How to count in Bambara
Enter a number and get it written in full in Bambara.
Language overview
The Bambara language (bamanankan) belongs to the mande family. It is mainly spoken in Mali, and counts about ten million speakers.
Bambara numbering rules
- Digits from one to nine are specific words, namely kélen [1], fila [2], sàba [3], náani [4], dúuru [5], wɔɔrɔ [6], wólonwula [7], séegin [8], and k̀ɔnɔntɔn [9].
- Tens from thirty to ninety are built by setting the prefix bí before the multiplier digit: bísàba [30], bínaani [40], bídúuru [50], bíwɔɔrɔ [60], bíwolonfila [70], bíséegin [80], and bík̀ɔnɔntɔn [90]. Ten and twenty have specific names: tán [10] and mùgan [20].
- Hundreds, thousands and millions are constructed by setting the multiplier digit after the matching scale word, either k̀ɛmɛ for hundred, wa for thousand, or mílyɔn for million. This way, we get k̀ɛmɛ [100] (without multiplier unit), k̀ɛmɛ fila [200], k̀ɛmɛ sàba [300], k̀ɛmɛ náani [400], k̀ɛmɛ dúuru [500], k̀ɛmɛ wɔɔrɔ [600]… wa kélen [1,000], wa fila [2,000], wa sàba [3,000], wa náani [4,000]… and mílyɔn kélen [one million], mílyɔn fila [two million]…
- Each group of numbers is linked to the others with ní (and), tens and units, but also hundreds and tens, thousands and hundreds… (e.g.: mùgan ní sàba [23], k̀ɛmɛ ní bídúuru [150], wa kélen ní k̀ɛmɛ fila ní bísàba ní náani [1,234]).
Books
The History of the N’ko Alphabet and Its Role in Mande Transnational Identity: Words as Weapons
by Dianne White Oyler, editors Africana Homestead Legacy Publishers (2007)
[
Amazon.com]
Grammaire fondamentale du bambara
by Gérard Dumestre, editors Karthala (2003)
[
Fnac.com]
J’apprends le bambara
by José Morales, editors Karthala (2000)
[ Fnac.com,
Amazon.com]
Numbers list
| 1 – kélen 2 – fila 3 – sàba 4 – náani 5 – dúuru 6 – wɔɔrɔ 7 – wólonwula 8 – séegin 9 – k̀ɔnɔntɔn | 10 – tán 11 – tán ní kélen 12 – tán ní fila 13 – tán ní sàba 14 – tán ní náani 15 – tán ní dúuru 16 – tán ní wɔɔrɔ 17 – tán ní wólonwula 18 – tán ní séegin | 19 – tán ní k̀ɔnɔntɔn 20 – mùgan 30 – bísàba 40 – bínaani 50 – bídúuru 60 – bíwɔɔrɔ 70 – bíwolonfila 80 – bíséegin 90 – bík̀ɔnɔntɔn | 100 – k̀ɛmɛ 1,000 – wa kélen one million – mílyɔn kélen |
Mande languages
Bambara, Mandinka, Soninke, and Susu.
Other supported languages
Supported languages by families
As the other currently supported languages are too numerous to list extensively here, please select a language from the following select box, or from the full list of supported languages.