View source for Kongo language

{{Short description|Bantu language of west-central Africa}}
{{Redirect|Kikongo|a related language known as Kikongo ya leta|Kituba language|the spider genus|Kikongo (spider)|the ward in Tanzania|Kikongo, Tanzania}}
{{Infobox language
| name          = Kongo
| nativename    = Kikongo
| states        = [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DR Congo]] ([[Kongo Central]]), [[Angola]], [[Republic of the Congo]], [[Gabon]]
| region        = 
| ethnicity     = [[Kongo people|Kongo]]
| speakers      = [[first language|L1]]: {{sigfig|5.955500|2}} million
| date          = 1982–2021
| ref           = e27
| speakers2     = [[second language|L2]]: {{sigfig|5.000000|2}} million (2021)<ref name=e27/>
| familycolor   = Niger-Congo
| fam2          = [[Atlantic–Congo languages|Atlantic–Congo]]
| fam3          = [[Volta-Congo]]
| fam4          = [[Benue–Congo languages|Benue–Congo]]
| fam5          = [[Bantoid languages|Bantoid]]
| fam6          = [[Southern Bantoid languages|Southern Bantoid]]
| fam7          = [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] ([[Guthrie classification of Bantu languages#Zone H|Zone H]])
| fam8          = [[Kongo languages|Kongo]]-[[Yaka languages|Yaka]]
| fam9          = [[Kongo languages]] (H.16)
| script        = [[Latin script|Latin]]<br />[[Mandombe]]
| nation        = '''National language and unofficial language:''' <br />{{flag|Angola}}
| minority      =
| iso1          = kg
| iso2          = kon
| iso3          = kon
| lc1           = kng
| ld1           = Koongo
| lc2           = ldi
| ld2           = Ladi, Laadi, Lari or Laari
| lc3           = kwy
| ld3           = San Salvador Kongo (South)
| lc4           = yom
| ld4           = Yombe
| glotto        = yomb1244
| glottoname    = Yombe
| guthrie       = H.14–16
| map           = LanguageMap-Kikongo-Kituba.png
| mapcaption    = Map of the area where Kongo and Kituba are spoken, Kituba as a lingua franca.  Kisikongo (also called Kisansala by some authors) is the Kikongo spoken in Mbanza Kongo.
}}
{{Infobox NC name|muKongo, musi Kongo, muisi Kongo, mwisi Kongo, nKongo|baKongo, bisi Kongo, besi Kongo, esiKongo, aKongo|kiKongo||The Kongo language}}

'''Kongo''' or '''Kikongo''' is one of the [[Bantu languages]] spoken by the [[Kongo people]] living in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (DRC), the [[Republic of the Congo]], [[Gabon]], and [[Angola]]. It is a [[tonal language]]. The vast majority of present-day speakers live in Africa. There are roughly seven million native speakers of Kongo in the above-named countries. An estimated five million more speakers use it as a [[second language]].<ref name=e27/>

Historically, it was spoken by many of those Africans who for centuries were taken captive, transported across the Atlantic,  and sold as slaves in the [[Americas]]. For this reason, creolized forms of the language are found in ritual speech of [[Afro-American religion]]s, especially in [[Brazil]], [[Cuba]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Haiti]], and [[Suriname]]. It is also one of the sources of the [[Gullah language]], which formed in the Low Country and Sea Islands of the United States Southeast,<ref>{{cite book|title=King Leopold's Ghost |url=https://archive.org/details/kingleopoldsghos00hoch_1 |url-access=registration |author=Adam Hochschild | page=[https://archive.org/details/kingleopoldsghos00hoch_1/page/11 11] |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=1998|isbn=9780618001903 }}</ref> and a major source of the [[Palenquero language]] of [[Colombia]].

==Geographic distribution==
Kikongo was the language of the [[Kingdom of Kongo]] prior to the creation of [[Angola]] by the Portuguese Crown in 1575. The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) among major European powers divided the rest of the kingdom into three territories. These are now parts of the DRC ([[Kongo Central]] and [[Bandundu province|Bandundu]]), the Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.

Kikongo is the base for the Creole language [[Kituba language|Kituba]], also called ''Kikongo de l'État'' and ''Kikongo ya Leta'' ([[French language|French]] and Kituba, respectively, for "Kikongo of the state administration" or "Kikongo of the State").<ref name=Britannica />

The [[constitution of the Republic of the Congo]] uses the name ''Kituba'',<ref name=Digitheque >{{cite web|url=https://mjp.univ-perp.fr/constit/cg2015.htm |language=fr|title=Constitution de 2015 |work=Digithèque matériaux juridiques et politiques, Jean-Pierre Maury, Université de Perpignan |access-date=14 December 2020}}</ref> and [[Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Republic of the Congo]] uses the term ''Kikongo'' (i.e. Kikongo ya Leta).<ref name=WIPO >{{cite web|url=https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/fr/cd/cd001fr.pdf |title=Constitution de la République Démocratique du Congo |work=Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle ou World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) |language=fr|page=11 |access-date=14 December 2020}}</ref>This can be explained by the fact that Kikongo ya Leta is often mistakenly called Kikongo (i.e. KiNtandu, KiManianga, KiNdibu, etc.).<ref>Foreign Service Institute (U.S.) and Lloyd Balderston Swift, ''Kituba; Basic Course'', Department of State, 1963, p.10</ref><ref name=Britannica >{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kikongo-Kituba |language=en|title=Kikongo-Kituba |encyclopedia=Britannica |access-date=14 December 2020}}</ref><ref>Godefroid Muzalia Kihangu, ''Bundu dia Kongo, une résurgence des messianismes et de l’alliance des Bakongo?'', Universiteit Gent, België, 2011, p. 30</ref>

