Counting in Lingala

Language overview

Forty-two in Lingala Lingala (lingála) is a Bantu language from the Niger-Congo family. Spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Republic of the Congo (with a status of national language in both countries), it counts about 2 million speakers.

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

Lingala numbers list

  • 1 – mókó
  • 2 – míbalé
  • 3 – mísáto
  • 4 – mínei
  • 5 – mítáno
  • 6 – motóba
  • 7 – sámbó
  • 8 – mwámbe
  • 9 – libwá
  • 10 – zómi
  • 11 – zómi na mókó
  • 12 – zómi na míbalé
  • 13 – zómi na mísáto
  • 14 – zómi na mínei
  • 15 – zómi na mítáno
  • 16 – zómi na motóba
  • 17 – zómi na sámbó
  • 18 – zómi na mwámbe
  • 19 – zómi na libwá
  • 20 – ntúkú míbalé
  • 30 – ntúkú mísáto
  • 40 – ntúkú mínei
  • 50 – ntúkú mítáno
  • 60 – ntúkú motóba
  • 70 – ntúkú sámbó
  • 80 – ntúkú mwámbe
  • 90 – ntúkú libwá
  • 100 – nkámá
  • 1,000 – nkóto

Lingala 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 and numbers from zero to nine are specific words, namely libungutulu [0] (meaning nothingness), mókó [1], míbalé [2], mísáto [3], mínei [4], mítáno [5], motóba [6], sámbó (or nsámbó) [7], mwámbe [8], and libwá [9].
  • The tens are formed by putting ntúkú (ten) before their multiplier digit, except for ten itself: zómi [10], ntúkú míbalé [20], ntúkú mísáto [30], ntúkú mínei [40], ntúkú mítáno [50], ntúkú motóba [60], ntúkú sámbó [70], ntúkú mwámbe [80], and ntúkú libwá [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed by saying the ten, then the coordinator na, and the unit (e.g.: zómi na mwámbe [18], ntúkú mítáno na mínei [54]).
  • Hundreds are formed by setting the multiplier digit after the word for hundred (nkámá), except for one hundred itself, unless composed: nkámá [100], nkámá míbalé [200], nkámá mísáto [300], nkámá mínei [400]…
  • Thousands are formed the same way as hundreds, i.e. by setting the multiplier digit after the word for thousand (nkóto), except for one thousand itself, unless composed: nkóto [1,000], nkóto míbalé [2,000], nkóto mísáto [3,000], nkóto mínei [4,000]…
  • Each group of numbers is linked to the others with na (and), tens and units, but also hundreds and tens, thousands and hundreds… (e.g.: ntúkú míbalé na mísáto [23], nkámá mókó na ntúkú mítáno [150], nkóto mókó na nkámá míbalé na ntúkú mísáto na mínei [1,234]).

Write a number in full in Lingala

Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Lingala. 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

Lingala-English, English-Lingala Dictionary and Phrasebook Lingala-English, English-Lingala Dictionary and Phrasebook
by , editors Hippocrene Books (1996)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Lingala Grammar and Dictionary: English-Lingala, Lingala-English Lingala Grammar and Dictionary: English-Lingala, Lingala-English
by , editors Baptist Missionary Society (1988)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Guide de conversation lingala Guide de conversation lingala
by , editors Assimil (2008)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Parlons lingala Parlons lingala
by , editors L’Harmattan (2003)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com, Kindle - Amazon.com Kindle - Amazon.com]

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.