VOCABULARY: COMMON WORDS (PART TWO 2/3).
Note :
At the insistent request of some English-speaking visitors, I was forced to translate this lexicon from French to English. It’s a colossal job that took me a lot of time, I applied myself and tried to do my best. Despite this, since English is not my usual language, there could be some translation errors here and there. If you find any, do not hesitate to report them to me by writing to me through the contact page of this website.
Thank you in advance !
- MISCELLANEOUS WORDS.
Preliminary note.
The Kikongo uses all the letters of the Roman alphabet, except the letters “q”, “r” and “x” which are unusual, even if the letter “r” may appear in some “Lari” words.
In Kikongo the “u” is pronounced “oo”, the “s” is pronounced “ss” regardless of its position in the word and the “g” is pronounced “gg” when preceded by the letter “n” and “ghe” if this is not the case and this only when the following letter is the vowel “a”, “e” or “o”, if the following letter is the vowel “i” or “u”, the “g” is pronounced “gg”.
The letters “y” and “w” which are used as vowels in Kikongo can also become consonants when they are at the beginning of the word or when they are preceded by the letters “n” and “m” respectively.
The words presented in the list below may have different spellings depending on the Kikongo dialect used by the speaker. This is how we can have the vowel “u” instead of “o”, the vowel “i” instead of “e”, the consonant “g” instead of “v” or anything else. In the Lari for example, the letter “k” in the first syllable of a word can be replaced by “ts” as in “tsitoko”/”kitoko” (beauty) or in “ntsila”/”nkila” (tail). Listening to our Bazombo brothers, I discovered that in them the “b” of “bantu” is transformed into “h” or “w” to hear “hantu”/”wantu”, “hana”/”wana” or “heto”/”weto” which also says “yeto”, so you have only to know it and to take it into account in the search for words, in any case this makes the richness of our language and does not prevent us from understanding each other very well and being able to dialogue.
Derived words.
To the list of words we give in this lexicon, we should add those that we have deliberately omitted because they are words derived from verbs when they are very rarely used, they are simple language constructions that can intervene in a conversation to indicate either the actor of the verb or the way in which the verb is accomplished. These words can be easily reconstructed by following the method presented below.
To indicate the actor of the verb, the derived word is obtained by replacing the letter “a” ending of the verb with the letter “i” unless the verb ends with the syllable “la”, in which case the letter is transformed into “di”, then by replacing the prefix “ku” of the verb with :
– the letter “n” if the consonant following “ku” is d, g, k, l, n, s, t, y or z,
example 1: “kulunda” which turns into “nlundi” which translates into “conservative”.
example 2: “kutula” which is transformed into “ntudi” which is translated as “layer”.
– the letter “m” if the consonant following “ku” is b, f, m, p, v, or w,
example 1: “kubonga” which is conjugated “mbongi” which is translated as “taker”.
example 2: “kufuta” which conjugates “mfuti” which translates as “payer”.
– the prefix “mu” as an alternative to the two previous cases in some Kikongo dialects, in which case the four examples above become respectively “mulundi”, “mutudi”, “mubongi” and “mufuti”.
To indicate the action of the verb or the way in which the verb is performed, the beginning of the derived word is obtained by following the same rule as described above to indicate the actor of the verb unless the consonant following the prefix “ku” of the verb is “l”, “n” or “m”, in which case “nl” and “n’ n” are replaced by “nd” while “m’m” is replaced by “mb”. As for the end of the word, the letter “a” ending of the verb is replaced by :
– the “ilu” termination (which can be transformed into “ulu”) in most cases,
example 1: “kulunda” which is transformed into “ndundilu” (conservation or way of conserving).
example 2: “kutula” which is transformed into “ntudilu” (way of posing).
– the ending “olo” in the particular case of verbs whose penultimate syllable contains the vowel “e” or “o”,
example 1: “kubonga” which is transformed into “mbongolo” (way of taking).
example 2: “kutenda” which is transformed into “ntendolo” (way of tearing).
