wa

See also: Appendix:Variations of "wa"

Translingual

Symbol

wa

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Walloon.

See also

• Wiktionary's coverage of Walloon terms

English

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

wa

1. A traditional proa-style outrigger canoe of the Caroline Islands.

Etymology 2

From Thai วา (waa).

Noun

wa (plural wa)

1. A Thai unit of length, traditionally comparable to a fathom, and now officially equal to two metres.

Etymology 3

From Japanese 和 (wa).

Noun

wa (uncountable)

1. In Japanese society, the favouring of a harmonious community over one's personal interests.

Etymology 4

wa

1. (stenoscript) Abbreviation of where.

Anagrams

• aw

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch wagen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɑː/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

wa (plural waens, diminutive waentjie)

1. wagon
2. cart
3. automobile, car

Synonyms

• (car): kar

Derived terms

• polisiewa
• sleepwa

 

Amele

Noun

wa

1. water

References

• John R. Roberts, Amele Organised Phonology Data (1998)

Anguthimri

Noun

wa

1. (Mpakwithi) grey hair

References

• Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 189

Antillean Creole

Etymology

From French roi.

Noun

wa

1. king

Atong (India)

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s/p-wa. Cognate with Garo wa (“tooth, tusk”), Jingpho wa (“tooth”), Burmese သွား (swa:), and Tibetan སོ (so).

Noun

wa

1. tooth, tusk

References

• van Breugel, Seino. 2015. Atong-English dictionary, second edition. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary.

Bambara

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [wà]

Particle

wa

1. final interrogative particle on a yes/no question

Baoule

Adverb

wa

1. here

Bassa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [wā]

Pronoun

wa

1. they, them

Verb

wa

1. to break

References

• Bassa-English Dictionary
• 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Bau

Noun

wa

1. water

Further reading

• Hans van der Meer, Bau Organized Phonology Data

Butmas-Tur

Noun

wa

1. water

References

• Greenhill, S.J., Blust. R, & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271-283.

Canela

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋa/

Noun

wa

1. third-person of xwa

Egyptian

Romanization

wa

1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of wꜥ.

Etulo

Verb

wā

1. drink

   ḿ wēnî — I drink water

   ḿ wēnī — I drank water

References

• Rose-Juliet Anyanwu, Fundamentals of Phonetics, Phonology and Tonology (2008)

Garo

Alternative forms

• wagam

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s/p-wa. Cognate with Jingpho wa (“tooth”), Burmese သွား (swa:), and Tibetan སོ (so).

Noun

wa

1. tooth

Gele'

Noun

wa

1. water

German

Etymology 1

From dialectal wat (“what”).

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): /va/
  • (Berlin) IPA^(key): [vɐ̠]

Particle

wa

1. (colloquial, regional, parts of northern and central Germany) right?; is it?; is it not?

   Synonyms: ne, oder, gell; see also Thesaurus:nicht wahr

   Wir müssen da lang, wa?

   We need to go this way, don't we?

Pronunciation 2

• IPA^(key): /vah/, /vhah/
  • IPA^(key): [ʋæh], [ʋhæh] (parts of northern Germany)

Particle

wa

1. (colloquial, potentially rude) what, huh (expresses that something was extremely hard to understand acoustically or outlandish in content)

   Synonyms: hä, hüä; was

Usage notes

• Also spelled wat. Especially common in Hamburg and western Holstein, where dialects traditionally drop final /t/ (especially after fricatives).

Etymology 2

Pronoun

wa

1. (colloquial) Pronunciation spelling of wir.

Gilbertese

Noun

wa

1. pirogue

Gun

Etymology

Stemming from the possible Proto-Gbe *bá, Proto-Gbe *vá, Proto-Gbe *wá, or Proto-Gbe *ɓá. Cognates include Fon wá, Saxwe Gbe va, Adja va, Ewe va. Possibly also cognates with Yoruba wá, Itsekiri wá, Olukumi wá

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wá/

Verb

wá

1. to come

Haitian Creole

Alternative forms

• rwa

Etymology

From French roi (“king”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wa/

Noun

wa

1. king

See also

• rèn

Ifè

Alternative forms

• وَ

Etymology

cognate with Yoruba wá

Verb

wa (wá)

1. come

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

Derived from English what.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wa/

Determiner

wa

1. what

   Wa yu se?