Kikongo and Kituba are spoken in:
* South of [[Republic of the Congo]]:
** Kikongo (Yombe, Vili, Ladi, Sundi, etc.) and Kituba:
*** [[Kouilou Region|Kouilou]],
*** [[Niari Region|Niari]],
*** [[Bouenza]],
*** [[Lékoumou]],
*** south of [[Brazzaville]],
*** [[Pointe-Noire]],
** Kikongo (Ladi, Kongo Boko, etc.):
*** [[Pool Department|Pool]];
* South-west of [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]:
** Kikongo (Yombe, Ntandu, Ndibu, Manyanga, etc.) and Kikongo ya Leta:
*** [[Kongo Central]],
*** a part of [[Kinshasa]],
** Kikongo ya Leta:
*** [[Kwilu Province|Kwilu]],
*** [[Kwango Province|Kwango]],
*** [[Mai-Ndombe Province|Mai-Ndombe]],
*** far west [[Kasaï Province|Kasaï]];
* North of [[Angola]]:
** Kikongo (Kisikongo, Zombo, Ibinda, etc.):
*** [[Cabinda Province|Cabinda]],
*** [[Uíge Province|Uíge]],
*** [[Zaire Province|Zaire]],
*** north of [[Bengo Province|Bengo]] and north of [[Cuanza Norte Province|Cuanza Norte]];
* South-West of [[Gabon]].
** Kikongo (Vili):
*** [[Nyanga Province|Nyanga]],
*** [[Ngounié Province|Ngounié]]

=== Presence in the Americas ===
Many African slaves transported in the [[Atlantic slave trade]] spoke Kikongo. Its influence can be seen in many [[creole language]]s in the [[African diaspora|diaspora]], such as:
*[[Brazil]]
**[[Cafundó language|Cupópia]]
***[[Salto de Pirapora]]
*[[Colombia]]
**[[Palenquero]]
***[[San Basilio de Palenque]]
*[[Cuba]]
**[[Habla Congo|Habla Congo/Habla Bantu]]
***None; [[liturgical language]] of the [[Afro-Cubans|Afro-Cuban]] [[Palo (religion)|Palo]] religion.
*[[Haiti]]
**[[Haitian Creole]]
***Haiti
***[[Bahamas]]
***[[Cuba]]
***[[Dominican Republic]]
***[[United States]]
**[[Haitian Vodoun Culture Language|Langaj]]
***None; liturgical language of the [[Haitian Vodou]] religion.
*[[Suriname]]
**[[Saramaccan language]]
***[[Boven Suriname]]
***[[Brokopondo District|Brokopondo]]
***[[Paramaribo]]
***[[French Guiana]]
***[[Netherlands]]
*[[African Americans|United States]]
**[[Gullah language|Gullah]]
***[[Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor|Gullah-Geechee Corridor]] (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida)
**[[Louisiana Creole]]
***[[Louisiana]]; and neighboring states.

== People ==
Prior to the [[Berlin Conference]], the people called themselves "Bisi Kongo" (plural) and "Mwisi Kongo" (singular). Today they call themselves "[[Bakongo]]" (pl.) and "Mukongo" (sing.).<ref>Wyatt MacGaffey, ''Kongo Political Culture: The Conceptual Challenge of the Particular'', Indiana University Press, 2000, p.62</ref>

== Writing ==
[[File:Kikongo-m.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Hail Mary]] in Kikongo.]]

Kongo was the earliest [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] language to be written in Latin characters. Portuguese created a dictionary in Kongo, the first of any Bantu language. A catechism was produced under the authority of Diogo Gomes, who was born in 1557 in Kongo to [[Portugal|Portuguese]] parents and became a [[Jesuit]] priest. No version of that survives today.

In 1624, Mateus Cardoso, another Portuguese Jesuit, edited and published a Kongo translation of the Portuguese catechism compiled by Marcos Jorge. The preface says that the translation was done by Kongo teachers from [[São Salvador do Congo|São Salvador]] (modern [[Mbanza-Kongo|Mbanza Kongo]]) and was probably partially the work of Félix do Espírito Santo (also a Kongo).<ref>François Bontinck and D. Ndembi Nsasi, ''Le catéchisme kikongo de 1624. Reeédtion critique'' (Brussels, 1978)</ref>

The dictionary was written in about 1648 for the use of [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|Capuchin]] missionaries. The principal author was Manuel Robredo, a secular priest from Kongo (after he became a Capuchin, he was named Francisco de São Salvador). The back of this dictionary includes a two-page sermon written in Kongo. The dictionary has some 10,000 words.

In the 1780s, French Catholic missionaries to the [[Kingdom of Loango|Loango]] coast created additional dictionaries. Bernardo da Canecattim published a word list in 1805.

[[Baptist]] missionaries who arrived in Kongo in 1879 (from Great Britain) developed a modern orthography of the language.