When the word derived from the verb is entered in the common language, then this word normally appears in the list,
example 1: “kulonga” which is transformed into “nlongi” (teacher)
example 2: “kuvuluza” which is transformed into “mvuluzi” (liberator)
There are other words derived from verbs to indicate the result obtained by the action of the verb, most of them have become full-fledged words used in everyday language, in which case they are present in this list.
example 1: “kulonga” which is transformed into “di/malongi” (teaching)
example 2: “kufuta” which is transformed into “difuta” (pay)
Many words beginning with the prefix “ki” do not appear in this list although they are considered as words of the common language, they are words derived from other words already present in this list or from verbs and that we have deliberately omitted to avoid duplicating and overloading the file. These words can be easily reconstructed by placing the prefix “ki” at the head of the word whose quality, function, habit or state is to be indicated.
Example 1: The word “soda” (soldier) will give the word “kisoda” (soldier quality or function).
Example 2: The verb “kuyiba” gives the word “muyibi” (thief) which will give the word “kimuyibi” (quality or habit of thief).
Note: The “/” sign in the word definition separates two definitions of the same word depending on how it is pronounced.
– laki : lake / order
– lanta : scrap metal, metal box used for preserving food or miscellaneous products
– lapolo : report
– lawu : madman
– lekua / kilekua : object, thing, article, product
– lema : weight, load, heaviness
– lemba : peace, tranquility, peacefulness
– lembami : nonviolence, gentleness, kindness, considerateness, tact, humility
– lendo : power
– leso (bileso) : lesson, lecture, homework
– Leta : public service, public authority
– lisitwalu : history
– loko : cupidity, greed, greediness
– londe : upstream, top
– longo : wedding, marriage, matrimony
– loya (biloza, maloza) : shop, store, boutique, trading house / fishing
– luaza : person who draws palm wine / noise, din, uproar, racket
– luazu (kiluazu) : instrument, tool, device, machine
– lubakala / luyakala : right hand (side)
– lubamba : malacca cane, rattan, withy, wicker stem
– lubambu : recalling, reminder
– lubangala : rainbow
– lubangamu : persecution
– lubanzi : side, flank, rib
– lubasa : stem of palm twig after stripping which can be used to bring down fruit
– lubese (mbese) : game with cubes / species of big tree
– lubeta : fabric that covers a woman’s chest and indicates that she is no longer free for marriage
– lubete : small valley, small plain, small plateau
– lubezi (mbezi) : cube to play with
– lubila : hole, pit / appeal
– lubota : club, bludgeon, big stick
– lubuetete / mbuetete : star
– lubuku : rescue, release, liberation
– lubukulu : cure, healing, recovery
– lubutuku /mbutuku : birth
– ludede : initiative
– ludi : truth
– luduku : nasty word, insult
– lufua : death, decease
– lufulu : foundation, founding, base
– (lu)fuma : home, fold, nest
– lufundisu : judicial power
– luge (mage) : herb, grass
– lukalu : train, locomotive
– lukanu (makani) : intention, intent
– lukaya : leaf, sheet
– lukento : left hand side
– lukobe : (financial) contribution
– lukokoto : avarice, miserliness, selfishness, egoism, hard-heartedness
– lukolo : school
– lukolomono : insubordination, disobedience
– lukongolo : circle, rainbow
– lukozi : tool made of rattan or braided ropes and used to climb palm trees
– lukozi : alarm call, general alert in the village
– lukuamu : running aground, beaching
– lukuamusu / nkuamusu : inconvenience, harassment
– lukufi : proximity, short cut
– lukuikilu / lukuikulu : belief, faith
– lukumu : glory, honour, dignity
– lukuni (nkuni) : piece of wood used as firewood, piece of a tree branch
– lukutakanu : meeting, gathering, union
– lulembamu : gentle character
– lulendo : pride, vanity, arrogance, disobedience
– lumbu : residential parcel, fence, hedge(row) / man in the mystical sense, masculinity
