NOUN CLASSES

  

Class	Nouns In The Category
1.      M-WA	People/living things
2.     M-MI	Trees, plants
3.     JI-MA	Round things, liquids, masses
4.    KI-VI [Cha-Vya]	Tools, artefacts, manner, diminutives
5.     N	Animals, loan words
6.    U	Long things, abstracts
7.     KU	Infinitive verbs
8.    PA, KU, MU	Locatives

 

 

1.     M ‐ WA [A ‐ WA]

This noun class has the following nouns:

a)    nouns of people that start with M‐ in singular and WA‐ in plural

b)    nouns of people (do not start with M‐ in singular and WA‐ in plural

c)     wanyama [animals]

d)   ndege [birds]

e)    wadudu [insects]

f)      samaki [fish]

 

Mifano 

Umoja [singular]	Wingi [plural]
Mtu [person]	Watu
Mtanzania [Tanzanian]	Watanzania
Mnyama [animal]	Wanyama
Mwalimu [teacher]	Watoto
Mwanafunzi [student]	Wanafunzi
Mwanamume [man]	Wanaume
Mwanamke [woman]	Wanawake
Mtoto [child]	Watoto
Mzee [elder/old person]	Wazee
Mgeni [guest]	Wageni
Mama [mother]	Mama
Baba [father]	Baba
Rafiki [friend]	Rafiki
Nyanya [grandmother]	Nyanya
Babu [grandfather]	Babu
Ng’ombe [cow]	Ng’ombe
Mbuzi [goat]	Mbuzi
Kuku [chicken]	Kuku
Nyuki [bee]	Nyuki
Papa [shark]	Papa

 

When using a verb, this noun class uses A- in singular and WA- in plural for sentence formation.

Mifano:

       i.            Mtoto anasoma. [The child is reading.]

Watoto wanasoma. [The children are reading.]

    ii.            Mwanafunzi analala. [The student is sleeping.]

Wanafunzi wanalala. [The students are sleeping.]

  iii.            Kaka yangu alikuja nyumbani. [My brother came home.]

Kaka zangu walikuja nyumbani. [My brothers came home.]

  iv.            Mama anapika uji. [The mother is cooking porridge.]

Mama wanapika uji. [The mothers are cooking porridge.]

 

2.   M – MI [U ‐ I]

This noun class has the following nouns:

a)    majina ya miti [names of trees]

b)    majina ya mimea [names of plants]

c)     sehemu za mwili [body parts]

d)   nouns that take M‐ in singular and MI‐ in plural

 

 

Umoja [singular]	Wingi [plural]
Mti [tree]	Miti
Mto [river]	Mito
Mfuko [bag]	Mifuko
Mgomba [banana plant]	Migomba
Mkono [hand]	Mikono
Msitu [forest]	Misitu
Mmea [plant]	mimea
Moto [fire]	Mioto
Mchezo [game]	Michezo

 

When using a verb, this noun class uses U- in singular and I- in plural for sentence formation.

       i.            Mti ulikatwa. [The tree was cut.]

Miti ilikatwa. [The trees were cut.]

    ii.            Mkono unauma. [The hand hurts.]

Mikono inauma. [The hands hurt.]

  iii.            Mkoba umeanguka. [The bag has fallen.]

Mikoba imeanguka. [The bags have fallen.]

 

3.   JI ‐ MA [LI ‐ YA]

Nouns in this class can start with any letter in their singular form but their

plural forms must take MA‐.

This noun class has the following nouns:

a)    manufactured products, natural or built places, abstract or concrete concepts

b)    sehemu za mwili [parts of the body]

c)     matunda na vitu vya kawaida [fruits and natural objects]

d)   Noun that take MA‐ in both singular and plural form

e)    majina ya ukubwa [augmentatives]

 

Umoja [singular]	Wingi [plural]
Jicho [eye]	Macho
Jiwe [stone]	Mawe
Jani [leaf]	Majani
Ua [flower]	Maua
Limau [lime]	Malimau
Jina [name]	Majina
Duka [shop]	Maduka
Maji [water]	Maji
Somo [lesson]	Masomo
Daftari [notebook]	Madaftari
Sanduku [box]	Masanduku
Jino [tooth]	Meno

 

When using a verb, this noun class uses LI- in singular and YA- in plural for sentence formation.

       i.            Chungwa limechukuliwa. [The orange has been taken.]

Machungwa yamechukuliwa. [The oranges have been taken.]

    ii.            Gari litaoshwa. [The car will be washed.]

Magari yataoshwa. [The cars will be washed.]

  iii.            Jino linauma. [The tooth hurts.]

Meno yanauma. [The teeth hurt.]

  iv.            Maji yamemwagika. [The water has been poured.]

Maji yamemwagika. [The water has been poured.]

     v.            Mandhari yanapendeza. [The scenery is attractive.]

Mandhari yanapendeza. [The scenery  is attractive.]