American missionary [[W. Holman Bentley]] arranged for his ''Dictionary and Grammar of the Kongo Language'' to be published by the [[University of Michigan]] in 1887. In the preface, Bentley gave credit to Nlemvo, an African, for his assistance. He described "the methods he used to compile the dictionary, which included sorting and correcting 25,000 slips of paper containing words and their definitions."<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Dictionary and Grammar of the Kongo Language, as Spoken at San Salvador, the Ancient Capital of the Old Kongo Empire, West Africa: Preface
| work = [[World Digital Library]]
| access-date = 2013-05-23
| url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2533/
}}</ref> Eventually W. Holman Bentley, with the special assistance of João Lemvo, produced a complete [[Christian Bible]] in 1905.

The [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights]] has published a translation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Fiote.

== Standardisation ==
The work of English, Swedish and other missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries, in collaboration with Kongo linguists and evangelists such as Ndo Nzuawu Nlemvo (or Ndo Nzwawu Nlemvo; Dom João in Portuguese) and Miguel NeKaka, marked the standardisation of Kikongo.<ref>William Holman Bentley, ''Dictionary and grammar of the Kongo language as spoken at San Salvador, the ancient capital of the old Kongo Empire'', Baptist Missionary Society, The University of Michigan, 1887</ref><ref>Karl Edvard Laman, ''Nkanda wa bilekwa bianza uzayulwanga mpangulu ye nkadulu au'', Svenska missionsförbundet, S.M.S., Matadi, 1899</ref><ref>Karl Edvard Laman, ''Dictionnaire kikongo-français, avec une étude phonétique décrivant les dialectes les plus importants de la langue dite Kikongo'', bruxelles : Librairie Falk fils, 1936</ref><ref name=Divaportal>{{cite web|url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:280202/FULLTEXT01.pdf |language=fr|title=Publications en kikongo Bibliographie relative aux contributions suédoises entre 1885 et 1970 |work=DiVA portal, Bertil Söderberg & Ragnar Widman, L'institut scandinave d'etudes africaines, Uppsala et Le musée ethnographique, Stockholm, 1978|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref>

{{citation bloc|A large proportion of the people at San Salvador, and in its neighbourhood, pronounce s and z before i as sh and j; for the sound sh, the letter x was adopted (as in Portuguese), while z before i was written as j. Our books are read over a much wider area than the district of San Salvador, and in those parts where s and z remain unchanged before i, the use of x and j has proved a difficulty; it has therefore been decided to use s and z only, and in those parts where the sound of these letters is softened before i they will be naturally softened in pronunciation, and where they remain unchanged they will be pronounced as written.|William Holman Bentley|Dictionary and grammar of the Kongo language as spoken at San Salvador, the ancient capital of the old Kongo Empire (1887)}}

==Linguistic classification==
Kikongo belongs to the Bantu language family.

[[Malcolm Guthrie]] classified Kikongo in the language group H10, the [[Kongo languages]]. Other languages in the same group include [[Bembe language (Kibembe)|Bembe]] (H11). ''Ethnologue'' 16 counts Ndingi (H14) and Mboka (H15) as dialects of Kongo, though it acknowledges they may be distinct languages.

Bastin, Coupez and Man's classification of the language (as Tervuren) is more recent and precise than that of Guthrie on Kikongo. The former say the language has the following dialects:

*Kikongo group H16
**Southern Kikongo H16a
**Central Kikongo H16b
**Yombe (also called Kiyombe) H16c<ref>Maho 2009</ref>
**Fiote H16d
**Western Kikongo H16d
**Bwende H16e
**Ladi (Lari) H16f
**Eastern Kikongo H16g
**Southeastern Kikongo H16h

NB:<ref>Jasper DE KIND , Sebastian DOM, Gilles-Maurice DE SCHRYVER et Koen BOSTOEN, ''Fronted-infinitive constructions in Kikongo (Bantu H16): verb focus, progressive aspect and future'', KongoKing Research Group, Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 2013</ref><ref>Koen Bostoen et Inge Brinkman, ''The Kongo Kingdom: The Origins, Dynamics and Cosmopolitan Culture of an African Polity'', Cambridge University Press, 2018</ref><ref>Raphaël Batsîkama Ba Mampuya Ma Ndâwla, ''L'ancien royaume du Congo et les Bakongo, séquences d'histoire populaire'', L'harmattan, 2000</ref> Kisikongo is not the protolanguage of the Kongo language cluster. Not all varieties of Kikongo are mutually intelligible (for example, 1. Civili is better understood by Kiyombe- and Iwoyo-speakers than by Kisikongo- or Kimanianga-speakers; 2. Kimanianga is better understood by Kikongo of Boko and Kintandu-speakers than by Civili or Iwoyo-speakers).

== Phonology ==

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+caption|Consonant phonemes
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Coronal consonant|Coronal]]
! [[Dorsal consonant|Dorsal]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|style=border-right:0| ''m'' {{IPAslink|m}}
|style=border-right:0| ''n'' {{IPAslink|n}}
|style=border-right:0| (''ng'' {{IPAslink|ŋ}})
|-
! rowspan="4" |[[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
!{{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| style="border-right:0" |''p'' {{IPAslink|p}}
| style="border-right:0" |''t'' {{IPAslink|t}}
| style="border-right:0" |''k'' {{IPAslink|k}}
|-
!<small>[[prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]</small> {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| style="border-right:0" |''mp'' {{IPAslink|ᵐp}}
| style="border-right:0" |''nt'' {{IPAslink|ⁿt}}
| style="border-right:0" |''nk'' {{IPAslink|ᵑk}}
|-
!{{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|''b'' {{IPAslink|b}}
|''d'' {{IPAslink|d}}
|(''g'' {{IPAslink|ɡ}})<sup>1</sup>
|-
!<small>[[prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]</small> {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|''mb'' {{IPAslink|ᵐb}}
|''nd'' {{IPAslink|ⁿd}}
|''ng'' {{IPAslink|ᵑɡ}}<sup>2</sup>
|-
! rowspan="4" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
!{{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| style="border-right:0" |''f'' {{IPAslink|f}}
| style="border-right:0" |''s'' {{IPAslink|s}}
|
|-
!<small>[[prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]</small> {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| style="border-right:0" |''mf'' {{IPAslink|ᶬf}}
| style="border-right:0" |''ns'' {{IPAslink|ⁿs}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|''v'' {{IPAslink|v}}
|''z'' {{IPAslink|z}}
|
|-
!<small>[[prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]</small> {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|''mv'' {{IPAslink|ᶬv}}
|''nz'' {{IPAslink|ⁿz}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| style="border-right:0" | ''w'' {{IPAslink|w}}
| style="border-right:0" | ''l'' {{IPAslink|l}}
| style="border-right:0" | ''y'' {{IPAslink|j}}
|}