   What did you say?

Further reading

• wa at majstro.com

Japanese

Romanization

wa

1. The hiragana syllable わ (wa) or the katakana syllable ワ (wa) in Hepburn romanization.
2. The hiragana syllable は (wa) or the katakana syllable ハ (wa) in Hepburn romanization. (as particle)
3. The katakana syllable ウァ (wa) in Hepburn-like romanization.

Kapampangan

Interjection

wa

1. yes

   Antonym: ali

Kashubian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *va.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈva/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: wa

Pronoun

wa

1. second-person plural pronoun; you

Declension

Declension of wa

	plural
nominative	wa
genitive	was, waju
dative	wama
accusative	was, waju
instrumental	wama
locative	was, waju

Further reading

• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “wy”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[1]
• “wa”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Kituba

Verb

wa

1. to hear

Kumeyaay

Noun

wa

1. house

Ladino

Etymology

Probably from Moroccan Arabic ايوه (iwa).

Interjection

wa

1. (Haketia) so (used to introduce a new conversation or topic)

Lingala

Verb

wa

1. to die

Lorediakarkar

Noun

wa

1. water

Mandarin

Romanization

wa (wa⁵／wa⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄨㄚ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 哇

wa

1. Nonstandard spelling of wā.
2. Nonstandard spelling of wá.
3. Nonstandard spelling of wǎ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of wà.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Marshallese

Etymology

From Proto-Micronesian *waxa, from Proto-Oceanic *waga, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waŋka, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waŋka. Cognate with Maori waka, Tongan vaka, Hawaiian waʻa.

Pronunciation

• (phonetic) IPA^(key): [wɑ]
• (phonemic) IPA^(key): /wæɰ/
• Bender phonemes: {wah}

Noun

wa

1. canoe, ship, boat
2. vehicle

References

• Marshallese–English Online Dictionary

Mokilese

Verb

wa

1. to carry

Derived terms

• wahdo
• wahla

Muong

Etymology

From Chinese 花 (MC xwae). Cognate with Vietnamese hoa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /waː¹/, [waː¹ ~ βaː¹]

Noun

wa

1. (Mường Bi) flower

   Synonym: pông

Northern Ndebele

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

-wa

1. to fall

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Northern Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

wa

1. to fall

Oirata

Noun

wa

1. pea, bean

Old English

Alternative forms

• wei, wǣ

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *wai, from Proto-Germanic *wai, from Proto-Indo-European *wai.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɑː/

Interjection

wā

1. woe! alas! (expression of grief or anguish)

Derived terms

• wā lā wā

Adverb

wā

1. woe, ill

Related terms

• wāwa
• wēa

Descendants

• Middle English: wa, wo, woo
  • English: woe
  • Scots: wa, wae

Old Javanese

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *baʀah.

Noun

wa

1. ember, glowing coal

Ottawa

Pronoun

wa anim sg (plural niwi, obviative giwi)

1. that

References

• Jerry Randolph Valentine (2001) Nishnaabemwin Reference Grammar, University of Toronto, page 123

Panim

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wæ/

Noun

wa

1. water

Further reading

• Panim Talking Dictionary

Peranakan Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Chinese Hokkien 我 (óa, “I, me, my”).

Pronoun

wa

1. I; me; my (first person pronoun)

Phuthi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

-wa

1. to fall

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *va.

Pronunciation

• (Masovia):
  • (Near Masovian) IPA^(key): /ˈva/

Pronoun

wa

1. first-person dual pronoun; we

Further reading

• Zygmunt Wasilewski (1889) “wa”, in Jagodne: wieś w powiecie łukowskim, gminie Dąbie: zarys etnograficzny (in Polish), Warsaw: M. Arct, page 248

Polonombauk

Noun

wa

1. water

Sa

Noun

wa

1. water

Scots

Alternative forms

• waa, waw

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wal, from Old English weall, from Proto-West Germanic *wall, from Latin vallum.

Noun

wa (plural was)

1. wall

References

• “wa, n., v.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 24 May 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.

