How to count in Mandinka

Enter a number and get it written in full in Mandinka.

Language overview

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.
Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 9,999 in Mandinka. Please contact us if you can help us counting up from that limit.

Mandinka numbering rules

  • 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]).

Books

The History of the N’ko Alphabet and Its Role in Mande Transnational Identity: Words as WeaponsThe 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 Amazon.com]

Parlons MandinkaParlons Mandinka
by Man Lafi Drame, editors L’Harmattan (2003)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Numbers list

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

Links

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.