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+caption|Vowel phonemes
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Close vowel|High]]
|''i'' {{IPAslink|i}}
|''u'' {{IPAslink|u}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|''e'' {{IPAslink|e̞}}
|''o'' {{IPAslink|o̞}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Low]]
|colspan=2|''a'' {{IPAslink|ä|a}}
|}
# The phoneme {{IPA|/ɡ/}} can occur, but is rarely used.
# May also be heard as a nasal sound.
There is contrastive [[vowel length]]. /m/ and /n/ also have [[syllabic consonant|syllabic]] variants, which contrast with prenasalized consonants.

== Grammar ==

=== Noun classes ===
Kikongo has a system of 18 noun classes in which nouns are classified according to noun prefixes. Most of the classes go in pairs (singular and plural) except for the locative and infinitive classes which do not admit plurals.<ref>[[Amélia Mingas|Amélia Arlete MINGAS]], ''ETUDE GRAMMATICALE DE L'IWOYO (ANGOLA)'', UNIVERSITE RENE DESCARTES PARIS - UFR DE LINGUISTIQUE GENERALE ET APPLIQUEE, 1994 (in French)</ref><ref>Luntadila Nlandu Inocente, '' Nominalisations en kìsìkongò (H16): Les substantifs predicatifs et les verbes-supports Vánga, Sála, Sá et Tá (faire)'', Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 2015 (in French)</ref><ref>Elise Solange Bagamboula, ''Les classificateurs BU (CL. 14), GA (CL. 16), KU (CL. 17) et MU (CL. 18) dans l’expression de la localisation en kikongo (lari)'', Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), 2019 (in French)</ref><ref>Audrey Mariette TELE-PEMBA, ''Eléments pour une approche comparée des emprunts lexicaux du civili du Gabon, du Congo-Brazzaville et du Cabinda : proposition d’ un modèle de dictionnaire'', UNIVERSITE OMAR BONGO – Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines – Département des Sciences du Langage, Libreville, 2009 (in French)</ref><ref>R. P. L. DE CLERCQ, ''Grammaire du Kiyombe'' , Edition Goemaere – Bruxelles – Kinshasa, 1907 (in French)</ref><ref>Léon Dereau, ''COURS DE KIKONGO'', Maison d’éditions AD. WESMAEL-CHARLIER, Namur, 1955 (in French)</ref><ref>François Lumwamu, ''Sur les classes nominales et le nombre dans une langue bantu'', Cahiers d’Études africaines, 1970 (in French)</ref><ref>Joaquim Mbachi, CAMINHOS DA GRAMÁTICA IBINDA, Cabinda (Angola), 2013 (in Portuguese)</ref><ref>Robert Tinou, ''Abécédaire du kouilou zaab’ ku tub’ tchi vili'', L’HARMATTAN, 2015 (in French)</ref><ref>Filipe Camilo Miaca, ''Corpus lexical dos verbos em iwoyo e português, proposta de um dicionário bilingue de verbos em português e iwoyo'', Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2020 (in Portuguese)</ref><ref>Guy Noël Kouarata, ''DICTIONNAIRE BEEMBE–FRANÇAIS'', SIL-Congo, 2010 (in French)</ref><ref>Raharimanantsoa Ruth, ''Petit guide d’orthographe et de grammaire KUNYI (KUNI)'', SIL-Congo, 2022 (in French)</ref><ref>Emmanuel Ngizulu Nsemi, ''Longoka Kikongo'', Paari éditeur, 2025</ref><ref>JOSÉ LOURENÇO TAVARES, ''Gramática da língua do Congo (kikongo) (dialecto kisolongo)'', Composto e Impresso nas oficinas da Imprensa, Nacional de Angola, 1915 (in Portuguese)</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!Classes!!Noun prefixes!! Characteristics!!Examples
|-
|'''1'''||'''mu-, n-'''||humans||''muntu/muuntu/mutu/muutu (person, human)''
|-
|'''2'''||'''ba-, wa-, a-'''||plural form of the class 1...||''bantu/baantu/batu/baatu/wantu/antu (people, humans,)''
|-
|'''3'''||'''mu-, n-'''||various: plants, inanimate...||''muti/nti (tree)'', ''nlangu (water)''
|-
|'''4'''||'''mi-, n-, i-'''||plural form of the class 3...||''miti/minti/inti (trees)'', ''milangu/minlangu (waters)''
|-
|'''5'''||'''di-, li-'''||various: body parts, vegetables...||''didezo/lideso/lidezu/didezu (bean)''
|-
|'''6'''||'''ma-'''|| various : liquids, plural form of the class 5...||''madezo/medeso/madeso/madezu (beans), maza/maamba/mamba/maampa/masi/masa (water)''
|-
|'''7'''||'''ki-, ci '''(tchi/tshi) '''-, tsi '''(ti) '''-, i-'''||various: language, inanimate...||''kikongo/cikongo/tsikongo/ikongo (kongo language), kikuku/cikuuku/tsikûku (kitchen)''
|-
|'''8'''||'''bi-''', '''i-''', '''yi-''', '''u-''' || plural form of the class 7...||''bikuku/bikuuku/bikûku (kitchens)''
|-
|'''9'''||'''Ø-, n-, m-, yi-, i-'''||various: animals, pets, artefacts...||''nzo/nso (house), ngulu (pig)''
|-
|'''10'''||'''Ø-, n-, m-, si-, zi-, tsi-'''||plural form of the classes 9, 11...||''si nzo/zi nzo/zinzo/tsi nso (houses), si ngulu/zi  ngulu/zingulu (pigs)''
|-
|'''11'''||'''lu-'''||various: animals, artefacts, sites, attitudes, qualities, feeling...||'' lulendo (pride), lupangu/lupaangu (plot of land)''
|-
|'''13'''||'''tu-'''||plural form of the classes 7 11...||''tupangu/tupaangu (plots of land)''
|-
|'''14'''||'''bu-, wu-'''||various: artefacts, sites, attitudes, qualities...||'' bumolo/bubolo (laziness)''
|-
|'''15'''||'''ku-, u-'''||infinitives||''kutuba/kutub'/utuba (to speak), kutanga/kutaangë/utanga (to read)''
|-
|'''15a'''||'''ku-'''||body parts... ||''kulu (foot), koko/kooko (hand)''
|-
|'''6'''||'''ma-'''||plural form of the class 15a... ||''malu (feet), moko/mooko (hands)''
|-
|'''4'''||'''mi-'''||plural form of the class  15a... ||''miooko/mioko(hands)''
|-
|'''16'''||'''va-, ga- (ha-), fa-'''||locatives (proximal, exact) ||''va nzo (near the house), fa (on, over), ga/ha (on), va (on)''
|-
|'''17'''||'''ku-'''||locatives (distal, approximate) ||''ku vata (in the village), kuna (over there)''
|-
|'''18'''||'''mu-'''||locatives (interior) ||''mu nzo (in the house)''
|-
|'''19'''||'''fi-, mua/mwa-'''|| diminutives ||''fi nzo (small house)'', ''fi nuni (nestling, fledgling, little bird)'', ''mua (or mwa) nuni (nestling, fledgling, little bird)''
|}