Shark Bay

Noun

wa

1. water

Slovincian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *va.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈva/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: wa

Pronoun

wa

1. second person dual pronoun you two

Further reading

• Lorentz, Friedrich (1912) “vã”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[2] (in German), volume 2, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 1253

Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

wa

1. to fall

Sumerian

Romanization

wa

1. Romanization of 𒉿 (wa)

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Verb

-wa (infinitive kuwa)

1. to be

   Wewe ni nani? ― Who are you?

2. (in positive present) to become

   Inakuwa baridi. ― It is getting cold.

3. (auxiliary) dummy verb that takes tense marking while the main verb takes aspect marking

   nilikuwa ninaandika ― I was writing

4. (with specified location) stem of -wapo, -wako, or -wamo
5. (with na or a form thereof) stem of -wa na

Conjugation

Conjugation of -wa (irregular)
Positive present -nakuwa Gnomic ni Subjunctive -we Negative si Imperative singular kuwa
Infinitives
Positive kuwa Negative kutokuwa
Imperatives
Singular kuwa Plural kuweni
Tensed forms
Habitual huwa Positive past positive subject concord + -likuwa Negative past negative subject concord + -kuwa
Positive present (positive subject concord + -nakuwa) Singular Plural 1st person ninakuwa/nakuwa tunakuwa 2nd person unakuwa mnakuwa 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anakuwa wanakuwa other classes positive subject concord + -nakuwa
Negative present si Positive future positive subject concord + -takuwa Negative future negative subject concord + -takuwa
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -we) Singular Plural 1st person niwe tuwe 2nd person uwe muwe 3rd person m-wa(I/II) awe wawe other classes positive subject concord + -we
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord + -siwe Positive present conditional positive subject concord + -ngekuwa Negative present conditional positive subject concord + -singekuwa Positive past conditional positive subject concord + -ngalikuwa Negative past conditional positive subject concord + -singalikuwa Gnomic ni Perfect positive subject concord + -mekuwa "Already" positive subject concord + -meshakuwa "Not yet" negative subject concord + -jawa "If/When" positive subject concord + -kiwa "If not" positive subject concord + -sipokuwa Consecutive kawa / positive subject concord + -kawa Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord + -kawe Object concord —
Relative forms General positive (positive subject concord + -li- + relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -liye -lio m-mi(III/IV) -lio -liyo ji-ma(V/VI) -lilo -liyo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -licho -livyo n(IX/X) -liyo -lizo u(XI) -lio see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -liko pa(XVI) -lipo mu(XVIII) -limo General negative (positive subject concord + -si- + relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -siye -sio m-mi(III/IV) -sio -siyo ji-ma(V/VI) -silo -siyo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -sicho -sivyo n(IX/X) -siyo -sizo u(XI) -sio see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -siko pa(XVI) -sipo mu(XVIII) -simo Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + -kuwa) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -yekuwa -okuwa m-mi(III/IV) -okuwa -yokuwa ji-ma(V/VI) -lokuwa -yokuwa ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chokuwa -vyokuwa n(IX/X) -yokuwa -zokuwa u(XI) -okuwa see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kokuwa pa(XVI) -pokuwa mu(XVIII) -mokuwa
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.

Etymology 2

Particle

wa

1. A class inflected form of -a.
2. Wa class inflected form of -a.

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /wa/ [wɐ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: wa

Interjection

wa (Baybayin spelling ᜏ)

1. shoo; used to drive away pigs and other animals
2. used to express surprise, dismay, or sometimes a joke

See also

• su
• supi
• tse

 

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈwaʔ/ [ˈwaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: wa

Interjection

wâ (Baybayin spelling ᜏ)

1. said to make small children and babies laugh (usually said when playing peekaboo)

Etymology 3

Influenced by Baybayin character ᜏ (wa).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /wa/ [wɐ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: wa

Noun

wa (Baybayin spelling ᜏ)

1. the name of the Latin-script letter W/w, in the Abakada alphabet

   Synonym: (in the Filipino alphabet) dobolyu

See also

• wa epek
• wawa

 

Further reading

• “wa”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Anagrams

• aw

Tapayuna

Etymology 1

From Proto-Northern Jê *ba (“I”) < Proto-Cerrado *waj’ (“I”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈwa]

Pronoun

wa

1. I (nominative case)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Northern Jê *mba (“liver”) < Proto-Cerrado *mba (“liver”) < Proto-Jê *mba (“liver”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈw̃a]

Noun

wa

1. liver

Ternate

Etymology

Shortening of the negation particle ua.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈwa]

Particle

wa

1. sentence-final confirmation particle; isn't it?