– lumingu : Sunday, week
– lumoso : left hand side
– lumputu : European language, European lifestyle
– lunamu : adhesion, sticking, result of sticking up
– lunana : set of eight elements, eighth ten
– lunatu : transport, means of transport, transport costs
– lundala (mandala) : palm branch, palm leaf
– lungonia : congratulations
– lungoyingoyi : two-stringed musical instrument
– luniakusu : recovery, healing
– lunima : half-turn, about-turn, U-turn
– luningu : sound, melody, music tune, song, singing
– lunitu : physical appearance, physical look, carnal envelope, physical nature
– lunsambodia : set of seven elements, seventh ten
– luntoko-ntoko : talkativeness, loquacity, volubility
– lunungu : justice
– lunzumbulu : agitation, bustle, disruption, disorder, disturbance, unrest, trouble
– lupangu : residential parcel, enclosure, fence
– lupitalu : hospital
– lusadisu : help, assistance
– lusakumunu : blessing, luck
– lusalu : economy, activity, production, manufacturing / help, assistance
– lusambanu : set of six elements, sixth ten
– lusambulu : prayer
– lusanga : parliament, legislative power
– lusansu : culture, education, clan history, genealogy
– lusende : fish bone, thornbush
– lusiamusu : comfort, reassurance, encouragement, insurance
– lusuasuanu : difference
– lusuku : noise, uproar, din, racket, row
– lusumu : dowry
– lutaku / ntaku : token used in the past as currency
– lutambi (ntambi) : underfoot, sole, footprint, step
– lutangu : number, counting
– lutaninu : security, action of protecting, manner of protecting
– lutanu : set of five elements, fifth ten
– lutanunu : protection
– lutatiku : communication, promotion
– lutayi : branch, bough
– luvambanu : separation
– luvangilu : factory
– luvangu : creation, product
– luvava : famine, starvation
– luve : authorization, permission
– luvila (mvila) : genealogical lineage
– luvu (mvu) : grey hair
– luvua : set of nine elements, ninth ten
– luvue / luvwu : possession, heritage, pesrsonal assets
– luvuezo : contempt, scorn, disdain, disparagement, denigration, defamation, smear
– luvungu : straw, wicker
– luvunu : lie
– luvuvamu : peace, peacefulness, tranquility
– luwawanu : agreement, understanding, alliance, encounter
– luwu : taste, flavour
– luya : set of four elements, fourth ten
– luyakala / lubakala : right hand (side)
– luyalu : political power, state institution, government
– luyalungunu : extent, area, space, universe
– luyimi : selfishness, greed, avarice
– luyindu : idea, thought, reflection, opinion
– luzakamu : shiver, shudder, trembling, quivering, shivering
– luzala : signature / fingernail, toenail, claw
– luzayisu : communiqué, official statement, announcement
– luzibu : mystical symbol for the introduction of a request
– luzibuku : opening, inauguration
– luzingu : life, existence
– luzitu / kizitu : respect, deference
– luzolo : will, wish, love
– mabanza : ideas, thoughts, concerns
– madilu : crying, cries of distress
– madimba : interior (of the country)
– mafongo : conspiracy, secret meeting
– mafua / mafuila : funeral
– magazini : shop
– maha : greatness, immensity
– mahaba / magaba : great beings from space
– mahanza : universe
– mahungu /mawungu : perfect being, asexual being, perfect fusion between man and woman
– maka : sticky sap from a tree, glue / diversity
– makanga : bush, place in the bush where the clan’s plantations are located
– makangu : mistress, concubine
– makasi : anger, wrath
– makaya : leaves, medicinal plants
– makayabu : cod, salted fish
– makelele : noise, racket, uproar
– makinu : dance
– makuela : wedding, wedding ceremony
– makulu : cemetery, place where the ancestors are buried
– mala : distance
– maladi : illness, desease
– malaki : advice, educational messages, teaching
– malanda-ngulu : follow-the-herd attitude, follower
– malawu : happiness, (good) luck, welfare
– malema : suffering
– malembe : slowness, calm, slowly, calmly
– malengo : demagogy, flattery
– malongi : lessons, teachings, training