NB: Noun prefixes may or may not change from one Kikongo variant to another (e.g. class 7: the noun prefix ''ci''  is used in civili, iwoyo or ciladi (lari) and the noun prefix ''ki'' is used in kisikongo, kiyombe, kizombo, kimanianga,...).

=== Conjugation ===

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+
!Personal pronouns
!Translation
|-
|Mono
|I
|-
|Ngeye
|You
|-
|Yandi
|He or she
|-
|Kima
|It (for an object / an animal / a thing, examples: a table, a knife,...)
|-
|Yeto / Beto
|We
|-
|Yeno / Beno
|You
|-
|Yawu / Bawu (or Bau)
|They
|-
|Bima
|They (for objects / animals / things, examples:  tables, knives,...)
|}

NB: Not all variants of Kikongo have completely the same personal pronouns and when conjugating verbs, the  personal pronouns become stressed pronouns (see below and/or the references posted).

Conjugating the verb (''mpanga'' in Kikongo) to be (''kukala'' or ''kuba''; also ''kuena'', ''kwena'' or ''kuwena'' in Kikongo) in the present:<ref name=Ksludotique >{{cite web|url= https://www.ksludotique.com/kikongo-space/kikongo-grammar-first-part/?lang=en |language=en|title=Kikongo grammar, first part |work=Ksludotique |access-date=25 November 2020}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|-
|(Mono) '''ngi'''ena / Mono '''ngi'''na
|(Me), I am
|-
|(Ngeye) '''w'''ena / Ngeye '''w'''ina / '''w'''una / '''u'''na
|(You), you are
|-
|(Yandi) '''w'''ena / Yandi '''k'''ena / '''w'''una / '''u'''na
|(Him / Her), he or she is
|-
|(Kima) '''ki'''ena
|(It), it is (for an object / an animal / a thing, examples: a table, a knife,...)
|-
|(Beto) '''tu'''ena / Yeto '''tu'''ina / '''tu'''na
|(Us), we are
|-
|(Beno) '''lu'''ena / Yeno '''lu'''ina / '''lu'''na
|(You), you are
|-
|(Bawu) '''b'''ena / Yawu '''b'''ena
|(Them), they are
|-
|(Bima) '''bi'''ena
|(Them), they are (for objects / animals / things, examples:  tables, knives,...)
|}

Conjugating the verb (''mpanga'' in Kikongo) to have (''kuvua'' in Kikongo; also ''kuba na'' or  ''kukala ye'') in the present :

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|-
|(Mono) '''m'''vuidi
|(Me), I have
|-
|(Ngeye) '''v'''uidi
|(You), you have
|-
|(Yandi) '''v'''uidi
| (Him / Her), he or she has
|-
|(Beto) '''tu'''vuidi
|(Us), we have
|-
|(Beno) '''lu'''vuidi
|(You), you have
|-
|(Bawu) '''ba'''vuidi
|(Them), they have
|}

NB: In Kikongo, the conjugation of a tense to different persons is done by changing ''verbal prefixes'' (highlighted in bold). These ''verbal prefixes'' are also personal pronouns. However, not all variants of Kikongo have completely the same verbal prefixes and the same verbs (cf. the references posted). The ksludotique site uses several variants of Kikongo (kimanianga,...).