 

 

4.   KI ‐ VI [KI ‐ VI]

This noun class has the following nouns:

a)    nouns that take KI‐ in singular and VI‐ in plural

b)    nouns that take CH‐ in singular and VY‐ in plural

c)     body parts

d)   names of languages

e)    diminutives

 

Umoja [singular]	Wingi [plural]
Kiti [chair]	Viti
Kikombe [cup]	Vikombe
Kikosi [band/troop]	Vikosi
Kichwa [head]	Vichwa
Kijiko [spoon]	Vijiko

 

When using a verb, this noun class uses KI- in singular and VI- in plural for sentence formation.

       i.            Kichwa changu kinauma. [My head is hurting.]

Vichwa vyetu vinauma. [Our heads are hurting.]

    ii.            Kiti kilibebwa. [The chair was carried.]

Viti vilibebwa. [The chairs were carried.]

  iii.            Chuo kikuu kitafungwa. [The university will be closed.]

Vyuo vikuu vitafungwa. [The universities will be closed.]

  iv.            Chakula kimepikwa. [The food has been cooked.]

Vyakula vimepikwa. [The foods have been cooked.]

 

5.    N ‐ N [I ‐ ZI]

This noun class is the broadest noun class and has the following nouns:

a)    Manufactured products, natural or built places, abstract or concrete concepts

b)    These nouns are written identically in singular and plural forms.

 

Umoja [singular]	Wingi [plural]
chupa [bottle]	Chupa
kofia [hat]	Kofia
runinga [television]	Runinga
dawa [medicine]	Dawa
Kazi [work/job]	Kazi
Karatasi [paper]	karatasi

 

When using a verb, this noun class uses I- in singular and ZI- in plural for sentence formation.

       i.            Kalamu inaandika. [The pen is writing.]

Kalamu zinaandika. [The pens are writing.]

    ii.            Njia imefungwa. [The way has been closed.]

Njia zimefungwa. [The ways have been closed.]

  iii.            Sahani ilipotea. [The plate got lost.]

Sahani zilipotea. [The plates got lost.]

  iv.            Runinga imezima. [The television has gone off.]

Runinga zimezima. [The televisions have gone off.]

 

 

6.   U ‐ U [U ‐ ZI/U]

This noun class has the following nouns:

a)    concrete nouns with various plurals

b)    uncountable nouns, with no plural form

c)     names of countries

 

Uso [face]	Nyuso
Uzi [Thread/string]	Nyuzi
Ufa [crack]	Nyufa
Waya [wire]	Nyaya
Wadhifa [position]	Nyadhifa
Waraka [letter]	Nyaraka
Wavu [net]	Nyavu
Wembe [razorblade]	Nyembe
Ubavu [rib]	Mbavu
Ubao [board/wood]	Mbao
Ufunguo [key]	Funguo

 

When using a verb, this noun class uses U- in singular and ZI- in the plural for sentence formation. However, uncountable nouns use U- in both cases.

 

       i.            Ubavu unauma. [The rib hurts.]

Mbavu zinauma. [The ribs hurt.]

    ii.            Ufunguo umepotea. [The key has been lost.]

Funguo zimepotea. [The keys have been lost.]

  iii.            Ubao ulivunjwa. [The piece of wood was broken.]

Mbao zilivunjwa. [The pieces of wood were broken.]

  iv.            Uji umepikwa. [The porridge has been cooked.]

Uji umepikwa. [The porridge has been cooked.]

 

7.    KU-

This class is only used with verbs and is used to form infinitives or gerunds. An infinitive is the preposition “to” plus the verb.

 

Kusoma	To study
Kutembea	To walk
Kupuka	To cook
Kucheka	To laugh
Kulia	To cry
Kulala	To sleep
Kufungua	To open

 

 

 

8.   Locatives [mahali]

When responding to the question ‘where are you/where is it?’

 

-PA: Specific;      hapa          [here-specific area]

-KU: General;      huku         [here-general area]

-MU: Inside;        humu        [Inside here]

 

Describing location starting with ‘I am at...’ Or ‘It is at…’

 

-PO: Specific;      Nipo          [I am at (specific location)]

-KO: General;      Niko         [I am at (general location)]

-MO: Inside;        Nimo        [I am at (inside a place)]

 

 

Nipo hapa nyumbani           [I’m here at home]

Niko huku Mombasa            [I’m here in Mombasa]

Nimo humu chumbani         [I’m inside the room]

Exercise

How many noun classes are there in Kiswahili?

a. Saba

b. Nne

c. Nane

d. Saba

Translate to Kiswahili: 'This good person'.

a. Mtu hawa mzuri

b. Mtu huyu wazuri

c. Mtu huyu mzuri

d. Watu hawa wazuri

What is being said: Miti hii mizuri

a. These good trees

b. This good tree

c. These good tree

d. This good trees

The noun 'Mtoto' belongs to M-WA class. What's the plural of the noun?

a. Mitoto

b. Toto

c. Watoto

d. Vitoto

The noun 'Viti' belongs to KI-VI class. What's the noun in singular?

a. Kiti

b. Mti

c. Miti

d. Wati

The noun 'jicho' belong to JI-MA class, what's the plural of the word?

a. Wacho

b. Vicho

c. Macho

d. Micho

Which of the following sentences is correct?

a. Kiti hiki kizuri

b. Kiti huyu kizuri

c. Kiti hiki mzuri

d. Kiti hii kizuri