Kimbundu

Kimbundu is a Bantu language spoken mainly in Bengo and Malanje provinces in the northwest of Angola. It is also spoken in Kuanza Sul, Luanda and Uíge provinces In 2014 there were about 2.1 million speakers of Kimbundu, which is also known as Dongo, Kimbundo, Kindongo, Loanda Mbundu, Loande, Luanda, Lunda, Mbundu, N'bundo, Nbundu, Ndongo or North Mbundu.

Kimbundu was first written by missionaries with the aim of teach Kimbundu speakers Portuguese and the Catholic catechism. A Swiss missionary, Héli Chatelain, published a grammar of Kimbundu at the end of the 19th century.

Kimbundu alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Kimbundu

Sample text

O athu woso avwala abhuluka ni kusokela mu kijingu ni mu itekelu. Ene ala ni ulungilu ni kilunji ni atokala kulaya kumoxi nya akwa mu mixima ya undandu.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Information provided by Michael Peter Füstumum

Sample videos in Kimbundu

Links

Information about Kimbundu
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbundu
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbundu
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/kimb1241
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kmb

Bantu languages

Basaa, Bemba, Bukusu, Bulu, Chichewa, Chokwe, Comorian, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Ganda/Luganda, Gogo, Gusii, Gwere, Haya, Herero, Ikizu, Jita, Kamba, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kongo, Konjo, Kuria, Lambya, Lingala, Loma, Lozi, Luchazi, Luvale, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbunda, Mende, Mushungulu, Mwani, Nande, Nkore, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyungwe, OshiWambo, Punu, Ronga, Sena, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Tonga, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Xhosa, Yao, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 28.11.22

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