== Vocabulary ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Word        || Translation
|--
| kiambote, yenge (kiaku, kieno) / mbot'aku / mbotieno (mboti'eno) / mbote zeno / mbote / mboti / mboto / bueke / buekanu   <ref>Kiambote kiaku / mbot'aku (hello/good morning to you (to one person)), kiambote kieno / mbote zeno / mbotieno / buekanu (hello/good morning to many people), yenge kiaku (hello/good morning to you / peace to you (to one person)), yenge kieno (hello/good morning to many people / peace to you (to many people))</ref>  || hello, good morning
|-
|malafu, malavu
|alcoholic drink
|-
|diamba
|hemp
|-
|binkutu, binkuti
|clothes
|--
|ntoto, mutoto|| soil, floor, ground, Earth
|--
| nsi, tsi, si || country, province, region
|--
| vata, gata, divata, digata, dihata, diɣata, buala (or bwala), bual' (or bwal', bualë, bwalë), bula, hata, ɣata || village
|--
| mavata, magata, mahata, maɣata, mala, maala || villages
|--
| nzo || house
|--
| zulu, yulu, yilu       || sky, top, above
|--
| maza, masa, mamba, maamba, masi, nlangu, mazi, maampa      || water
|--
| tiya, mbasu, mbawu  || fire
|--
| makaya || leaves (example : hemp leaves)
|--
| bakala, yakala || man, husband
|--
| nkento, mukento, nkiento, ncyento, nciento, ntchiento, ntchientu, ntchetu, ntcheetu, ncetu, nceetu, mukietu, mukeetu, mukeeto || woman
|-
| mukazi, nkazi, nkasi, mukasi
|spouse (wife)
|--
| mulumi, nlumi, nnuni
|spouse (husband)
|--
| muana (or mwana) ndumba, ndumba
|young girl, single young woman
|--
| nkumbu / zina / li zina / dizina / ligina <ref>The family name and first name were not part of the Kongo culture, meaning the Kongo people gave the children a name based on the circumstances surrounding their birth, significant events, etc. The rule of giving a surname, a first name and a middle name to the children was introduced by the Westerners (Portuguese, French and Belgians).</ref>
|name
|--
| kudia, kudya, kulia, kulya  || to eat
|--
| kunua, kunwa || to drink
|--
| nene      || big
|--
| fioti     || small
|--
| mpimpa     || night
|--
| lumbu       || day
|--
| kukovola, kukofola, kukofula, kukoola, kukogola, kukohola, kukosula || to cough
|--
| kuvana, kugana, kuhana, kuɣana || to give
|--
| nzola, zola || love
|--
| luzolo, luzolu || love, will
|--
| kutanga, kutaangë || to read
|-
| kusoneka, kusonikë, kusonika, kusonik', kutina || to write
|--
| kuvova, kuta, kuzonza, kutuba, kutub', kugoga, kuɣoɣa, kuhoha, utuba   || to say, to speak, to talk, to tell
|--
|kuzola, kutsola, kutsolo, kuzolo, uzola
|to love
|--
| ntangu || time, sun, hour
|--
| kuseva, kusega, kuseɣa, kuseha, kusefa, kusefë, kusef', kuseya || to laugh
|--
| nzambi || god
|--
| luzitu || the respect
|--
| lufua, lufwa || the death
|--
| yi ku zolele / i ku zolele <ref>Yi ku zolele, i ku zolele and ngeye nzolele are used in several variants of Kikongo such as kintandu, kisingombe, kimanianga, kikongo of boko,...</ref> / ngeye nzolele / ni ku zololo (or ni ku zolele) (Ladi) / minu i ku zoleze (Ibinda) / mi ya ku zola (Vili) / minu i ku tidi (Cabindan Yombe) / mê nge nzololo (or mê nge nzolele) (Ladi) / minu i ku zoleze (Cabindan Woyo) /  minu i ba ku zola (Linji, Linge) / mi be ku zol' (or mi be ku zolë) (Vili) / me ni ku tiri (Beembe) / minu i ku tili || i love you
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+
!Days of the week in English
!Kisikongo and Kizombo
![[Republic of the Congo|Congolese]][[File:Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg |23px|border]] Yombe
!Ladi (Lari)
!Vili<ref>Old version of the days of week in Vili: Ntoonu (Monday), Nsilu (Tuesday), Nkoyo (Wednesday), Bukonzo (Thursday), Mpika (Friday), Nduka (Saturday), Sona (Sunday).</ref>
!Ibinda
!Ntandu
!Kisingombe and Kimanianga
|-
|Monday
|Kyamosi
|{{lang|yom|Un'tône }}
|{{lang|ldi|Buduka / Nsila }}
|Un'tône
|Tchikunda
|Kintete
|Kiamonde / Kiantete
|-
|Tuesday
|Kyazole
|{{lang|yom|N'silu }}
|{{lang|ldi|Nkênge}}
|N'silu
|Tchimuali / Tchimwali
|Kinzole
|Kianzole
|-
|Wednesday
|Kyatatu
|{{lang|yom|Un'duka }}
|{{lang|ldi|Mpika}}
|Un'duk'
|Tchintatu
|Kintatu
|Kiantatu
|-
|Thursday
|Kyaya
|{{lang|yom|N'sone }}
|{{lang|ldi|Nkôyi}}
|N'sone
|Tchinna
|Kinya
|Kianya
|-
|Friday
|Kyatanu
|{{lang|yom|Bukonzu }}
|{{lang|ldi|Bukônzo}}
|Bukonz'
|Tchintanu
|Kintanu
|Kiantanu
|-
|Saturday
|Kyasabala
|{{lang|yom|Sab'l }}
|{{lang|ldi|Saba / Sabala}}
|Sab'l
|Tchisabala
|Sabala
|Kiasabala
|-
|Sunday
|Kyalumingu
|{{lang|yom|Lumingu }}
|{{lang|ldi|Lumîngu / Nsona}}
|Lumingu
|Tchilumingu
|Lumingu
|Kialumingu
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Numbers 1 to 10 in English !!Kisikongo and Kizombo!!Ladi (Lari) !!Ntandu !! Solongo  !!Yombe  !!Beembe !!Vili  !!Kisingombe and Kimanianga !!Ibinda
|-
| One ||Mosi ||Mosi ||Mosi ||Mosi / Kosi ||Mosi ||Mosi ||Muek' / Mesi||Mosi ||Mueka / Tchimueka
|-
| Two ||Zole ||Zole  ||Zole  ||Zole  ||Wadi || Boolo / Biole ||Wali ||Zole ||Wali
|-
| Three  ||Tatu ||Tatu ||Tatu ||Tatu ||Tatu ||Tatu / Bitatu ||Tatu ||Tatu  ||Tatu
|-
| Four ||Ya ||Ya  ||Ya  ||Ya  ||Ya ||Na / Bina ||Na ||Ya ||Na
|-
| Five ||Tanu ||Tanu  ||Tanu  ||Tanu ||Tanu ||Taanu / Bitane ||Tanu ||Tanu ||Tanu
|-
| Six ||Sambanu ||Sambanu  ||Sambanu  ||Nsambanu / Sambanu  ||Sambanu  || Saambanu / Saamunu / Samne  ||Samunu  ||Sambanu ||Sambanu
|-
| Seven ||Nsambuadi (Nsambwadi) / Nsambuadia (Nsambwadia) ||Nsambuadi (Nsambwadi) ||Sambuadi  (Sambwadi) ||Nsambuadi (Nsambwadi) / Sambuadi  (Sambwadi)  || Tsambuadi (Tsambwadi) ||Tsambe   ||Sambuali (Sambwali)||Nsambuadi (Nsambwadi) / Nsambodia  ||Sambuali (Sambwali)
|-
| Eight ||Nana ||Nana / Mpoomo / Mpuomô||Nana  ||Nana  ||Dinana ||Mpoomo ||Nana ||Nana ||Nana
|-
| Nine ||Vua (Vwa) / Vue (Vwe) ||Vua (Vwa) ||Vua (Vwa) ||Vua (Vwa) ||Divua (Divwa) ||Wa || Vua  (Vwa) || Vua  (Vwa) || Vua  (Vwa)
|-
| Ten ||Kumi ||Kumi  ||Kumi / Kumi dimosi  ||Kumi  ||Dikumi ||Kumi ||Kumi ||Kumi ||Kumi
|}

