12 everyday words in 9 South African languages (with a free table)

South Africa has twelve official languages, and most children grow up hearing more than one of them. Maybe your child speaks isiZulu at home, hears Sesotho from their grandmother and learns English at school. Maybe cousins speak Xitsonga, or a best friend speaks Setswana.

Knowing a few words in each other's languages is one of the nicest gifts we can give our children. It builds respect, curiosity and friendship, and it shows them that every South African language matters. Below you will find 12 everyday words in the nine South African languages Asifunde Nathi teaches, plus how to say hello and thank you, and some games to play with them.

In this article

1. Two big language families
2. 12 everyday words in 9 languages
3. How to say hello and thank you
4. 5 games to play with this table
5. Why this matters
6. Learn more in one app
7. Questions parents ask

Two big language families

Before you look at the table, here is a helpful secret. Most of these languages belong to two families, and once you know that, you will start to see patterns.

• The Nguni languages: isiZulu, isiXhosa, siSwati and isiNdebele. Look at the word for water: amanzi, amanzi, emanti, amanzi.
• The Sotho-Tswana languages: Sesotho, Setswana and Sepedi. Their word for water is metsi, metsi and meetse.
• Xitsonga and Tshivenda each have their own branch, with words like mati and maḓi for water.

Children love spotting these patterns. It turns vocabulary into a puzzle: "Why do isiZulu and siSwati sound so similar?"

12 everyday words in 9 languages

These are the same words children practise in the Asifunde Nathi word game, matched to pictures so even toddlers can play.

How to say hello and thank you

Greetings often change depending on whether you are speaking to one person or many, and on the time of day. Ask a speaker of the language to show your child the right greeting for each situation.

5 games to play with this table

1. Word of the day

Pick one word each morning and learn it in three languages. By the end of the month your child will know dozens of words.

2. Spot the family

Read a row aloud and ask your child to group the words that sound alike. It is a fun way to discover the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana families.

3. Greet a friend

Before a playdate or a visit, find out which language the friend or relative speaks and practise the greeting together. The smile your child gets in return will make the language feel real.

4. Picture match

Draw or print the 12 pictures (water, dog, cat and so on) and write the words on separate cards. Take turns matching each word to its picture.

5. Label the house

Choose your home language and stick labels on the door (indlu or ntlo), the fridge (ubisi or lebese) and the bookshelf (incwadi or buka).

Why this matters

South Africa's languages are not spread evenly: according to Census 2022, isiZulu is spoken in 24.4% of households, isiXhosa in 16.3% and Sepedi in 10.0%, while Tshivenda and siSwati are each spoken in under 3%. Children from smaller language communities often feel their language is less important. When children learn words from each other's languages, every language gets its moment.

Most of all, learning a little of another language teaches empathy. A child who has tried to say Ndza khensa knows how it feels to be a beginner, and becomes a kinder friend to someone learning their language.

Learn more in one app

Asifunde Nathi lets children aged 2 to 10 learn words, syllables, reading, numbers and money in any of these nine languages, and switch between them, which is perfect for multilingual families. Try it free for 7 days.

For deeper guides, see how to teach your child isiZulu, isiXhosa or Sesotho.

Questions parents ask

Words follow the standard spelling used in the Asifunde Nathi app. Many words have regional variants, so follow the way your family and community speak.