Somali — top 356 words
High-frequency vocabulary for English speakers. Reveal each card, then rate your recall — the schedule adapts (SM-2) and is stored on your device.
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| # | Somali | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | how are you? (lit. tell about yourself / what's the news?) | |
| 2 | I am fine | |
| 3 | how are you? (lit. is it peace?) | |
| 4 | all is well (lit. it is peace) | |
| 5 | peace; also a greeting | |
| 6 | good morning | |
| 7 | good afternoon | |
| 8 | good night | |
| 9 | goodbye (lit. enter into peace) | |
| 10 | my name is … | |
| 11 | what's your name? (colloquial) | |
| 12 | thank you | |
| 13 | thank you very much | |
| 14 | you're welcome (lit. you deserve it) | |
| 15 | please | |
| 16 | excuse me / forgive me | |
| 17 | yes | |
| 18 | no | |
| 19 | I don't know | |
| 20 | I understood | |
| 21 | I didn't understand | |
| 22 | do you speak Somali? | |
| 23 | I am learning Somali | |
| 24 | how much is it? | |
| 25 | I want (it) | |
| 26 | I don't want (it) | |
| 27 | I love you | |
| 28 | one (in counting) | |
| 29 | one (with nouns); also: she-camel | |
| 30 | two | |
| 31 | three | |
| 32 | four | |
| 33 | five | |
| 34 | six | |
| 35 | seven | |
| 36 | eight | |
| 37 | nine | |
| 38 | ten | |
| 39 | eleven | |
| 40 | twenty | |
| 41 | thirty | |
| 42 | forty | |
| 43 | fifty | |
| 44 | sixty | |
| 45 | seventy | |
| 46 | eighty | |
| 47 | ninety | |
| 48 | one hundred | |
| 49 | one thousand | |
| 50 | person | |
| 51 | people | |
| 52 | man (pl. niman) | |
| 53 | woman, lady | |
| 54 | woman, wife (informal) | |
| 55 | boy, son | |
| 56 | girl, daughter (also gabadh) | |
| 57 | boy or girl — tone decides: ÍNan = boy, inÁN = girl | |
| 58 | children | |
| 59 | child, offspring | |
| 60 | father | |
| 61 | mother | |
| 62 | sibling; brother or sister; also a warm address | |
| 63 | grandmother | |
| 64 | grandfather | |
| 65 | paternal uncle | |
| 66 | maternal uncle | |
| 67 | paternal aunt | |
| 68 | maternal aunt | |
| 69 | friend (male) | |
| 70 | friend (female) | |
| 71 | family, household | |
| 72 | family, clan, the people of … | |
| 73 | old man, elder | |
| 74 | old woman | |
| 75 | teacher | |
| 76 | student, pupil | |
| 77 | doctor | |
| 78 | soldier, police officer | |
| 79 | farmer | |
| 80 | camel herder | |
| 81 | king | |
| 82 | head; leader | |
| 83 | eye (pl. indho) | |
| 84 | ear (pl. dhego) | |
| 85 | nose | |
| 86 | mouth; language (Af-Soomaali) | |
| 87 | tongue | |
| 88 | tooth (pl. ilko) | |
| 89 | hand, arm (pl. gacmo) | |
| 90 | leg, foot (pl. lugo) | |
| 91 | heart (organ) | |
| 92 | heart, mind (figurative) | |
| 93 | blood | |
| 94 | hair | |
| 95 | face | |
| 96 | stomach, belly | |
| 97 | back | |
| 98 | skin, hide | |
| 99 | bone (pl. lafo) | |
| 100 | dog | |
| 101 | cat | |
| 102 | cow | |
| 103 | cattle | |
| 104 | ewe, sheep (pl. ido) | |
| 105 | goat | |
| 106 | sheep and goats, small livestock | |
| 107 | camels (collective) — the treasured herd | |
| 108 | male pack camel | |
| 109 | horse | |
| 110 | donkey — tone decides gender: damÉEr male, dameÉR female | |
| 111 | chicken | |
| 112 | fish | |
| 113 | bird | |
| 114 | lion | |
| 115 | elephant | |
| 116 | hyena — the trickster-villain of Somali tales | |
| 117 | fox, jackal | |
| 118 | leopard | |
| 119 | snake | |
| 120 | mosquito | |
| 121 | fly (insect) | |
| 122 | water | |
