Luganda, a Bantu language, is a major language in Uganda spoken by the Baganda people and as a second language by many others, primarily in central Uganda. It is a tonal, agglutinative language with a subject-verb-object word order, and it is used in various domains including education, media, and trade. Basic greetings include "Wasuze otya nno?" (Good morning?) and "Osiibye otya nno?" (Good afternoon/evening?). 

Thanks for understanding the importance of learning a little local language before you travel. It doesn’t matter where in the world you go, it’s always appreciated when you drop a “how are you” or a “thank you” in the language of the person you’re addressing.

Luganda is one of the main languages spoken in Uganda. It is the language of the Baganda tribe. While there are over 50 languages in Uganda, Luganda is by far the most widely spoken in the south central region.

The Kingdom of Buganda stretches from Lyantonde in the west to the River Nile in the east. If you’re volunteering with The Real Uganda, you will be fully immersed in Luganda.

Luganda is a musical language that is spoken rather slowly. It’s not at all like English. Most foreigners never learn a thing, so when you rock a little Luganda in the village or even in Kampala, expect a BIG reaction. Which totally helps you to learn more.

The language of instruction in most schools is English. If you use Luganda there, it will be against the rules. And the kids will laugh at you. Loudly.

While we don’t expect you to become fluent in Luganda while volunteering in Uganda, we’d love if you gave some of these phrases a try and practiced them while you’re here.

Remember – you’ll be surrounded by teachers. Take advantage of this, and learn and use as much Luganda as you can.

Want to get a head start? The folks over at Utalk give our readers a 20% discount on their interactive Luganda language learning app!

A note on pronunciation:

most words are pronounced phonetically

“ki” and “ky” make a “chi” sound

“oo” makes an “oh” sound

“ee” makes an “ay” sound

“ii” makes an “ee” sounds

“l” and “r” are often interchanged, “play” becomes “pray”

Okay, enough said. Here’s our practical Luganda phrase book for beginners. 

basic greetings and being polite

Baganda LOVE to greet. The culture is heavily based on being sociable. When volunteering, greet everyone you meet. It’s customary to stop and shake hands when formally greeting someone. Ladies, no eye contact with men.

Protips: don’t greet Baganda when they are eating. You’ll also see women and children kneeling to greet in the village. It’s a sign of respect. Foreigners are not expected to kneel.

Good morning…..Wasuze otya nno?

Good afternoon…..Osiibye otya nno?

Good evening…..Osiibye otya nno?

I’m well (and you?)…..Bulungi (nawe, wasuze otya nno? pronounced with a soft “g”)

How are you? (to one person)…..Oli otya?

How are you (to many)…..Muli mutya?

I am fine…..Gyendi (soft “g”)

Thanks for the work…..Jebale ko (very casual greeting, no need to stop and humble yourself)

Ok, you too…..Kale, nawe (pronounced “KAH-lay” the answer to “jebale ko” and almost everything else)