Setswana — top 348 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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| # | Setswana | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | hello (to one person) | |
| 2 | hello (to several people) | |
| 3 | hello, sir | |
| 4 | hello, madam | |
| 5 | how are you? (lit. how did you wake?) | |
| 6 | I'm well (lit. I woke well) | |
| 7 | how are you (all)? (lit. where are you?) | |
| 8 | we are fine (lit. we are here/present) | |
| 9 | how are you? (lit. where are you?) | |
| 10 | I am fine (lit. I am here) | |
| 11 | thank you | |
| 12 | I am glad / pleased | |
| 13 | excuse me, forgive me | |
| 14 | please … (lit. I request …) | |
| 15 | goodbye (to one leaving: go well) | |
| 16 | goodbye (to one staying: stay well) | |
| 17 | good night (sleep well) | |
| 18 | yes | |
| 19 | no | |
| 20 | I don't know | |
| 21 | I am tired | |
| 22 | I am not tired (note the irregular negation) | |
| 23 | my name is … | |
| 24 | what is your name? (lit. you are called who?) | |
| 25 | do you speak English? | |
| 26 | I am learning Setswana | |
| 27 | all right, it's fine, OK | |
| 28 | rain! — the Setswana blessing and national cheer | |
| 29 | one | |
| 30 | two | |
| 31 | three | |
| 32 | four | |
| 33 | five | |
| 34 | six | |
| 35 | seven | |
| 36 | eight (lit. bend two fingers) | |
| 37 | nine (lit. bend one finger) | |
| 38 | ten | |
| 39 | eleven | |
| 40 | twenty | |
| 41 | one hundred | |
| 42 | one thousand | |
| 43 | person (class 1; plural: batho) | |
| 44 | people | |
| 45 | man; husband (pl. banna) | |
| 46 | woman; wife (pl. basadi) | |
| 47 | child (pl. bana) | |
| 48 | children | |
| 49 | boy (pl. basimane) | |
| 50 | girl (pl. basetsana) | |
| 51 | father; sir | |
| 52 | mother; madam (also: but/and as conjunction) | |
| 53 | grandmother | |
| 54 | grandfather | |
| 55 | maternal uncle | |
| 56 | paternal aunt | |
| 57 | my younger sibling | |
| 58 | elder sibling; elder | |
| 59 | family, relatives, lineage | |
| 60 | friend (pl. ditsala) | |
| 61 | chief, king (pl. dikgosi) | |
| 62 | school teacher | |
| 63 | student, learner | |
| 64 | doctor; traditional healer | |
| 65 | pastor, minister | |
| 66 | herder, shepherd | |
| 67 | farmer | |
| 68 | a Tswana person (pl. Batswana) | |
| 69 | head | |
| 70 | eye (pl. matlho) | |
| 71 | ear (pl. ditsebe) | |
| 72 | nose | |
| 73 | mouth | |
| 74 | tongue | |
| 75 | tooth (pl. meno) | |
| 76 | hand (pl. diatla) | |
| 77 | arm (pl. mabogo) | |
| 78 | leg, foot (pl. maoto) | |
| 79 | heart | |
| 80 | blood (also: money — context decides) | |
| 81 | hair | |
| 82 | face | |
| 83 | belly, stomach | |
| 84 | back | |
| 85 | skin, hide | |
| 86 | bone (pl. marapo) | |
| 87 | dog (pl. dintša) | |
| 88 | cat | |
| 89 | cow, head of cattle (pl. dikgomo) | |
| 90 | sheep (pl. dinku) | |
| 91 | goat (pl. dipodi) | |
| 92 | horse (pl. dipitse) | |
| 93 | donkey | |
| 94 | chicken (also: knock-knock at a door) | |
| 95 | pig | |
| 96 | fish (pl. ditlhapi) | |
| 97 | bird (pl. dinonyane) | |
| 98 | lion (pl. ditau) | |
| 99 | elephant (pl. ditlou) | |
| 100 | buffalo | |
| 101 | hippopotamus | |
| 102 | crocodile | |
| 103 | hyena | |
| 104 | jackal | |
| 105 | baboon | |
| 106 | springbok, antelope | |
| 107 | duiker (small antelope) | |
| 108 | snake (pl. dinoga) | |
| 109 | fly (insect) | |
| 110 | mosquito | |
| 111 | water | |
| 112 | river (pl. dinoka) | |
| 113 | stream, riverbed | |
| 114 | lake, pan | |
| 115 | sea, ocean | |
| 116 | sun; day (pl. malatsi — days) | |
