Counting in Tsonga

Language overview

Forty-two in Tsonga The Tsonga language (Xitsonga) belongs to the Niger–Congo languages family, and more specifically to the Bantu branch. It is official in South Africa (where it is co-oficial with ten other languages), and in Zimbabwe, where it is co-official with fifteen other languages, and known as Shangani. Tsonga counts about 12 millions speakers.

Tsonga numbers list

  • 1 – n’we
  • 2 – mbirhi
  • 3 – nharhu
  • 4 – mune
  • 5 – ntlhanu
  • 6 – ntsevu
  • 7 – nkombo
  • 8 – nhungu
  • 9 – nkaye
  • 10 – khume
  • 11 – khume n’we
  • 12 – khume mbirhi
  • 13 – khume nharhu
  • 14 – khume mune
  • 15 – khume ntlhanu
  • 16 – khume ntsevu
  • 17 – khume nkombo
  • 18 – khume nhungu
  • 19 – khume nkaye
  • 20 – makume mbirhi
  • 30 – makume nharhu
  • 40 – makume mune
  • 50 – makume ntlhanu
  • 60 – makume ntsevu
  • 70 – makume nkombo
  • 80 – makume nhungu
  • 90 – makume nkaye
  • 100 – dzana
  • 1,000 – gidi
  • one million – gidi ya magidi

Tsonga numbering rules

Now that you’ve had a gist of the most useful numbers, let’s move to the writing rules for the tens, the compound numbers, and why not the hundreds, the thousands and beyond (if possible).

  • Digits from zero to nine are rendered by specific words: noto [0], n’we [1], mbirhi [2], nharhu [3], mune [4], ntlhanu [5], ntsevu [6], nkombo [7], nhungu [8], and nkaye [9].
  • The tens are formed by stating the plural form of the word for ten (makume, khume in singular), then the multiplier digit, except for ten itself: khume [10], makume mbirhi [20], makume nharhu [30], makume mune [40], makume ntlhanu [50], makume ntsevu [60], makume nkombo [70], makume nhungu [80], and makume nkaye [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed by stating the ten, then the unit separated with a space (e.g.: makume mune mune [44], makume nkombo mbirhi [72]).
  • Hundreds are formed by stating the plural form of the word for hundred (madzana, dzana in singular), then the multiplier digit, except for one hundred: dzana [100], madzana mbirhi [200], madzana nharhu [300], madzana mune [400], madzana ntlhanu [500], madzana ntsevu [600], madzana nkombo [700], madzana nhungu [800], and madzana nkaye [900].
  • Thousands are formed by stating the plural form of the word for thousand (magidi, gidi in singular), then the multiplier digit, except for one thousand: gidi [1,000], magidi mbirhi [2,000], magidi nharhu [3,000], magidi mune [4,000], magidi ntlhanu [5,000], magidi ntsevu [6,000], magidi nkombo [7,000], magidi nhungu [8,000], and magidi nkaye [9,000].
  • Compound numbers with hundreds or thousands are formed in a regular way (e.g.: dzana makume mune mbirhi [142], magidi mbirhi madzana mbirhi makume mbirhi mbirhi [2,222]).
  • The expression for million is gidi ya magidi, litterally a thousand thousands, and magidi ya magidi in plural. Higher scale numbers are: biliyoni, and tibiliyoni in plural (109, billion), then thiriliyoni (1012, trillion), khwadiriliyin or mamiliyoni-mune (1015, quadrillion), khwintiliyoni (1018, quintillion)…

Write a number in full in Tsonga

Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Tsonga. Will you guess how to write a number in full? Enter a number and try to write it down in your head, or maybe on a piece of paper, before displaying the result.

Books

Bantu languages

Gwere, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Makhuwa, Mwani, Nyungwe, Punu, Shona, Soga, Swahili, Tsonga, Tswana, Xhosa, Yao, and Zulu.

Other supported languages

As the other currently supported languages are too numerous to list extensively here, please select a language from the full list of supported languages.