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Fuliiru

Fuliiru is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken in Congo - Kinshasa and Burundi.

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Fuliiru · 3.0°S 29.0°E

The Fuliiru language (autonym: Kifuliiru; also spelled Fuliru) is a Great Lakes Bantu language spoken by the Fuliru people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in areas north and west of Uvira Territory in the South Kivu province. It belongs to the Niger–Congo language family, within the Bantu branch, and is classified among the Shi–Havu subgroup of the Great Lakes Bantu languages. Closely related to Kinyindu, Fuliiru is the primary means of communication for Bafuliiru, with an estimated 400,000 native speakers as of 2012.

It is characterized by its tonal system, agglutinative morphology, and extensive noun class structure. During colonial and postcolonial times, it was often marginalized in favor of Swahili and French.

From Wikipedia · Fuliiru language · CC BY-SA 4.0

Words in Fuliiru

MeaningWordRomanization
personndu*
namezino*
eyesu*
eartwikri*
nosezulu*
toothino*
tongueimi*
bloodko*
bonevuha*
skinluhu*
kneedwi*
breastbere*
liverdiku*
wateriji*
fireriro*
sunzuba*
stardonde*
stonebwe*
mountaingazi*
treeti*
leafasi*
nightThigi*
dogbwa*
fishfwi*
louseda*
oneguma*
twozibiri*
drinknywa*
seelola*
hearyuvwa*

* in the simplified ASJP transcription

Most similar languages

Vocabulary

  • JobaAtlantic-Congo75% alike
  • ShiAtlantic-Congo70% alike
  • HavuAtlantic-Congo55% alike
  • BendeAtlantic-Congo48% alike
  • SumbwaAtlantic-Congo48% alike
  • KereweAtlantic-Congo47% alike

Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.

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Glottolog · fuli1240 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · flr