| 117 | moon | |
| 118 | month (pl. dikgwedi) | |
| 119 | star (pl. dinaledi) | |
| 120 | sky, heaven (pl. magodimo) | |
| 121 | cloud (pl. maru) | |
| 122 | rain (also: the Botswana currency; a blessing) | |
| 123 | wind; cold air | |
| 124 | soil, earth | |
| 125 | earth, land, country, world | |
| 126 | mountain (pl. dithaba) | |
| 127 | rock, stone (pl. matlapa) | |
| 128 | sand | |
| 129 | dust | |
| 130 | tree; medicine (pl. ditlhare) | |
| 131 | grass | |
| 132 | forest, thicket | |
| 133 | wilderness, veld, countryside (pl. dinaga — lands) | |
| 134 | fire | |
| 135 | smoke | |
| 136 | heat | |
| 137 | cold, frost | |
| 138 | drought | |
| 139 | food | |
| 140 | porridge — the staple dish | |
| 141 | sorghum (a different tone pattern means 'breasts') | |
| 142 | maize, corn | |
| 143 | bread | |
| 144 | meat | |
| 145 | milk | |
| 146 | tea | |
| 147 | coffee | |
| 148 | salt | |
| 149 | sugar | |
| 150 | egg (pl. mae) | |
| 151 | fruit (pl. maungo) | |
| 152 | orange (fruit) | |
| 153 | leafy greens, spinach dish (pl. merogo) | |
| 154 | beans | |
| 155 | seswaa — pounded slow-cooked meat, the national dish | |
| 156 | fat cakes (fried dough) | |
| 157 | beer, alcohol; traditional sorghum beer | |
| 158 | house, hut (pl. matlo) | |
| 159 | courtyard, home, household | |
| 160 | door | |
| 161 | window | |
| 162 | chair (pl. ditulo) | |
| 163 | table | |
| 164 | book (pl. dibuka) | |
| 165 | pen | |
| 166 | cooking pot (pl. dipitsa) | |
| 167 | blanket; traditional blanket (pl. dikobo) | |
| 168 | clothes, clothing | |
| 169 | dress, skirt | |
| 170 | shoes | |
| 171 | money | |
| 172 | flower (also: gun — context decides) | |
| 173 | car, vehicle; ox-wagon (pl. dikoloi) | |
| 174 | bicycle | |
| 175 | road, path, way (pl. ditsela) | |
| 176 | village, town (pl. metse) | |
| 177 | town, city | |
| 178 | school (pl. dikolo) | |
| 179 | church | |
| 180 | the kgotla — traditional court and meeting place | |
| 181 | cattle post | |
| 182 | the fields, farmlands | |
| 183 | search; courtship negotiation | |
| 184 | today | |
| 185 | yesterday | |
| 186 | tomorrow | |
| 187 | morning; the next day | |
| 188 | early morning; to rise early | |
| 189 | daytime, midday | |
| 190 | evening | |
| 191 | night | |
| 192 | week (pl. dibeke) | |
| 193 | year (pl. dingwaga) | |
| 194 | summer; ploughing season | |
| 195 | winter | |
| 196 | time (pl. dinako) | |
| 197 | now | |
| 198 | before; in front; first | |
| 199 | after; behind | |
| 200 | often | |
| 201 | always, usually | |
| 202 | once | |
| 203 | to speak | |
| 204 | to read; to count | |
| 205 | to write | |
| 206 | to learn, to study | |
| 207 | to teach | |
| 208 | to eat | |
| 209 | to drink | |
| 210 | to sleep, to lie down | |
| 211 | to wake up, to get up | |
| 212 | to go, to walk, to leave | |
| 213 | to come | |
| 214 | to go (to) | |
| 215 | to do, to make, to work | |
| 216 | to work (colloquial) | |
| 217 | to buy | |
| 218 | to sell | |
| 219 | to see, to get | |
| 220 | to hear, to feel, to understand | |
| 221 | to know | |
| 222 | to love, to like | |
| 223 | to want, to look for | |
| 224 | to request, to ask for | |
| 225 | to ask (a question) | |
| 226 | to answer | |
| 227 | to give | |
| 228 | to take | |
| 229 | to bring | |
| 230 | to take (something) to | |
| 231 | to put, to place | |
| 232 | to open | |
| 233 | to close; to give birth | |
| 234 | to cook | |
| 235 | to wash (oneself), to bathe | |
| 236 | to wash (things) | |
| 237 | to sweep | |
| 238 | to sing | |
| 239 | to dance | |