– malulu : bitterness, species of very bitter medicinal plant
– mamba : water, watercourse
– mambeta : shoes transformed into slippers
– mambi : evil, wrong, bad behaviour
– mambote : good, benefit, godsend
– mamiwata : siren, mermaid
– mampia : not the truth, lie
– manaka : calendar, schedule, process
– mandanda : ceremony, worship, rite
– mandangi : conspiracy, plot, cabal
– mangofo : free (of charge)
– mangungu : threats in words, intimidation, threats in the air
– mani : title given to a king or a head of an administrative district
– manima : behind, back, the tail end
– manimba : sleep
– maniongo : lamentations, moaning
– mansoneki : writings
– mansueki : secrets, hidden truths, mysteries
– mantela : standing position
– mantela-ntela : instability
– mapasa : twins
– mapindu / mayindu : thoughts, reflections
– masele : nun
– masikinu : bal dansant
– masini : machine, apparatus, vehicle
– maso : bricklayer, mason
– masuwa : boat, ship
– matabisi : tip, bonus, profit
– matanga : popular ball, music and dance with tom-tom, celebration, festivities
– matata : complications, difficulties
– matilu : material
– matiti : weeds, waste, salad
– matondo : thanks
– mavanga : behaviour, actions, machinations
– mavangilu : industry
– mavimpi : health
– mavuanga : misbehaviour
– mavula : town, city
– mawete : prosperity, happiness
– mawezi : who brings together, who unifies
– mayala : governing bodies, political power / exhibition, exhibitors, display
– mayangi : joy, cheerfulness, happiness
– mayela : cunning, insight, intelligence
– mayuya : behaviour contrary to the law, unlawful conduct, illegality
– maza : water, watercourse
– mazayu : knowledge, science
– mazimu : lateness, delay
– mazono : yesterday
– mazu : noise, uproar, din, racket, chattering, nattering
– mazuti : fuel oil, diesel fuel
– mazuzi : day before yesterday
– mbadi : dear, so-and-so / raffia cloth
– mbadukulu : beginning
– mbaka : incomes, possessions, property, wealth
– mbakala : male
– mbakusulu : comprehension, understanding, grasp
– mbala : time / sweet potato / species of snake / genet
– mbalu : ferocity, cruelty, violence, spitefulness, nastiness, venom, poison
– mbamba : rib, side / wicker / perseverance, insistence
– mbana-mbana : infantile behaviour, childishness
– mbanda : rival, opponent
– mbandanu : beat, tapping, crackling, thunder, crash
– mbandu : period, era, generation
– mbanga : jaw, mouth
– mbangala : heatwave, hot season corresponding to tropical summer / stick, club, cudgel
– mbangazi : excessive heat, searing heat, fiery heat, burning heat, sun’s glare
– mbangazi : tyrant, despot, cruel person
– mbangi : witness
– mbangu : crosspiece / wicker basket
– mbangudulu : explanation, translation, transformation
– mbanza : city, large urban area, large village
– mbanza-kimfumu : capital city
– mbanzi : thinker, inspiration, instigator / ribs
– mbanzilu : idea, thought
– mbasi / mbasinga : representative, proxy, delegate, ambassador, envoy / angel
– mbata : summit / slap
– mbawu : fire, blaze, inferno, heat / fee, retainer
– mbazi : outside, courtyard / tomorrow, future
– mbazu / mbawu : fire, blaze, inferno, heat
– mbebe : task, job
– mbedi : wrong, fault, mistake
– mbela : side, nearness, surroundings
– mbelo : custom, way to be
– mbenga : supreme court
– mbengi : taker, purchaser
– mbeni : enemy
– mbenza : guard soldier, guardian angel / judge
– mbenza : creases made on trousers’ legs during ironing
– mbevo : patient, sick, suffering person
– mbi : bad, wrong, evil
– (m)biditezi : multimeter
– mbieka : coronation, crowning, investiture, crown
– mbikudi : seer, clairvoyant, medium, soothsayer
– mbikudulu : prophecy, action of prophesying
– mbila : call, supplication, invitation
– mbimbi : banana tree trunk/ taster
– mbingu : hunting, venery
– mbingulu : way to hunt, hunting
– mbivusu : wrong, evil
– mbizi : fish, animal, game
– mboma : soldier / support beam, main girder / boa, python
– mbongi : village square, public square, common square, home / taker
– mbongo : money
– mbota : club, bludgeon, big stick