   Bira moi rai, wa? ― The rice is already finished, right?

2. sentence-final that indicates the speaker knows or should know what is being said

   Ngori tonyodi kolano ua, wa. ― I did not see the king, as you know.

   Piring ma riha, wa; ngomi ino misibela romodidi se ngomi.

   We divide the plates (red, as you know) between the two of us.

   (literally, “The plates that are red as you know; we here divided them into two for us.”)

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Torres Strait Creole

Adverb

wa

1. yes

Tsonga

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

wa

1. to fall

Tswana

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

wa

1. to fall

Unami

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [wa]

Pronoun

wa

1. this (animate)

See also

Unami demonstrative pronouns

	Animate	Inanimate	Obviative
Proximal Singular (near the speaker)	wa, wàn, wàni	yu, yun, yuni	yul, yuli
Distal Singular (far from the speaker)	na, nàn, nàni	në, nën, nëni
Proximal plural (near the speaker)	yuki, yuk	yuli, yul	nèl
Distal plural (far from the speaker)	nèki, nèk	nèl
Absentative (inaccessible to speaker, deceased) distal singular	naka	nike
Absentative (inaccessible to speaker, deceased) distal plural	nèl	nikahke
Absentative (inaccessible to speaker, deceased) proximal singular	waka

Venda

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

wa

1. to fall

West Flemish

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod.

Pronoun

wa

1. (interrogative) what

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian hwā, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaː/

Pronoun

wa

1. who (interrogative)

   Wa binne jo?

   Who are you?

Derived terms

• wa't

Further reading

• “wa (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

West Makian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wa/

Verb

wa

1. (intransitive) to stay

Conjugation

Conjugation of wa (action verb)
		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		tawa	mawa	awa
2nd person		nawa	fawa
3rd person	inanimate	iwa	dawa
	animate
imperative		nawa, wa	fawa, wa

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wa/

Adverb

wa

1. also

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[3], Pacific linguistics

Woleaian

Etymology

Cognate with Mokilese war (“canoe”)

Noun

wa

1. canoe

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

-wa

1. (intransitive) to fall

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• وَ

Etymology 1

Cognate with Igala wa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wā/

Determiner

wa

1. our (first-person plural possessive pronoun)

See also

Yoruba possessive pronouns

	singular	plural or honorific
1st person	mi	wa
2nd person	(r)ẹ	yín
3rd person	(r)ẹ̀	wọn

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wà/

Verb

wà

1. to be (have a location in space)

Derived terms

• ọmọlúàbí, ọmọlúwàbí (“person of good character”)
• wíwà (“existence”)
• ìwà (“character”)

 

Etymology 3

From Proto-Edekiri *wá compare with the Proto-Gbe *bá, Proto-Gbe *vá, Proto-Gbe *wá, or Proto-Gbe *ɓá. Cognates include Fon wá, Gun wá, Adja vá, Saxwe Gbe va, Ewe va from the Gbe languages, in addition to Akan bra, Akan ba, Nkonya ba

