Dagbani — The Language of Dagbon
Dagbani (Dagbanli) is the mother tongue of the Dagbamba people, spoken by more than 3 million people across northern Ghana. It belongs to the Gur branch of the Niger-Congo family and is closely related to Mampruli and Nanuni.
Greetings
- Dasiba — Good morning
- Antire — Good afternoon
- Aninwula — Good evening / how is it going
- Naa — Response to a greeting (used by men)
- Naawuni son' — May God help / thank you
Useful phrases
- A yuli booni? — What is your name?
- N yuli booni… — My name is…
- M-bɔri a — I love you
- Di viɛla — It is nice / beautiful
- Naa! — Yes / acknowledgement
Numbers 1–10
yini, ayi, ata, anaahi, anu, ayɔbu, ayɔpɔin, anii, awei, pia.
Pronunciation notes
Dagbani is tonal — the same syllables can mean different things depending on pitch. The letter ɣ is a soft, throaty "g", and ɔ sounds like the "aw" in "law". Practice by listening to Dagbani radio, music and the Lunsi drummers.
Learn with native speakers on DagbonApp.