| 123 | river | |
| 124 | sea | |
| 125 | lake | |
| 126 | sun | |
| 127 | moon | |
| 128 | star | |
| 129 | sky | |
| 130 | cloud | |
| 131 | rain — the great blessing | |
| 132 | wind | |
| 133 | sand, soil (also: Eid festival — context decides) | |
| 134 | earth, land, ground | |
| 135 | mountain | |
| 136 | stone, rock | |
| 137 | tree, plant | |
| 138 | grass | |
| 139 | bush, wilderness | |
| 140 | fire | |
| 141 | smoke | |
| 142 | drought | |
| 143 | abundance, prosperity (the green after rain) | |
| 144 | food | |
| 145 | rice | |
| 146 | pasta (an Italian-era staple) | |
| 147 | canjeero — Somali sourdough flatbread | |
| 148 | laxoox — spongy flatbread (northern name) | |
| 149 | bread | |
| 150 | meat | |
| 151 | camel meat | |
| 152 | milk | |
| 153 | camel milk | |
| 154 | tea (spiced Somali tea) | |
| 155 | coffee; coffee beans | |
| 156 | sugar | |
| 157 | salt | |
| 158 | ghee, clarified butter | |
| 159 | egg | |
| 160 | vegetables | |
| 161 | banana | |
| 162 | lemon, lime, citrus | |
| 163 | dates (fruit) | |
| 164 | sambusa (samosa) | |
| 165 | halwa — Somali sweet | |
| 166 | house, home | |
| 167 | house; the domed nomadic hut (aqal Soomaali) | |
| 168 | door | |
| 169 | window | |
| 170 | table | |
| 171 | chair | |
| 172 | bed | |
| 173 | book | |
| 174 | pen, pencil | |
| 175 | paper; letter | |
| 176 | money | |
| 177 | clothes | |
| 178 | cup | |
| 179 | clay pot | |
| 180 | knife | |
| 181 | bottle, jar | |
| 182 | mosque | |
| 183 | market | |
| 184 | shop, store | |
| 185 | school (also Qur'anic school) | |
| 186 | university | |
| 187 | hospital | |
| 188 | road, street | |
| 189 | road, way, path | |
| 190 | city, town | |
| 191 | village | |
| 192 | corral, enclosure, camp | |
| 193 | Somalia | |
| 194 | Mogadishu | |
| 195 | Hargeisa | |
| 196 | Djibouti | |
| 197 | today | |
| 198 | yesterday | |
| 199 | tomorrow | |
| 200 | morning | |
| 201 | midday, noon | |
| 202 | afternoon | |
| 203 | early evening | |
| 204 | night | |
| 205 | day (pl. maalmo) | |
| 206 | week | |
| 207 | month; moon (in compounds) | |
| 208 | year | |
| 209 | hour; clock, watch | |
| 210 | minute | |
| 211 | now | |
| 212 | time, moment (goorma? — when?) | |
| 213 | long ago, in the old days (story opener) | |
| 214 | always | |
| 215 | sometimes | |
| 216 | eat! (verb stem: to eat) | |
| 217 | drink! (to drink) | |
| 218 | go! (to go) | |
| 219 | come! (to come) | |
| 220 | walk, go along! (to walk, proceed) | |
| 221 | run! (to run) | |
| 222 | sleep! (to sleep) | |
| 223 | wake up! (to wake) | |
| 224 | sit down! (to sit) | |
| 225 | stand up, stop! (to stand) | |
| 226 | take, pick up! (to take) | |
| 227 | give! (to give) | |
| 228 | bring! (to bring) | |
| 229 | write! (to write) | |
| 230 | read! (to read) | |
| 231 | learn! (to learn) | |
| 232 | teach! (to teach) | |
| 233 | speak! (to speak); speech, talk | |
| 234 | listen! (to listen) | |
| 235 | hear! (to hear) | |
| 236 | see! (to see) | |
| 237 | look! (to look at) | |
| 238 | do, make! (to do, make) | |
| 239 | work! (to work); shaqo — work (noun) | |
| 240 | build! (to build) | |
| 241 | cut! (to cut) | |
| 242 | hit, kill! (to hit, kill) | |
| 243 | wash! (to wash) | |
| 244 | buy! (to buy) | |
| 245 | sell! (to sell) | |
| 246 | pay, give out! (to pay) | |
| 247 | find, get! (to find) | |
| 248 | look for! (to search) | |
| 249 | wait! (to wait) | |
| 250 | help! (to help) | |