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wá/

Verb

wá

1. come

   Synonym: bọ̀

Synonyms

Yoruba Varieties and Languages - wá (“to come”)
view map; edit data
Language Family	Variety Group	Variety/Language	Location	Words
Proto-Itsekiri-SEY	Southeast Yoruba	Ào	Ìdóàní	yá
		Eastern Àkókó	Àkùngbá Àkókó	wá
			Ṣúpárè Àkókó	wá
		Ìdànrè	Ìdànrè	wá
		Ìjẹ̀bú	Ìjẹ̀bú Òde	wá
			Ìkòròdú	wá
			Ṣágámù	wá
			Ẹ̀pẹ́	wá
		Ìkálẹ̀	Òkìtìpupa	wá
		Ìlàjẹ	Mahin	wá
		Oǹdó	Oǹdó	wá
		Ọ̀wọ̀	Ọ̀wọ̀	wá
		Usẹn	Usẹn	wá
	Ìtsẹkírì		Ìwẹrẹ	wá
	Olùkùmi		Ugbódù	wá
Proto-Yoruba	Central Yoruba	Èkìtì	Àdó Èkìtì	á
			Àkúrẹ́	á
			Ọ̀tùn Èkìtì	ghá, á
		Ifẹ̀	Ilé Ifẹ̀	á
		Ìgbómìnà	Ìlá Ọ̀ràngún	wá
		Ìjẹ̀ṣà	Iléṣà	á
	Northwest Yoruba	Àwórì	Èbúté Mẹ́tà	wá
		Ẹ̀gbá	Abẹ́òkúta	wá
		Èkó	Èkó	wá
		Ìbàdàn	Ìbàdàn	wá
		Ìbàràpá	Igbó Òrà	wá
		Ìbọ̀lọ́	Òṣogbo	wá
		Ìlọrin	Ìlọrin	wá
		Oǹkó	Ìtẹ̀síwájú LGA	wá
			Ìwàjówà LGA	wá
			Kájọlà LGA	wá
			Ìsẹ́yìn LGA	wá
			Ṣakí West LGA	wá
			Atisbo LGA	wá
			Ọlọ́runṣògo LGA	wá
		Ọ̀yọ́	Ọ̀yọ́	wá
		Standard Yorùbá	Nàìjíríà	wá
			Bɛ̀nɛ̀	wá
	Northeast Yoruba/Okun	Ìyàgbà	Yàgbà East LGA	ghá
		Owé	Kabba	ghá
	Ede Languages/Southwest Yoruba	Ana	Sokode	wá
		Cábɛ̀ɛ́	Cábɛ̀ɛ́	wá
			Tchaourou	wá
		Ìcà	Agoua	wá
		Ìdàácà	Igbó Ìdàácà	wá
		Ọ̀họ̀rí/Ɔ̀hɔ̀rí-Ìjè	Ìkpòbɛ́	wá
			Kétu	wá
			Onigbolo	wá
			Yewa	wá
		Ifɛ̀	Akpáré	wá
			Atakpamé	wá
			Boko	wá
			Moretan	wá
			Tchetti	wá
		Kura	Aledjo-Koura	wá
			Awotébi	wá
			Partago	wá
		Mɔ̄kɔ́lé	Kandi	nàá
		Northern Nago	Kambole	wá
			Manigri	wá
	Overseas Yoruba	Lucumí	Havana	gua

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wá/

Verb

wá

1. to look for

Derived terms

• wájà (“look for a fight”)

 

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wà/

Verb

wà

1. to drive

Derived terms

• wakọ̀ (“to drive a car”)

 

Zacatepec Chatino

Pronoun

wa

1. we (exclusive)

Zarma

Noun

wa

1. milk

Zay

Etymology

Cognate to Silt'e [script needed] (-wa:).

Conjunction

wa

1. and

References

• Initial SLLE Survey of the Zway Area by Klaus Wedekind and Charlotte Wedekind

Zia

Noun

wa

1. rain

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gʊ̀a.

