In this post, you will learn how to say ‘how are you?’ in Xhosa, also known as IsiXhosa. You’ll also learn common responses so you can respond if you’re asked this question. This can be really useful if you’re speaking with someone from South Africa or Zimbabwe or if you’re travelling to either.
Xhosa is a Nguni Bantu language spoken in parts of South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is spoken as a first language by around 8.2 million people. Another 11 million people know Xhosa as a second language.
Table of Contents
How To Say ‘How Are You?’ In Xhosa
There are a few different ways to ask ‘how are you?’. Here are the most common:
| How are you? (to one person) | Unjani? |
| How are you? (to a group) | Ninjani? |
You will also sometimes hear ‘Kunjani?’ instead of ‘Unjani?’ but they both mean the same thing.
How To Respond To ‘How Are You?’ In Xhosa
There are many different ways that you can reply to this question. Below are the most common responses to this question. I’ve also included how to say ‘thank you’ as it’s polite to thank someone if they ask how you are.
| Thank you | Enkosi |
| Thank you (alternative) | Ndiyabulela |
| I’m fine | Ndiphilile |
| I’m happy | Ndiyavuya |
| I’m sick | Ndiyagula |
| I’m tired | Ndidiniwe |
It’s also useful to know how to say ‘and you?’ or ‘what about you?’ to find out how someone else is if they ask you.
| And you? (to one person) | Unjani wena? |
| And you? (to a group) | Ninjani nina? |
Check out the below video to hear the pronunciation of these phrases:
The video below is also really useful to listen to the pronunciation:
Example Conversation:
Person 1: Unjani? (How are you?)
Person 2: Ndiphilile enkosi. Unjani wena? (I’m fine thanks. What about you?)
Person 1: Ndiphilile enkosi. (I’m fine thanks)
Thanks for reading this post.
You should now know how to say ‘how are you?’ in Xhosa and you should also be able to respond if you’re asked!
You can’t go wrong with these simple phrases.
Increase your vocabulary further by learning how to wish someone a happy birthday in Xhosa.
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