Numbers in Makhuwa



Learn numbers in Makhuwa

Knowing numbers in Makhuwa is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Makhuwa. Learning to count in Makhuwa may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Makhuwa is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Makhuwa.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Makhuwa?

The Makhuwa language (Emakuana), also spelt Makua or Macua, is a Bantu language that belongs to the Niger–Congo language family. Spoken in Northern Mozambique by the Makua people, it counts about 6.6 million speakers. Part of the dialectal continuum, the Central Makhuwa (Makhuwa-Makhuwana) counts the most speakers (about 3.1 million) and is the basis of the standard language.Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 9,999 in Makhuwa. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

List of numbers in Makhuwa

Here is a list of numbers in Makhuwa. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Makhuwa from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Makhuwa. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Makhuwa.

• 1) mosa
• 2) pili
• 3) tharu
• 4) sheshe
• 5) thanu
• 6) thanu na mosa
• 7) thanu na pili
• 8) thanu na tharu
• 9) thanu na sheshe
• 10) mulokó
• 11) mulokó na mosa
• 12) mulokó na pili
• 13) mulokó na tharu
• 14) mulokó na sheshe
• 15) mulokó na thanu
• 16) mulokó na thanu na mosa
• 17) mulokó na thanu na pili
• 18) mulokó na thanu na tharu
• 19) mulokó na thanu na sheshe
• 20) milokó mili
• 30) miloko miraru
• 40) miloko misheshe
• 50) miloko mithanu
• 60) miloko mithanu na mosa
• 70) miloko mithanu na mili
• 80) miloko mithanu na miraru
• 90) miloko mithanu na misheshe
• 100) miloko muloko
• 1,000) álufu

Numbers in Makhuwa: Makhuwa numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Makhuwa is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Makhuwa you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Makhuwa with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Makhuwa is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Makhuwa. Also, learning how to number in Makhuwa yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Makhuwa at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Makhuwa

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Digits from one to five are rendered by specific words. From six to nine, the Makhuwa language follows a quinary numeration system where digits are based on five. Makhuwa digits are: mosa [1], pili (or ili) [2], tharu (or raru) [3], sheshe [4], thanu [5], thanu na mosa [6] (5+1), thanu na pili [7] (5+2), thanu na tharu [8] (5+3), and thanu na sheshe [9] (5+4).

Tens are formed starting with the plural form of the word for ten (mulokó in singular, miloko in plural), then the multiplier unit prefixed with mi-, including the compound units, except for ten: mulokó [10], milokó mili [20], miloko miraru [30], miloko misheshe [40], miloko mithanu [50], miloko mithanu na mosa [60], miloko mithanu na mili [70], miloko mithanu na miraru [80], and miloko mithanu na misheshe [90].

Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, then the conjonction na or ni (and, with) and the unit. When composing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40, either na or ni can be used (na is mostly used on the coast, and ni in the inland). Above fifty, na links hundreds and tens, while ni links tens and units. Examples: miloko mili na thanu na mosa or miloko mili na thanu ni mosa [26], miloko mithanu ni tharu [53].

Hundreds are formed starting with the expresion for hundred (miloko muloko, litterally ten tens), followed by the multiplier digit prefixed with mi- (distributed for the compound digits), except for one hundred: miloko muloko [100], miloko muloko mili [200], miloko muloko miraru [300], miloko muloko misheshe [400], miloko muloko mithanu [500], miloko muloko mithanu na mosa [600], miloko muloko mithanu na mili [700], miloko muloko mithanu na miraru [800], and miloko muloko mithanu na misheshe [900].

One thousand is traditionally expressed by miloko muloko miloko, or ten by ten by ten, but is now replaced by álufu, loanword from the Arabic alaaf. Thousands are thus formed starting with the word álufu followed by the multiplier unit, except for one thousand: álufu [1,000], álufu pili [2,000], álufu tharu [3,000], álufu sheshe [4,000], álufu thanu [5,000]…

A Numeração em Moçambique, by Paulus Gerdes (in Portuguese)