Verb

-wa

1. (intransitive) to fall, to drop

Inflection

Tone L
Infinitive	ukuwa
	Positive	Negative
Infinitive	ukuwa	ukungawi
	Imperative
	Simple	+ object concord
Singular	yiwa	-we
Plural	yiwani	-weni
	Present
	Positive absolute	Positive relative	Positive participial	Negative absolute	Negative relative	Negative participial
1st singular	ngiyawa, ngiwa	engiwayo, engiwa	ngiwa	angiwi	engingawi	ngingawi
2nd singular	uyawa, uwa	owayo, owa	uwa	awuwi	ongawi	ungawi
1st plural	siyawa, siwa	esiwayo, esiwa	siwa	asiwi	esingawi	singawi
2nd plural	niyawa, niwa	eniwayo, eniwa	niwa	aniwi	eningawi	ningawi
Class 1	uyawa, uwa	owayo, owa	ewa	akawi	ongawi	engawi
Class 2	bayawa, bawa	abawayo, abawa	bewa	abawi	abangawi	bengawi
Class 3	uyawa, uwa	owayo, owa	uwa	awuwi	ongawi	ungawi
Class 4	iyawa, iwa	ewayo, ewa	iwa	ayiwi	engawi	ingawi
Class 5	liyawa, liwa	eliwayo, eliwa	liwa	aliwi	elingawi	lingawi
Class 6	ayawa, awa	awayo, awa	ewa	awawi	angawi	engawi
Class 7	siyawa, siwa	esiwayo, esiwa	siwa	asiwi	esingawi	singawi
Class 8	ziyawa, ziwa	eziwayo, eziwa	ziwa	aziwi	ezingawi	zingawi
Class 9	iyawa, iwa	ewayo, ewa	iwa	ayiwi	engawi	ingawi
Class 10	ziyawa, ziwa	eziwayo, eziwa	ziwa	aziwi	ezingawi	zingawi
Class 11	luyawa, luwa	oluwayo, oluwa	luwa	aluwi	olungawi	lungawi
Class 14	buyawa, buwa	obuwayo, obuwa	buwa	abuwi	obungawi	bungawi
Class 15	kuyawa, kuwa	okuwayo, okuwa	kuwa	akuwi	okungawi	kungawi
Class 17	kuyawa, kuwa	okuwayo, okuwa	kuwa	akuwi	okungawi	kungawi
	Recent past
	Positive absolute	Positive relative	Positive participial	Negative absolute	Negative relative	Negative participial
1st singular	ngiwile, ngiwē	engiwile, engiwē	ngiwile, ngiwē	angiwanga	engingawanga	ngingawanga
2nd singular	uwile, uwē	owile, owē	uwile, uwē	awuwanga	ongawanga	ungawanga
1st plural	siwile, siwē	esiwile, esiwē	siwile, siwē	asiwanga	esingawanga	singawanga
2nd plural	niwile, niwē	eniwile, eniwē	niwile, niwē	aniwanga	eningawanga	ningawanga
Class 1	uwile, uwē	owile, owē	ewile, ewē	akawanga	ongawanga	engawanga
Class 2	bawile, bawē	abawile, abawē	bewile, bewē	abawanga	abangawanga	bengawanga
Class 3	uwile, uwē	owile, owē	uwile, uwē	awuwanga	ongawanga	ungawanga
Class 4	iwile, iwē	ewile, ewē	iwile, iwē	ayiwanga	engawanga	ingawanga
Class 5	liwile, liwē	eliwile, eliwē	liwile, liwē	aliwanga	elingawanga	lingawanga
Class 6	awile, awē	awile, awē	ewile, ewē	awawanga	angawanga	engawanga
Class 7	siwile, siwē	esiwile, esiwē	siwile, siwē	asiwanga	esingawanga	singawanga
Class 8	ziwile, ziwē	eziwile, eziwē	ziwile, ziwē	aziwanga	ezingawanga	zingawanga
Class 9	iwile, iwē	ewile, ewē	iwile, iwē	ayiwanga	engawanga	ingawanga
Class 10	ziwile, ziwē	eziwile, eziwē	ziwile, ziwē	aziwanga	ezingawanga	zingawanga
Class 11	luwile, luwē	oluwile, oluwē	luwile, luwē	aluwanga	olungawanga	lungawanga
