Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Yoruba spelling, the English meaning, and a respelling with the stressed syllable in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.
Orúkọ mi ni AmaraMy name is Amara/oh-ROO-kaw mee nee a-MA-ra/
Kí ni orúkọ rẹ?What is your name?/kee nee oh-ROO-kaw reh/
Báwo ni?How are you?/BAH-wo nee/
Mo wà dáadáaI am fine/mo wah DAA-daa/
OmiWater/OH-mee/
OúnjẹFood/oh-OON-jeh/
Ọ̀rẹ́Friend/AW-reh/
IléHouse/ee-LEH/
Getting around
Ask where, how much, and say you're lost
Ọjà wà níbo?Where is the market?/AW-ja wah NEE-bo/
Èló ni èyí?How much is this?/eh-LOH nee eh-YEE/
Mo fẹ́ omiI want water/mo FEH OH-mee/
Mi ò gbọ́I don't understand/mee oh BAW/
Counting
Numbers one to ten
Ọ̀kanOne/AW-kan/
ÈjìTwo/EH-jee/
Ẹ̀taThree/EH-ta/
ÀrúnFive/AH-roon/
Ẹ̀fàSix/EH-fa/
ÈjeSeven/EH-jeh/
Ẹ̀jọEight/EH-jaw/
Ẹ̀wáTen/EH-wah/
Family
The people closest to you
ÌyáMother/EE-ya/
BàbáFather/BA-ba/
Ẹ̀gbọ́nOlder sibling/EH-gbawn/
ÀbúròYounger sibling/a-BOO-raw/
ỌmọChild/AW-maw/
ẸbíFamily/eh-BEE/
ÌyàwóWife/ee-YA-waw/
ỌkọHusband/AW-kaw/
Days and times
Say when something happens
ÒníToday/oh-NEE/
Ọ̀laTomorrow/AW-la/
ÀnáYesterday/a-NA/
NísinsìnyíNow/nee-sin-SIN-yee/
Òwúrọ̀Morning/oh-WOO-raw/
Ọ̀sánAfternoon/aw-SAN/
Alẹ́Evening/a-LEH/
ÒruNight/OH-roo/
Food and drink
Order and share a meal
OúnjẹFood/oh-OON-jeh/
ÌrẹsìRice/ee-REH-see/
ẸranMeat/EH-ran/
Búrẹ́dìBread/BOO-reh-dee/
OmiWater/OH-mee/
Iyọ̀Salt/ee-YAW/
Ebi ń pa míI am hungry/EH-bee n pa MEE/
Ó dùnIt is delicious/oh DOON/
Getting around town
Directions and travel words
Ọkọ̀Car/aw-KAW/
ỌjàMarket/AW-ja/
IléHouse/ee-LEH/
Ọ̀nàRoad/AW-na/
ÒsìLeft/OH-see/
Ọ̀túnRight/aw-TOON/
TààràStraight ahead/TAA-ra/
DúróStop/DOO-raw/
Questions people ask about Yoruba
Is Yoruba hard to learn?
Yoruba is tonal: high, mid and low tones change meaning, so the accent marks are not decoration.
Greetings are age- and time-specific — ẹ káàrọ̀ in the morning, ẹ káàsán in the afternoon.
The dotted letters ẹ, ọ and ṣ are separate sounds from e, o and s.
Where is Yoruba spoken?
Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and a large diaspora in Brazil, Cuba and the US — around 45 million. Writing system: Latin alphabet with tone marks and sub-dot letters (ẹ, ọ, ṣ).
Can I learn Yoruba 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.