Ewe Language Guide
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The Ewe language is activly spoken in the SouthEastern parts of Ghana and part of Togo. Ewe is
a tonal language and changes in meaning can be brought about by tonal differences.
It has a number of peruliar consonants and diagraphs.
Six of the letters in Ewe do not appear in western languages. The international encoding standards generally do not allow for these letters. Also, in Ewe the western letters C, J and Q are not used. For this reason, many words are shown in the proper form as a graphic, plus the common way to type this in e-mail or otherwise on typical computer keyboards. |
Greetings
| Written | Typed | English | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mia ga do go | Goodbye | SB | |
| Wezon | this is the correct way to welcome in Ewe | SB | |
| Belatchere | Good bye | SB | |
| Nkekea nenyon | Have a good day | SB | |
| Fienawo | Good evening | SB | |
| Baba | Sorry | EB | |
| Akpe ne wo | Thank You | EB | |
| Mede ku ku | Please | EB | |
| Baba | Sorry | EB | |
| E nyon nyon ge | It shall be well | SB | |
| No ani | Sit down | EB | |
| Afeta la fo hee | The lord has risen | EB | |
| Afon yami va va | Indeed, the lord has risen | EB | |
| Afwa | How are you? | EB | |
| Aboa | Are you back? | EB | |
| A mabo | Yes, I am back. | EB | |
| Yo | I agree | EB | |
| Eh | No (disagree) | EB | |
| A | Yes | EB | |
| Apomoto | How is your household? | EB | |
| Endo | Fine. | EB | |
| Ele neda | Are you well? | EB | |
| Wede | General greeting for someone returning from a short trip - to a person | EB | |
| Miewede | General greeting for someone returning from a short trip - to many people | EB | |
| Ieko | greeting to someone working | EB | |
| Akpe meleo | Thank you, but no. | EB | |
| Enyo | Good (or that's plenty) | EB | |
| Woletsia | Will you bath? | EB |
Household Items
| Written | Typed | English | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etsi | Water | EB | |
| Aha | a drink | EB | |
| Deha | Palm wine | EB | |
| Akpetesie | Ghanian moonshine (distilled palmwine) | EB | |
| Ator | Apple | EB | |
| Eto | Mortar | EB | |
| Tati | Pestle | EB | |
| Evu | Drum | EB |
Verbs
| Written | Typed | English | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | Dzo | EB | |
| Come | Va | EB | |
| Run | Sedu | EB |
Common Phrases
| Written | Typed | English | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Me su akpe or Akpe me leo |
your are welcome or it's my pleasure or it's ok | SB | |
| Onko wo de | What is your name? | EB | |
| Babalo | I am sorry for you. | EB | |
| Vamidunu | Come and let's eat | EB | |
| Edia | Do you like this food? | EB | |
| Nyemediwo | I don't want it or I don't want you (go away) | EB | |
| Fika netso | Where do you come from? | EB | |
| Ma va fifia | I will come right now? | EB | |
| Edo le wunye | I am hungry | EB | |
| Me gbor | Just a minute | EB | |
| Meyi anyimlonfe | I am going to sleep | EB | |
| Ele afifia tom | Are you sweating? | EB | |
| Eyi gbedeka | I will hear from you one day | SB |
Other
| Written | Typed | English | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mawu | God? | EB | |
 |
Nyadede | Greeters | http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/aflang/ewe/" |
Unknown - need translation
| Written | Typed | English | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efor na mi vava | |||
| Mawu yra wo | |||
| Enye dzidzi nam | |||
| Wo linyuie Ola? |
Nearby languages
| Written | Typed | English | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akawaba | Welcome (Twi) | EB |
Sources:
| SB | Salihou Boukari, Cape Coast, Ghana | NA | Noah Agbele, Jordan Nu, Ghana | EB | Emmanuel Buamah, Jordan Nu, Ghana |