Class 14	buwile, buwē	obuwile, obuwē	buwile, buwē	abuwanga	obungawanga	bungawanga
Class 15	kuwile, kuwē	okuwile, okuwē	kuwile, kuwē	akuwanga	okungawanga	kungawanga
Class 17	kuwile, kuwē	okuwile, okuwē	kuwile, kuwē	akuwanga	okungawanga	kungawanga
	Remote past
	Positive absolute	Positive relative	Positive participial	Negative absolute	Negative relative	Negative participial
1st singular	ngāwa	engāwa	ngāwa	angiwanga	engingawanga	ngingawanga
2nd singular	wāwa	owāwa	wāwa	awuwanga	ongawanga	ungawanga
1st plural	sāwa	esāwa	sāwa	asiwanga	esingawanga	singawanga
2nd plural	nāwa	enāwa	nāwa	aniwanga	eningawanga	ningawanga
Class 1	wāwa	owāwa	āwa	akawanga	ongawanga	engawanga
Class 2	bāwa	abāwa	bāwa	abawanga	abangawanga	bengawanga
Class 3	wāwa	owāwa	wāwa	awuwanga	ongawanga	ungawanga
Class 4	yāwa	eyāwa	yāwa	ayiwanga	engawanga	ingawanga
Class 5	lāwa	elāwa	lāwa	aliwanga	elingawanga	lingawanga
Class 6	āwa	āwa	āwa	awawanga	angawanga	engawanga
Class 7	sāwa	esāwa	sāwa	asiwanga	esingawanga	singawanga
Class 8	zāwa	ezāwa	zāwa	aziwanga	ezingawanga	zingawanga
Class 9	yāwa	eyāwa	yāwa	ayiwanga	engawanga	ingawanga
Class 10	zāwa	ezāwa	zāwa	aziwanga	ezingawanga	zingawanga
Class 11	lwāwa	olwāwa	lwāwa	aluwanga	olungawanga	lungawanga
Class 14	bāwa	obāwa	bāwa	abuwanga	obungawanga	bungawanga
Class 15	kwāwa	okwāwa	kwāwa	akuwanga	okungawanga	kungawanga
Class 17	kwāwa	okwāwa	kwāwa	akuwanga	okungawanga	kungawanga
	Potential
	Positive absolute	Positive relative	Positive participial	Negative absolute	Negative relative	Negative participial
1st singular	ngingawa	—	ngingawa	ngingewe	—	ngingewe
2nd singular	ungawa	—	ungawa	ungewe	—	ungewe
1st plural	singawa	—	singawa	singewe	—	singewe
2nd plural	ningawa	—	ningawa	ningewe	—	ningewe
Class 1	angawa	—	engawa	angewe	—	engewe
Class 2	bangawa	—	bengawa	bangewe	—	bengewe
Class 3	ungawa	—	ungawa	ungewe	—	ungewe
Class 4	ingawa	—	ingawa	ingewe	—	ingewe
Class 5	lingawa	—	lingawa	lingewe	—	lingewe
Class 6	angawa	—	engawa	angewe	—	engewe
Class 7	singawa	—	singawa	singewe	—	singewe
Class 8	zingawa	—	zingawa	zingewe	—	zingewe
Class 9	ingawa	—	ingawa	ingewe	—	ingewe
Class 10	zingawa	—	zingawa	zingewe	—	zingewe
Class 11	lungawa	—	lungawa	lungewe	—	lungewe
Class 14	bungawa	—	bungawa	bungewe	—	bungewe
Class 15	kungawa	—	kungawa	kungewe	—	kungewe
Class 17	kungawa	—	kungawa	kungewe	—	kungewe
	Immediate future
	Positive absolute	Positive relative	Positive participial	Negative absolute	Negative relative	Negative participial
1st singular	ngizokuwa	engizokuwa	ngizokuwa	angizukuwa	engingezukuwa	ngingezukuwa
2nd singular	uzokuwa	ozokuwa	uzokuwa	awuzukuwa	ongezukuwa	ungezukuwa
1st plural	sizokuwa	esizokuwa	sizokuwa	asizukuwa	esingezukuwa	singezukuwa
2nd plural	nizokuwa	enizokuwa	nizokuwa	anizukuwa	eningezukuwa	ningezukuwa
