If you're trying to learn Yoruba Vocabulary you will find some useful resources including a course about vocabulary and expressions... to help you with your Yoruba grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and notice the pattern that occurs each time the word changes its place. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Yoruba. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Learning the Yoruba Vocabulary is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. The more you master it the more you get closer to mastering the Yoruba language. But first we need to know what the role of Vocabulary is in the structure of the grammar in Yoruba.
Yoruba vocabulary is the set of words you should be familiar with. A vocabulary usually grows and evolves with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Here are some examples:
| English Vocabulary | Yoruba Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| colors | |
| black | Dudu |
| green | Alawo ewe |
| orange | Alawo osan |
| red | Alawo eje |
| white | Alawo efun |
| yellow | Alawo oorun |
| sizes | |
| big | Nla |
| deep | Jin |
| long | Gun or gigun |
| narrow | Tinrin |
| short | Kuru or kukuru |
| small | Kekere |
| tall | Ga |
| thick | Nipon |
| thin | Tirin |
| wide | Gbooro |
| straight | Tooro |
| tastes | |
| bitter | Koro or Kikoro |
| fresh | Tutu |
| salty | Iyo ja |
| sour | Kikan or kan |
| spicy | Alata or otaa |
| sweet | Adun or didun |
| qualities | |
| bad | Ibaje |
| clean | Mo |
| dark | Okuku or dudu |
| difficult | Ole |
| dirty | Idoti |
| dry | Gbigbe |
| easy | Irorun |
| empty | korofo |
| expensive | won or owon |
| fast | aawe |
| foreign | ajoji |
| full | ekun |
| good | rere |
| hard | lile |
| heavy | wuwo |
| inexpensive | ponkulowo |
| light | fele |
| new | titun |
| noisy | ariwo |
| old | arugbo |
| powerful | alagbara |
| quiet | Idake je |
| correct | beeni |
| soft | ro |
| very | gan |
| weak | re e |
| wet | tutu |
| wrong | beeko |
| young | omode or odo |
| quantities | |
| few | die |
| little | die |
| many | opo or pupo |
| much | opo or pupo |
| part | ara or eya ara |
| some | awon |
| a few | awon die |
| whole | odidi |
Below is a list of the vocabulary and expressions in Yoruba placed in a table. Memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Yoruba vocabulary.
| English Vocabulary | Yoruba Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| numbers | |
| one | Okan |
| two | Eji |
| three | Eta |
| four | Erin |
| five | Arun |
| six | Efa |
| seven | Eje |
| eight | Ejo |
| nine | Ewa |
| ten | Mokanla |
| twelve | Mejila |
| thirteen | metala |
| fourteen | merinla |
| fifteen | Medogun |
| sixteen | Merindinlogun |
| seventeen | Metadinlogun |
| eighteen | Medjidinlogun |
| nineteen | Mokandinlogun |
| twenty | Ogun |
| hundred | Ogorun |
| Ordinal Numbers | |
| first | Ekini |
| second | Ekeji |
| third | Eketa |
| fourth | Ekerin |
| fifth | Ekarun |
| sixth | Ekefa |
| seventh | Ekeje |
| eighth | Ekejo |
| ninth | Ekesan |
| tenth | Ekewa |
| eleventh | Okankola |
| twelfth | Ekejila |
| thirteenth | Eketala |
| fourteenth | Ekerinla |
| fifteenth | Eekedogun |
| sixteenth | Ekerindinlogun |
| seventeenth | Eketadinlogun |
| eighteenth | Ekejidinlogun |
| nineteenth | Okandinlogun |
| twentieth | Ogun |
| once | Eekan |
| twice | Emeji |
| nouns | |
| arm | Apa |
| back | Eyin |
| cheeks | Ereke or eeke |
| chest | Aya |
| ear | Eti |
| eye | Oju |
| face | Oju |
| finger | ika |
| fingers | Omo ika |
| foot | Ese |
| hair | Irun |
| hand | Owo |
| head | Ori |
| heart | Okan |
| knee | Orikun |
| leg | Ese |
| lip | Ete |
| mouth | Enu |
| neck | Orun |
| nose | Imu |
| shoulder | Ejika |
| stomach | Iku |
| teeth | Eyin |
| thigh | Ese |
| throat | Ofun |
| thumb | Omo ika |
| toe | Omo ese |
| tongue | Ahon |
| tooth | Eyin |
| bread | Buredi |
| breakfast | Onje aaro |
| butter | Bota |
| candy | Switi |
| chicken | Ediye |
| dinner | Onje ale |
| fish | Eja |
| fruit | Eso |
| lamb | Omo aguntan |
| lemon | Oson wewe |
| lunch | Onje osan |
| meal | Onje |
| meat | Eran |
| pepper | Ata |
| plants | Ohun ogbin |
| pork | Eran Elede |
| salt | Iyo |
| soup | Obe |
| sugar | Suga |
| supper | Onje asale |
| turkey | tolotolo |
| apple | apple |
| banana | Ogede |
| oranges | Osan |
| peanut | Epa |
| pineapple | Osan oyibo |
| vegetables | Efo |
| corn | agbado |
| onions | alubosa |
| peppers | ata |
| beans | ewa |
| tomatoes | tomato |
Vocabulary and expressions have a very important role in Yoruba. Once you're done with Yoruba Vocabulary, you might want to check the rest of our Yoruba lessons here: Learn Yoruba. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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