Numbers in Mandinka



Learn numbers in Mandinka

Knowing numbers in Mandinka is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Mandinka. Learning to count in Mandinka 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 Mandinka is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Mandinka.

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 Mandinka?

The Mandinka language (Mandingo, لغة مندنكا) belongs to the mande family. It is spoken in Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Chad, and counts about 1.3 million speakers. This language can be written in Latin, Arabic and N’Ko alphabet.

List of numbers in Mandinka

Here is a list of numbers in Mandinka. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Mandinka 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 Mandinka. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Mandinka.

• 1) kiliŋ
• 2) fula
• 3) saba
• 4) naani
• 5) luulu
• 6) wooro
• 7) worowula
• 8) sey
• 9) kononto
• 10) taŋ
• 11) taŋ niŋ kiliŋ
• 12) taŋ niŋ fula
• 13) taŋ niŋ saba
• 14) taŋ niŋ naani
• 15) taŋ niŋ luulu
• 16) taŋ niŋ wooro
• 17) taŋ niŋ worowula
• 18) taŋ niŋ sey
• 19) taŋ niŋ kononto
• 20) muwaŋ
• 30) taŋ saba
• 40) taŋ naani
• 50) taŋ luulu
• 60) taŋ wooro
• 70) taŋ worowula
• 80) taŋ sey
• 90) taŋ konoto
• 100) keme kiliŋ
• 1,000) wuli kiliŋ
• one million) miliyoŋ kiliŋ
• one billion) miliyar kiliŋ

Numbers in Mandinka: Mandinka numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Mandinka is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Mandinka 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 Mandinka with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Mandinka is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Mandinka. Also, learning how to number in Mandinka 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 Mandinka 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 Mandinka

.

Digits from one to nine are specific words, namely kiliŋ [1], fula [2], saba [3], naani [4], luulu [5], wooro [6], worowula [7], sey [8], and kononto [9].

Tens are formed by setting the word for ten (taŋ) before the multiplier digit, separated with a space, with the exception of ten and twenty: taŋ [10], muwaŋ [20], taŋ saba [30], taŋ naani [40], taŋ luulu [50], taŋ wooro [60], taŋ worowula [70], taŋ sey [80], and taŋ konoto [90].

Hundreds are formed by setting the multiplier digit after the word for hundred (keme), separated with a space: keme kiliŋ (or simply keme) [100], keme fula [200], keme saba [300], keme naani [400], keme luulu [500], keme wooro [600], keme worowula [700], keme sey [800], and keme kononto [900].

Thousands are formed the same way as hundreds, ie. by setting the multiplier digit after the word for thousand (wuli), separated with a space: wuli kiliŋ (or wulikiliŋ) [1,000], wuli fula [2,000], wuli saba [3,000], wuli naani [4,000], wuli luulu [5,000], wuli wooro [6,000], wuli worowula [7,000], wuli sey [8,000], and wuli kononto [9,000].

Each group of numbers is linked to the others with the word niŋ (and), tens and units, but also hundreds and tens, thousands and hundreds… (e.g.: muwaŋ niŋ saba [23], keme kiliŋ niŋ taŋ luulu [150], wuli kiliŋ niŋ keme fula niŋ taŋ saba niŋ naani [1,234]).

Big scale numbers come from French, their multiplier being set after them: miliyoŋ kiliŋ [1 million, 10⁶], miliyar kiliŋ [1 billion, 10⁹] (from the French milliard).

Mandinka Grammar Manual (pdf)