank you Murakaza neza Welcome Murabeho Goodbye Yego Yes Oya No Nyabuneka Please Mbabarira Sorry Meeting people Introduce yourself and ask how someone is
Nitwa Amara My name is Amara Witwa nde? What is your name? Amakuru? How are you? Ni meza I am fine Amazi Water Ibiryo Food Inshuti Friend Inzu House Counting Numbers one to five and market basics
Rimwe One Kabiri Two Gatatu Three Kane Four Gatanu Five Ni angahe? How much is it? Isoko Market Amazi Water Ndashaka kugura I want to buy Questions people ask about Kinyarwanda Is Kinyarwanda hard to learn? Tone and vowel length both change meaning. Words get long: prefixes and suffixes stack onto one verb stem. Very close to Kirundi, spoken in Burundi. Where is Kinyarwanda spoken? Rwanda, with close relatives in Burundi and Uganda — around 12 million. Writing system: Latin alphabet.
Can I learn Kinyarwanda 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.