| 251 | open! (to open) | |
| 252 | close, tie! (to close) | |
| 253 | marry! (to marry) | |
| 254 | give birth! (to bear, beget) | |
| 255 | laugh! (to laugh); laughter | |
| 256 | cry! (to weep) | |
| 257 | fear! (to be afraid) | |
| 258 | watch, observe! (to watch) | |
| 259 | tell, say! (to tell) | |
| 260 | ask! (to ask) | |
| 261 | answer! (to answer); an answer | |
| 262 | begin! (to begin); beginning | |
| 263 | finish! (to finish) | |
| 264 | stop (something)! (to stop) | |
| 265 | cook! (to cook) | |
| 266 | hold, catch! (to hold; to have) | |
| 267 | carry, take up! (to carry) | |
| 268 | remember! (to remember) | |
| 269 | forget! (to forget) | |
| 270 | big, great | |
| 271 | small, little; young | |
| 272 | good | |
| 273 | bad | |
| 274 | fine, good, well | |
| 275 | long, tall | |
| 276 | short | |
| 277 | new | |
| 278 | former, previous, old; first | |
| 279 | beautiful (qurux = beauty) | |
| 280 | hard, difficult | |
| 281 | easy, light | |
| 282 | heavy | |
| 283 | hot | |
| 284 | cold; the cold | |
| 285 | white; a piece of meat | |
| 286 | black | |
| 287 | red | |
| 288 | blue | |
| 289 | green; greenery | |
| 290 | much, many | |
| 291 | near | |
| 292 | far | |
| 293 | fast, quickly | |
| 294 | hunger | |
| 295 | thirst | |
| 296 | declarative classifier: X waa Y — X is Y | |
| 297 | focus marker (follows the focused word) | |
| 298 | focus marker (variant of baa) | |
| 299 | cleft/presentative marker: waxaa … — it is … who/that | |
| 300 | question marker (Ma nabad baa?) | |
| 301 | negative marker (Ma garanayo — I don't know) | |
| 302 | I / we (subject clitic); also negative in subordinate clauses | |
| 303 | you (subject clitic); also: very (aad u …) | |
| 304 | he (subject clitic) | |
| 305 | she / they (subject clitic) | |
| 306 | the (masculine definite article suffix) | |
| 307 | the (feminine definite article suffix) | |
| 308 | the (aforementioned) — past-reference article | |
| 309 | this (masculine / feminine) | |
| 310 | that (masculine / feminine) | |
| 311 | here | |
| 312 | there | |
| 313 | from, about, at (preverbal particle) | |
| 314 | in, into, with, at (preverbal particle) | |
| 315 | with, together with (preverbal particle) | |
| 316 | to, for (preverbal particle) | |
| 317 | and (joins nouns) | |
| 318 | and, while (joins clauses/modifiers) | |
| 319 | and, of (links modifiers after a definite noun) | |
| 320 | that (complementizer) | |
| 321 | but | |
| 322 | or | |
| 323 | if | |
| 324 | when, at the time that | |
| 325 | because (lit. what did it do?) | |
| 326 | who? | |
| 327 | what? (maxaad rabtaa? — what do you want?) | |
| 328 | where? which direction? | |
| 329 | when? | |
| 330 | how? | |
| 331 | how many? how much? | |
| 332 | gabay — the classical Somali epic poem | |
| 333 | buraanbur — women's poetry genre | |
| 334 | song | |
| 335 | proverb | |
| 336 | story, tale (Sheeko sheeko! — story-time opener) | |
| 337 | xeer — Somali customary law | |
| 338 | culture, tradition | |
| 339 | literature | |
| 340 | wedding | |
| 341 | meeting, assembly | |
| 342 | writing, text | |
| 343 | word (pl. erayo) | |
| 344 | sentence | |
| 345 | knowledge | |
| 346 | life | |
| 347 | death | |
| 348 | love | |
| 349 | joy, happiness | |
| 350 | sadness, grief | |
| 351 | health | |
| 352 | illness, disease | |
| 353 | work, job | |
| 354 | journey, travel | |
| 355 | war, fighting | |
| 356 | the peace (nabad + -da) |