=== English words of Kongo origin ===
* The southern [[African-American Vernacular English|Black American English]] word "goober" comes from Kongo ''nguba'', meaning "[[peanut]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/16/G0191600.html|title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more|website=www.bartleby.com|language=en|access-date=2017-07-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328052814/http://www.bartleby.com/61/16/G0191600.html|archive-date=2008-03-28}}</ref>
* The southern Black American English word "[[Mfinda|finda]]", from the [[Hoodoo (spirituality)|Hoodoo]] tradition, comes from the Kongo word ''mfinda'', meaning "the great forest."<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Ras Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1rEgAwAAQBAJ |title=African-Atlantic Cultures and the South Carolina Lowcountry |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-107-66882-9 |edition=1st |location=New York, NY |pages=26, 27, 90-102, 106-110, 119-121, 123}}</ref>
* The southern Black American English word "[[Mojo (African-American culture)|mojo]]", from the Hoodoo tradition, comes from the Kongo word ''mooyo'', meaning "to the spirits that dwelt within magical charms."<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=McCurnin |first=Mary |date=2010 |title=From the Old to the New World: The Transformation of Kongo Minkisi in African American Art |url=https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1077&context=etd |journal=VCU Scholars Compass |pages=43–52}}</ref>
* The Black American [[popular music]] terms "[[funk]]" and "funky" may be from the Kongo word ''lu-fuki''.<ref>Farris Thompson, in his work Flash Of The Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy</ref>

=== Spanish words of Kongo origin ===

* The name of the Cuban dance ''[[mambo (dance)|mambo]]'' comes from a Bantu word meaning "conversation with the gods".{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