– mbote : salutation, greeting, good, well, interesting, appropriate
– mbu : sea, ocean / mosquito
– mbuaki : red color
– mbueno : sight, vew, way of looking, point of view
– mbuetete : star
– mbuitama : darkening
– mbuitami : which makes dark
– mbuka : region, area, place, spot
– mbulamatadi : government
– mbulu : felled palm tree, sap from a felled palm
– mbulukulu : brittleness, fragility
– mbumba : creation / bark
– mbumbi : potter/ the one who catches
– mbunda : tam-tam, drum
– mbundu : heart, heart of hearts, deep (down) inside, stone, entrails
– mbundu : potion from the bark of a tree used to detect the lie
– mbungi : destroyer, devil / fog, semi-darkness, twilight
– mbungulu : destruction, annihilation
– mbunguzi / mbunzi : fog
– mbuta (bambuta) : courtesy title given to a male person
– mbuta : person older than oneself
– mbuta-muntu : elderly person
– mbutu : fruit, seed, pod, result
– mbutuku : birth
– mbutukulu : way of being born, birth process, childbirth manière de naître
– mbutuluka : emergence, rebirth
– mbuwula : ancestor
– menga : blood, genetic character
– meno : cutting edge / teeth
– metele : meter, master
– meya : sou, cent
– mfika : the softness, softness of a seat, softness of a layer, elasticity of a spring
– mfinda : forest, wood, jungle
– mfingulu : insult
– mfoko : conclusion of a letter, conclusion of a conversation or discussion, end point
– mfuamatu : deaf
– mfuba : agricultural field
– mfudi : cotton plant / behaviour
– mfuelemi : nurse
– mfuilu : death
– mfuilulu : the death suffered
– mfuka : debt
– mfuku : fog, drizzle, dew / odour, scent, perfume
– mfula : (black-)smith
– mfula-nkazi : deputy, member of Parliament
– mfulu : bed
– mfuma : nest, fold
– mfumba : hoop from a barrel used as a rolling toy by children
– mfumfu : dust
– mfumu : chief, boss, authority, property prefix
– mfumu-lupangu : landlord, lessor, owner of the parcel
– mfumu-ntoto : landowner, customary chief, indigenous, native
– mfunda : fallow field / fern
– mfundi : accuser, complainant / white palm tree worm
– mfundulu : accusation, accusation procedure
– mfundusu : trial
– mfungunu : confession, cleaning, purification
– mfunu : value, importance, utility, necessity, need
– mfuta : bush / condition of the one who has not yet done his morning toilet
– mfuti : payer, tenant
– mfutila : renting
– mfuti-nzo : tenant, lessee, leaseholder, lodger, roomer
– mfutu : financial value, payment, remuneration
– miaka (muaka) : itching
– miamunu : brillance, way to shine
– miangu : confrontation, fight, conflict, aggressiveness, bellicose attitude
– midi : midday, noon, twelve o’clock
– mihia : bad luck
– mihimpi : astral dimension
– miliale : billion
– milioni : million
– miningi : music
– minkiela : sunrise, daybreak, dawn
– minu : faith, trust, confidence
– minuti : minute
– mitingi : meeting, gathering
– miziki : music
– m’molo : lazy person, lazybones
– m’mongo : mountain, mount, slope
– m’muenge : heart of a tree trunk / marrow of a bone
– modele : model
– mona : novelty attribute
– moniere : a kind of beret
– monimambu : visionary, clairvoyant
– mosi : one
– motele : motor, engine
– motifi : grievance, something to blame
– moto : motorcycle
– moyo : belly, soul, life
– mpa : novelty attribute
– mpaka : doubt, dispute, protest / cowshed, place where animals live, animal reserve
– mpaku : tax, licence, royalty
– mpalata : medal, decoration
– mpamba : free, nothing, nil, vain
– mpamba-mpamba : easily, unnecessarily, for free, without compensation
– mpambani : division, separation
– mpambu : junction, crossroads, separation
– mpami : big man, strong man, vigorous man / strength, vigour
– mpandu : sacred knowledge, mystique
– mpanga : verb, action
– mpangi : human brother, fellow human being, brother or sister, cousin
– mpanzi : side
– mpata : coin worth five times the former Kongo currency unit
– mpatu : agriculture, field, plantation
– mpavala : empty space, emptiness, desert, solitude, loneliness, destitution
– mpayikulu : exit, liberation
