Nyanja phrasebook
Nyanja (chinyanja), also known as Chewa (chicheŵa) after the largest tribe speaking it, is a Bantu language spoken by 11 million people in Malawi and Zambia. Chichewa has no any official status as national or official language in Malawi and Zambia, but is regarded as regional language in the countries.
The name Nyanja actually means "lake", so chinyanja is the "language of the lake" — referring to the language of the Chewas and other tribes who have adopted their language. In Malawi, the official name is Chichewa, while Zambia and Mozambique call it Nyanja.
PronunciationBasic Nyanja pronunciation is relatively straightforward, although getting it exactly right will require more study as the language is tonal and has some unusual sounds (for the native English speaker).
Phrase listFor this phrasebook, we use the polite form for all phrases, on the presumption that you'll mostly be talking to people you don't already know.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Nyanja phrasebook" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0