== In popular culture ==
The roller coaster [[Kumba (roller coaster)|Kumba]] at [[Busch Gardens Tampa Bay]] in [[Tampa, Florida]] gets its name from the Kongo word for "roar".
==Sample text==
According to Filomão CUBOLA, article 1 of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] in Fiote translates to:
:''Bizingi bioso bisiwu ti batu bambutukanga mu kidedi ki buzitu ayi kibumswa. Bizingi-bene, batu, badi diela ayi tsi-ntima, bafwene kuzingila mbatzi-na-mbatzi-yandi mu mtima bukhomba.''
:"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights/universal-declaration/translations/fiote-angola |title= Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Fiote (Angola) |work=OHCHR |language=en|access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref>

== Literature ==
* Mgr. Jean Cuvelier, ''Nkutama a mvila za Makanda'', Impr. Mission Catholique, 1934
*  A. Fu-kiau kia Bunseki-Lumanisa, ''N'Kongo Ye Nza Yakun'zungidila : Nza-Kôngo'', Office National de la Recherche et de Développement, Kinshasa, 1969 (Réimpression 2021, Paari éditeur).
*  Rodrigue Tchamna and Imanuel Kimbuala Hemsey, ''Wasala wûnu, si kadia mbazi. Wavuata kimôlo wûnu, si kalaba mbazi'', Cameroun BD, 2019.
*  Jussie Nsana and Armel Bemba, ''M'tekolo'', Nsana-Arts Butsiele and Ecole Les Bourgeons, 2020.
*  Fernando Ndombele Kidima Tadi,  ''Malongi ma mpila mu mpila muna ndinga kikongo'', Mayamba, 2023.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Kikongo language}}
*{{Cite book
| publisher = London Baptist Missionary Society
| last = Bentley
| first = William Holman
| title = Dictionary and grammar of the Kongo language, as spoken at San Salvador, the ancient capital of the old Kongo empire, West Africa. Appendix
| access-date = 2013-05-23
| year = 1887
| url = https://archive.org/details/dictionarygramma00bentuoft
}}
*{{Cite book
| publisher = Westlind UBS
| title = Congo kiKongo Bible : Genesis
| access-date = 2013-05-23
| year = 1992
| url = https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_kng_gen-3
}}
*[http://www.language-archives.org/language/kng OLAC resources in and about the Koongo language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703035925/http://www.language-archives.org/language/kng |date=2014-07-03 }}

=== Kongo learning materials ===
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061103094639/http://www.nekongo.org/akongo/docs/langue_culture/cours_kikongo_dereau.pdf Cours de KIKONGO]}} (1955) (French and Kongo language) par Léon DEREAU.  Maison d'éditions AD. WESMAEL-CHARLIER, Namur; 117 pages.
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061103094709/http://www.nekongo.org/akongo/docs/langue_culture/lecons_kikongo_par_bakongo.pdf Leçons de Kikongo par des Bakongo]}} (1964) Eengenhoven - Louvain. Grammaire et Vocabulaire. 62 pages.
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061103094529/http://www.nekongo.org/akongo/docs/langue_culture/lexique_kikongo_francais_dereau.pdf KIKONGO, Notions grammaticales, Vocabulaire Français – Kikongo – Néerlandais - Latin]}} (1960) par A. Coene, Imprimerie Mission Catholique Tumba. 102 pages.
* (1957) par Léon DEREAU, d'après le dictionnaire de K. E. LAMAN. Maison d'éditions AD. WESMAEL-CHARLIER, Namur. 60 pages.
* [https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Linguistics/Mega%20linguistics%20pack/African/Niger-Congo/Bantu/Kikongo%3B%20Kongo%20Language%20Course%20-%20Maloongi%20Makikoongo%20%28Carter%20%26%20Makoondekwa%29.pdf Kongo language course : a course in the dialect of Zoombo, northern Angola = Maloòngi makíkoongo] (1987) by [[Carter, Hazel]] and João Makoondekwa. Madison, WI : African Studies Program, University of Wisconsin—Madison.
*[https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/tesis/2015/hdl_10803_321355/lni1de1.pdf Nominalisations en Kisikóngó (H16): les substantifs prédicatifs et les verbes-supports vánga, sala, sá et tá (faire)] (2015). Luntadila Nlandu Inocente.
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061103094255/http://www.nekongo.org/akongo/docs/langue_culture/grammaire_kiyombe_declercq.pdf Grammaire du Kiyombe]}} par R. P. L. DE CLERCQ. Edition Goemaere - Bruxelles - Kinshasa. 47 pages
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061103094405/http://www.nekongo.org/akongo/docs/langue_culture/nkutama_mvila_makanda.pdf Nkutama a Mvila za Makanda, Imprimerie Mission Catholique Tumba]}}, (1934) par J. CUVELIER, Vic. Apostlique de Matadi. 56 pages (L'auteur est en réalité Mwene Petelo BOKA, Catechiste redemptoriste à Vungu, originaire de Kionzo.)
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=ephkAAAAMAAJ Dictionary and Grammar of the Kongo Language] (1886) Bentley, William Holman. 718 pages.
*[https://kikongo.mofeko.com Learn basic Kikongo (Mofeko)] Omotola Akindipe and Moisés Kudimuena.
* [https://archive.org/details/lecons-en-kikongo-kintandu/page/21/mode/1up Leçons de kikongo (kintandu) par des Bakongo]. (1964) Eegenhoven - Louvain. 61 pages or [https://archive.org/details/lecons-en-kikongo-kintandu Leçons de kintandu par des Bakongo]. (1964) Eegenhoven - Louvain. 61 pages

{{Languages of Angola}}
{{Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
{{Languages of the Republic of the Congo}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kongo language}}
[[Category:Kongo language| ]]