Some Ndebele animals names

Unjani umngane? Let us look at some names of common animals we may want to describe in isiNdebele:

indlovu= elephant
udube= zebra
inja= dog
umangoye= cat
inyoni (izinyoni)= bird (birds)
impisi= hyena (one of my favourite words)
ubabhemi= donkey
isilwane= lion
imvu= sheep
imbuzi= goat
inkomo (izinkomo)= cow (cows)
ingulube= pig
tshongololo= centipede
inkukhu= chicken

Enjoy learning isiNdebele here. Feel free to look around on other tabs on this blog, to ask or answer questions or answer them in the Community Questions tab, or to contact us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.





54 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 15, 2015 at 6:03 AM

    itshongololo not chongololo for centipede, that is a Shona spelling for a Ndebele word which I have never seen that word spelt like that before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownNovember 10, 2018 at 6:50 AM

      It's also not a centipede, but a millipede. Different creature 😬

      Delete
    2. Thambolenyosi NyonomoyaFebruary 20, 2019 at 10:25 AM

      South African ndebele Tjhongololo not Tsho or Cho

      Delete
    3. AnonymousNovember 19, 2022 at 10:23 AM

      this publication in my understanding refers to the Zimbabwean Ndebele dialect, the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe are found in the Matebeleland region.
      Mzilikazi fled Tshaka and settled in Zimbabwe, his tribe was thus diluted by the numerous Nguni dialects of the tribes he conquered.
      Which makes our Ndebele similiar to Zulu and a bit of
      Xhosa.
      However the Fengu people still speak fluent Xhosa.

      Delete
  2. globetrotterpostDecember 22, 2016 at 6:27 PM

    tshongololo not chongolo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJuly 31, 2017 at 6:13 PM

      boooooyyyyyyyy

      Delete
    2. UnknownDecember 8, 2018 at 8:56 PM

      What is a mongoose in ndebele

      Delete
    3. NorthernNdebeleBlogNovember 17, 2020 at 4:57 AM

      Hi, thanks for your question. Keep asking and answering here or on the Community Questions tab. A mongoose/s is iduha/amaduha.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousApril 11, 2017 at 5:19 AM

    mpankwa=>lizard

    ReplyDelete
  4. RachealJuly 10, 2017 at 5:02 AM

    what is ibhalabhala

    ReplyDelete
  5. geganaMay 9, 2020 at 5:56 AM

    What is umtshwayeli in english?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownAugust 10, 2020 at 6:58 AM

      Antelope

      Delete
    2. NorthernNdebeleBlogNovember 17, 2020 at 5:04 AM

      Siyabonga, yes it is a sable antelope, umtshwayeli/imitshwayeli. If you want, feel free to ask in the Community Questions tab too.

      Delete
  6. UnknownJune 1, 2020 at 10:58 PM

    Elephant in Swahili is Ndovu.
    Chicken in Swahili is Kuku.
    Hyena - Fisi
    Goat - Mbuzi
    Millipede - jongo
    Lion - Simba
    Sheep - kondoo
    Zebra - punda milia
    Donkey - Punda
    Cow - Ng'ombe
    Pig - Nguruwe

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownNovember 9, 2020 at 3:54 AM

    What is a Tiger

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownNovember 16, 2020 at 10:31 PM

    What is crocodile in Ndebele

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NorthernNdebeleBlogNovember 17, 2020 at 4:47 AM

      Hi, it is "ingwenya". We just posted a whole post of isiNdebele names for wild animals just for you. Enjoy it and thanks for the question. http://northernndebele.blogspot.com/

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJune 5, 2023 at 3:13 AM

      What is isivoko in English

      Delete
  9. MasukuDecember 31, 2020 at 12:19 PM

    Thusi in means what in english and which animal is that

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NokuthulaFebruary 17, 2021 at 4:23 AM

      I only know ithusi is a brass item, maybe it can be that?

      Delete
  10. UnknownJanuary 5, 2021 at 4:50 AM

    What's a female elephant in Ndebele?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Julia MoyoJanuary 20, 2021 at 3:48 AM

    What do you call 'ikhanka' in English?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NosiphoFebruary 17, 2021 at 4:16 AM

      That one is a jackal, that small one with the black colour on the back.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMarch 18, 2023 at 8:40 AM

      Pangolin

      Delete
  12. UnknownFebruary 13, 2021 at 4:31 AM

    What is the English name for the usibagobe bird?

    ReplyDelete
  13. JosiahFebruary 17, 2021 at 4:13 AM

    The bent feather one always in the tree :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. UnknownMarch 28, 2021 at 10:19 AM

    danki for you help ten out of ten

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownJune 4, 2021 at 12:16 AM

    Having an argument. What's the isiNdebele word for peacock?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VusiJanuary 24, 2022 at 1:09 AM

      Man, that is one I never heard of, think the turkeybird is ingalukhuni, or you could use iqhude for a rooster chicken. Maybe someone else knows that one here?

      Delete
  16. UnknownAugust 17, 2021 at 11:34 AM

    Hie guys.please help.umtwana ka babhemi yini in ndebele.?

    ReplyDelete
  17. UnknownSeptember 5, 2021 at 7:40 AM

    Please help me with the names for these animals:
    Buffalo
    Sable
    Eland
    Owl
    Impala
    Warthog
    Eagle
    Meerkat
    Pangolin

    Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  18. ThulaniSeptember 5, 2021 at 2:16 PM

    Sure, you are welcome. You can ask more in the Community Questions tab, but here are some I know now:
    Warthog - ingulungundu,
    Pangolin - inkakha,
    Owl - umandukulu/ isikhova,
    Meercat - iduha,
    Eagle - ukhozi,
    bateleur eagle is ingqungqulu I think that one,
    Eland of course can be impofu,
    Buffalo is inyathi (and is my family name).

    and ones for luck iguana - imbulu/ uxamu (the one in treess or in water),
    a bulbul bird is igigo,
    hippo - imvubu,
    a bull cattle is inkunzi.

    ReplyDelete
  19. UnknownOctober 2, 2021 at 4:36 AM

    Hi guys
    What is a bear in ndebele

    ReplyDelete
  20. UnknownOctober 19, 2021 at 9:26 PM

    Morning,siza ngebizo lomntwana weSilwane(lion),the proper name

    ReplyDelete
  21. AnonymousMay 7, 2022 at 5:34 AM

    Help me with peacock in isindebele please

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousMay 28, 2022 at 9:35 AM

    Need help what is a female dog in isindebele and male dog in isindebele?

    ReplyDelete
  23. AnonymousJuly 20, 2022 at 10:08 AM

    Umntwana wenyosi

    .

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousJuly 31, 2022 at 4:31 PM

    Whats is a hummingbird in isindebele

    ReplyDelete
  25. AnonymousAugust 3, 2022 at 1:11 PM

    Hai pls help me with this baby animals
    Dog
    Cat
    Horse

    ReplyDelete
  26. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2022 at 10:53 AM

    Young ones of
    Ijuba
    Imvu
    Inqina

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousNovember 2, 2022 at 8:25 AM

    plizz help with the sounds of
    isilwane
    ubabhemi
    inkukhu
    imota

    ReplyDelete
  28. AnonymousFebruary 13, 2023 at 6:45 AM

    Anyone know the word for Tigress (female tiger) at all?

    ReplyDelete
  29. AnonymousJune 18, 2023 at 5:13 AM

    What is igigo in English?

    ReplyDelete

Comment lapha please

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