– mpedoso : absolution, purification
– mpelo (bampelo) : priest, parish priest
– mpemba : chalk, white clay, kaolin / cemetery
– mpemba-nkazi : senator, high priest
– mpembe : white, whiteness
– mpembeni : proximity, close, next door
– mpene : empty, emptiness, vacuum, nothingness, void
– mpete : braid, stripe, band
– mpeve : spirit, soul, trance under the influence of a spirit
– mpewo : shade, sun shelter, parasol, sunshade, beach umbrella
– mpeza : insult, abuse, contempt, threat
– mpezomo / mpezimo : flash of lightning / jolt, start, jump
– mpia : not, nothingness
– mpiaka : lack, shortage, defeat, lack of results
– mpiaya / mpiaza : bush fire, forest fire, wildfire
– mpidi : viper / wicker basket carried on the back with a rope that surrounds the head
– mpiema : grave, cemetery
– mpila : kind, type
– mpilitini : printing house, printing press
– mpimpa : darkness, night
– mpimpita : dark night, total darkness
– mpimpiti : health, life force
– mpinanza : planet
– mpinda : bottom, depth(s), foundation, base
– mpioka : passage, way, crossing
– mpiokolo : passing, crossing
– mpiololo : whistle
– mpisa : messenger, envoy, ambassador, representative
– mpisi : attribute of wild
– mpisulu : understanding, knowledge
– mpitakani : complication
– mpiti : darkness, dark
– mpofo : blind man
– mpola : horn, bugle
– mpolo : face, look, appearance / life force, good health
– mpongoso / mpongolo : calmness, quietness, stillness, recovery, improvement
– mpova : speech, statement, language, mode of expression
– mpovi : spokesperson, traditional lawyer, orator
– mpu : hat, cap, beret, helmet
– mpuana : fellow man, neighbour
– mpuasika : space, gap, chink, crack, interstice
– mpuena / mpuenia : beauty, prettiness, magnificence
– mpuila : desire, craving, longing, thirst
– mpukukila / mpukukulu : leisure, hobby, recreation
– mpukulu : size, width, breadth, extent, expanse / porch roof, veranda
– mpukumuni : tempter, angel of evil, person who has a bad influence
– mpukumunu : temptation, attraction to evil
– mpulusu : liberation, release
– mpungi : warning buzzer, horn, saxophone, wind instrument producing a low sound
– mpungu : eagle, power, fetish of power or force
– mpuni / mwuni : liar
– mputu : poor
– Mputu : Europe, name originally given to Portugal to designate the country of the poor
– mputuki : european, relating to Europe
– mputulukezo : portuguese
– muadi : stone, pit of a fruit, almond, kernel
– muala (miala) : usual rodent path through the bush
– muamvu : split, crack, crevice, fissure
– muanda : spirit
– muanza : angel / large river, large body of water
– muanzi : root, vein, artery
– muasi : opening, clearing, open space
– muatu : thing, thingumajig
– muaye : means, way
– muela : breath, soul, spirit
– muelo : door, entrance, threshold
– muenezi : director, manager
– muezi (miezi) : moonlight
– muini : sun, daylight, daytime
– muisi : smoke / that of, inhabitant of, native to
– muisi-gata/vata (bisi-gata/vata) : villager, person from the same village as me
– muisi-mavula (bisi-mavula) : town-dweller, city-dweller
– muisi-nsi (bisi-nsi) : native, indigenous, child of the country
– muita : bundle, bouquet, united group
– muivi : thief, kleptomaniac
– mukama / nkama : dam on a watercourse / first-class wife, first lady, queen
– mukondo-kisalu : unemployed
– mukongo : member of an ethnic group from the Kongo kingdom where the kikongo is spoken
– mukulu (bakulu) : ancestor, old person
– mukuyu / nkuyu : devil, demon
– mulari : Mukongo from the province of Pool in Congo Brazzaville
– muluba (baluba) : member of an ethnic group whose vernacular language is Tshiluba
– mumvuka : constituency, district
– mundele : person with fair or mixed skin; originally evil being, demon or terrorist
– mundibu : Mukongo from Mbanza-Ngungu territory
– munduala : young girl, virgin girl
– mundule : music tune
– munga : owner, landlord, landlady
– (mu)ngaduya : nuclear physics specialist
– mungala (bangala) : member of an ethnic group whose vernacular language is Lingala