| 240 | to play | |
| 241 | to laugh | |
| 242 | to cry | |
| 243 | to run | |
| 244 | to stand, to stop | |
| 245 | to sit, to stay, to become, to be | |
| 246 | to sit, to live (dwell) | |
| 247 | to remain, to stay behind | |
| 248 | to arrive; to hide | |
| 249 | to begin | |
| 250 | to finish | |
| 251 | to try | |
| 252 | to help | |
| 253 | to hit, to strike | |
| 254 | to cut | |
| 255 | to kill | |
| 256 | to defeat, to win | |
| 257 | to think | |
| 258 | to remember, to think of | |
| 259 | to forget | |
| 260 | to fear, to flee | |
| 261 | to fight | |
| 262 | to die | |
| 263 | to live, to be alive; to cross | |
| 264 | to grow | |
| 265 | to plough, to farm | |
| 266 | to herd (livestock) | |
| 267 | to hold, to catch, to grasp | |
| 268 | to send | |
| 269 | to leave, to stop (doing) | |
| 270 | to pass, to surpass | |
| 271 | to return, to come back | |
| 272 | to pray | |
| 273 | to thank | |
| 274 | to pay | |
| 275 | to marry (of a man) | |
| 276 | to marry (of a woman) | |
| 277 | big, great (mogolo, segolo…) | |
| 278 | small, little (monnye, bonnye…) | |
| 279 | beautiful, good, fine (montle, dintle…) | |
| 280 | bad, ugly | |
| 281 | black (montsho…) | |
| 282 | white (motshweu…) | |
| 283 | red (mohibidu…) | |
| 284 | green; blue; raw | |
| 285 | tall, long (moleele…) | |
| 286 | short (mokhutshwane…) | |
| 287 | many, much (bantsi, dintsi…) | |
| 288 | hard, difficult; very | |
| 289 | easy; gentle, kind | |
| 290 | nice, pleasant, delicious | |
| 291 | good; useful (also: medicine) | |
| 292 | new (montšhwa, sešwa…) | |
| 293 | old, ancient | |
| 294 | painful, sore; sorrow | |
| 295 | well, nicely, properly (adverb) | |
| 296 | cold | |
| 297 | I (subject concord); it is (copula) | |
| 298 | you (sg.); he/she (class 1 subject concord) | |
| 299 | we (subject concord) | |
| 300 | you (plural subject concord) | |
| 301 | they (class 2 subject concord) | |
| 302 | negative frame: ga ke itse — I don't know | |
| 303 | question particle: A o bua Setswana? — Do you speak Setswana? | |
| 304 | and; with; also; you (pl.) concord | |
| 305 | that; so that | |
| 306 | if; when; here | |
| 307 | because | |
| 308 | or | |
| 309 | like, as | |
| 310 | in, at, on (locative) | |
| 311 | with, by means of; can; about | |
| 312 | of (possessive for some classes); at the place of | |
| 313 | of — possessive concords by noun class | |
| 314 | who? (Ke mang? — Who is it?) | |
| 315 | what? (Ke eng? — What is it?) | |
| 316 | where? (O kae? — Where are you?) | |
| 317 | when? | |
| 318 | why? | |
| 319 | how? (O tsogile jang?) | |
| 320 | how many? (Di le kae? — How many are there?) | |
| 321 | the Tswana language; Tswana custom | |
| 322 | English; European language/ways | |
| 323 | Botswana (land of the Tswana) | |
| 324 | humanity, human kindness (ubuntu) | |
| 325 | peace | |
| 326 | love | |
| 327 | joy, happiness | |
| 328 | faith, belief | |
| 329 | life | |
| 330 | death | |
| 331 | hunger, famine | |
| 332 | thirst | |
| 333 | illness, disease | |
| 334 | work, task, deed (pl. ditiro) | |
| 335 | education, lesson, teaching | |
| 336 | language, speech (pl. dipuo) | |
| 337 | word (pl. mafoko — words, news) | |
| 338 | statement, story, sentence | |
| 339 | folktale (pl. dinnaane) | |
| 340 | song (pl. dipina) | |
| 341 | music, dance | |
| 342 | game, play (pl. metshameko) | |
| 343 | chieftainship, kingship | |
| 344 | journey, trip | |
| 345 | knowledge | |
| 346 | intention, goal, plan | |
| 347 | beginning, origin | |
| 348 | ending, conclusion |