– mungali : gigolo
– munganga : doctor
– (mu)ngangeli : atom specialist, nuclear scientist
– mungizila : non-native, immigrant, person from elsewhere
– munianga : Mukongo from Luwozi territory
– muningu : sound, melody, music tune, song, singing
– munkita : trade, economy
– munkuikizi : believer, adept
– munsadisa : made-to-measure clothing
– muntandu : Mukongo from Madimba territory
– muntu (bantu) : man, human being, individual, person
– muntumbawu : male energy, manhood
– munziula : grave robber to steal bodies or the effects of the dead at night
– mupepe : air, wind
– musenzi : unsociable person, fool, ill-mannered assimilated to monkey
– musielu : slippery
– musolongo : Mukongo from the territory adjacent to the mouth of the Congo River
– musuebidi : secretary general
– munsueke : secretary
– musutu : uncircumcised man, uncircumcised penis
– muswahili : member of an ethnic group whose vernacular language is Swahili
– mutindu / ntindu : sort, kind, way, manner, example
– mutiopa (batiopa) : inhabitant of Katiopa (Africa, Land of the Sun)
– mutopi : ball, football
– mutua : pygmy
– mutundu : yellow-skinned person, Asian
– muvema : movement
– muvila : villager in the city, countryman, countrywoman
– muvuamvuala : latecomer, laggard, straggler
– muwangi : architect
– muweza/i : unifier
– muwumbu : potter, manufacturer of clay pottery
– muyaka : Mukongo from Kuango province
– muyaku (bayaku) : yours, your fellow man(s), others, your neighbour
– muyandi (bayandi) : his or her own, his or her fellow human beings, others, his/her neighbour
– muyawu (bayawu) : their (s), their (s) fellow man (s), others, their neighbour
– muyeno (bayeno) : yours, your fellow man (s), others, your neighbour
– muyeto (bayeto) : ours, our fellow human beings, others, our neighbour
– muyibi : thief, kleptomaniac
– muyimbidi / nyimbidi : singer, chorister
– muyinga : ignoramus, uninitiated
– muyombe : Mukongo of the Mayombe in the Centre-West of the Kongo space
– muziki : association for mutual aid and solidarity savings, member of this association
– muzombo : Mukongo from North-West Angola and South-Central Kongo Central
– muzulumbua : universe
– mvambasani : discord, dissension, spirit of division
– mvangilusi : manufacturer, industrialist
– mvanzakisi : investor, financier
– mvila (luvila) : genealogical lineage
– mvimba : totality, entirety
– mvindu : dirt, filth, feces
– mvita : war, battle, confrontation
– mvondi : killer, murderer, murderess, assassin
– mvovi : spokesperson, traditional lawyer, orator
– mvovo : speech, talk, word
– mvu : year / grey hair
– mvuala / mvuela : cassock, boubou
– mvualangani : disorder, chaos, confusion, muddle, mess
– mvuama : rich, funder, businessman
– mvuatu : clothing
– mvue : possessive
– mvuezolo : feeling of hatred, hateful attitude, detestation
– mvuilu : ownership, possessions, personal assets, wealth
– mvukani : gathering, union, grouping
– mvukanu : unity
– mvukila : means of support, livelihood
– mvula : rain, year
– mvuluzi : liberator, saviour
– mvumbi : corpse, mortal remains
– mvundilu : rest, repose
– mvungi : shepherd, person responsible for grazing animals
– mvungudi : pastor, shepherd, person in charge of looking after a herd
– mvutu : answer, reply, response
– mvutukila : restart, repetition, refrain
– nade : exact, right, coincident
– nadede : equally, exactly, rightly
– nana : eight
– nda : far, far away
– ndambu : a part, a little bit
– ndandu : profit, reward
– ndara : traditional lyre
– ndatansangu : news pedlar, newsmonger, gossipmonger
– ndatukunu : migration, moving, transport
– ndefi : oath, bet
– ndeke : aeroplane, aircraft
– ndema : order
– ndembakani : abandonment, discouragement, failure
– ndeva : loan
– ndiakusunu : treatment of a disease, care
– ndiamu : grave, tomb
– ndiata : parade, procession, march, walking
– ndiatilu : behaviour, conduct
– ndiatulu : gait, walk, way of behaving
– ndiena : there demonstrative, that one
– ndikila : poison, food with harmful effects, magic potion
– ndilu : boundary, border, level / food, action of eating, way of eating
– ndimba : stone of clayey soil, pebble of clay earth / deep valley
– ndimbu : football
– ndinga : voice, language, dialect
– ndingadi : Senegalese, generic name of a West African
– ndingisi : traditional judge
– ndioyo : here demonstrative, this one
– ndisu : divisional coin of the former Kongo currency unit
– ndiuvu : alcoholic, drunkard
– ndobo : fishhook
– ndoki : sorcerer, witch, genius, expert
– ndoko : bewitchment
– ndoloki : forgiveness
– ndombe : black, black man, dark
– ndombolo : request, application process / Congolese dance created in the late 90s
– ndonga : crowd, group, class
– ndongisila : advice, recommendation, teaching
– ndongokolo : study, learning, education
– ndosa : kongo folk dance
– ndoyi : homonymous
– ndozi : dream
– nduanisinu : confrontation, conflict
– ndudi : bitterness
– nduenga : wisdom, insight, intelligence, elite, intellectual
– nduengisi : adviser
– nduengosolo : awakening, prevention, warning
– ndufuka : explosion
– nduinu : drink, beverage, action of drinking
– nduka : intelligence
– ndumba : young girl, young lady
– ndumu : sound, noise, beating, resounding sound
– ndundu : albino, white-skinned person
– ndungu : cask, barrel
– ndungunu : victory
– ndusi : heir to the name of an ascendant or ancestor
– Ne : honorary title that we precede the name of a Mukongo of high spiritual level
– nene : big, large, wide, vast
– nengwa : madam, such a person
– neti : it seems, almost
– ngabuki : medicine specialist
– ngakisina : capitalist
– ngalasisi : exercise, training
– ngamavia : agricultural specialist
– ngamba : domestic, servant
– ngamboma : commander of a military base
– ngambu : bank, side
– ngana/ngani : others
– nganda : outside, courtyard, yard, ground, field, pitch
– ngandu : crocodile, cayman, transport controller
– nganga : expert, connoisseur, specialist, marabout, person who practices the occult sciences
– nganga-mayela: expert
– nganga-mbuki : healer, medicine specialist
– nganga-ngombo : diviner
– nganga-nkisi : witchdoctor, healer, medicinal plant specialist
– ngangu : intelligence
– ngangula : (black-)smith
– nganzi : anger, ire, fury, wrath
– ngatemo : being of light
– ngatumi : commander, army general
– ngebu-ngebu : prettiness, elegance, coquetry, splendour, youth
– ngele-ngele : bell ringing, ting-a-ling-a-ling
– ngeli : atom
– ngemba : tranquility, calmness, peace
– ngenga : aside, nearby, closeness
– ngengola : heat (of the sun), heatwave
– ngeziki : engineer
– ngienda : departure
– ngindu : idea, thought, reflection, opinion
– nginga : seed
– ngionzokolo : association, grouping
– ngitingila : cataclysm, major natural desaster, great disrupting
– ngitukulu : astonishment, amazement, wonder
– ngiuvu : question, interrogation
– ngiza / ngwiza : arrival, advent
– ngizulu / ngwizulu : coming
– ngo : no, refusal / leopard, cheetah
– ngola : reddish earth used for make-up, freshwater fish species
– ngolo : strength, power
– ngoma : tam-tam, drum
– ngonda : moon, month, menses
– ngongi : percussion instrument composed of two bells without clappers
– ngoto : raffia fabric, raffia fibre, raffia bag
– ngovo : free
– ngudi : mother, foundation, major, essential, real, genuine, veritable
– ngulu : pig, stowaway in the luggage of a real passenger
– ngulu-ngulu : without precautions, without mistrust, headlong
– ngulupa : group, troop, herd
– ngunda : intent, intention, thought, mind, idea, hope / refuge, exile, asylum
– ngunga : bell, ringing, o’clock
– ngunza : animist priest
– nguvulu : governor
– ngwala : friend, comrade, colleague
– ngwalazi : riddle
– ngwankazi : uncle, Belgian colonist
– ngwanzu : informal trade in Chinese counterfeit products (from Gouang Zhou City)
– ngwasuma : exhilaration with rhythms, exhilaration with pleasure
– ngwe : sir, excellency, honourable, respectable
– ngwi : great form, firmness, determination, stability
– ngwisanesa : action for reconciliation, making up
– ngwizani : agreement, reconciliation, rapprochement, cooperation