Class 1	uzokuwa	ozokuwa	ezokuwa	akazukuwa	ongezukuwa	engezukuwa
Class 2	bazokuwa	abazokuwa	bezokuwa	abazukuwa	abangezukuwa	bengezukuwa
Class 3	uzokuwa	ozokuwa	uzokuwa	awuzukuwa	ongezukuwa	ungezukuwa
Class 4	izokuwa	ezokuwa	izokuwa	ayizukuwa	engezukuwa	ingezukuwa
Class 5	lizokuwa	elizokuwa	lizokuwa	alizukuwa	elingezukuwa	lingezukuwa
Class 6	azokuwa	azokuwa	ezokuwa	awazukuwa	angezukuwa	engezukuwa
Class 7	sizokuwa	esizokuwa	sizokuwa	asizukuwa	esingezukuwa	singezukuwa
Class 8	zizokuwa	ezizokuwa	zizokuwa	azizukuwa	ezingezukuwa	zingezukuwa
Class 9	izokuwa	ezokuwa	izokuwa	ayizukuwa	engezukuwa	ingezukuwa
Class 10	zizokuwa	ezizokuwa	zizokuwa	azizukuwa	ezingezukuwa	zingezukuwa
Class 11	luzokuwa	oluzokuwa	luzokuwa	aluzukuwa	olungezukuwa	lungezukuwa
Class 14	buzokuwa	obuzokuwa	buzokuwa	abuzukuwa	obungezukuwa	bungezukuwa
Class 15	kuzokuwa	okuzokuwa	kuzokuwa	akuzukuwa	okungezukuwa	kungezukuwa
Class 17	kuzokuwa	okuzokuwa	kuzokuwa	akuzukuwa	okungezukuwa	kungezukuwa
	Remote future
	Positive absolute	Positive relative	Positive participial	Negative absolute	Negative relative	Negative participial
1st singular	ngiyokuwa	engiyokuwa	ngiyokuwa	angiyukuwa	engingeyukuwa	ngingeyukuwa
2nd singular	uyokuwa	oyokuwa	uyokuwa	awuyukuwa	ongeyukuwa	ungeyukuwa
1st plural	siyokuwa	esiyokuwa	siyokuwa	asiyukuwa	esingeyukuwa	singeyukuwa
2nd plural	niyokuwa	eniyokuwa	niyokuwa	aniyukuwa	eningeyukuwa	ningeyukuwa
Class 1	uyokuwa	oyokuwa	eyokuwa	akayukuwa	ongeyukuwa	engeyukuwa
Class 2	bayokuwa	abayokuwa	beyokuwa	abayukuwa	abangeyukuwa	bengeyukuwa
Class 3	uyokuwa	oyokuwa	uyokuwa	awuyukuwa	ongeyukuwa	ungeyukuwa
Class 4	iyokuwa	eyokuwa	iyokuwa	ayiyukuwa	engeyukuwa	ingeyukuwa
Class 5	liyokuwa	eliyokuwa	liyokuwa	aliyukuwa	elingeyukuwa	lingeyukuwa
Class 6	ayokuwa	ayokuwa	eyokuwa	awayukuwa	angeyukuwa	engeyukuwa
Class 7	siyokuwa	esiyokuwa	siyokuwa	asiyukuwa	esingeyukuwa	singeyukuwa
Class 8	ziyokuwa	eziyokuwa	ziyokuwa	aziyukuwa	ezingeyukuwa	zingeyukuwa
Class 9	iyokuwa	eyokuwa	iyokuwa	ayiyukuwa	engeyukuwa	ingeyukuwa
Class 10	ziyokuwa	eziyokuwa	ziyokuwa	aziyukuwa	ezingeyukuwa	zingeyukuwa
Class 11	luyokuwa	oluyokuwa	luyokuwa	aluyukuwa	olungeyukuwa	lungeyukuwa
Class 14	buyokuwa	obuyokuwa	buyokuwa	abuyukuwa	obungeyukuwa	bungeyukuwa
Class 15	kuyokuwa	okuyokuwa	kuyokuwa	akuyukuwa	okungeyukuwa	kungeyukuwa
Class 17	kuyokuwa	okuyokuwa	kuyokuwa	akuyukuwa	okungeyukuwa	kungeyukuwa
	Present subjunctive
	Positive	Negative
1st singular	ngiwe	ngingawi
2nd singular	uwe	ungawi
1st plural	siwe	singawi
2nd plural	niwe	ningawi
Class 1	awe	angawi
Class 2	bawe	bangawi
Class 3	uwe	ungawi
Class 4	iwe	ingawi
Class 5	liwe	lingawi
Class 6	awe	angawi
Class 7	siwe	singawi
Class 8	ziwe	zingawi
Class 9	iwe	ingawi
Class 10	ziwe	zingawi
Class 11	luwe	lungawi
Class 14	buwe	bungawi
Class 15	kuwe	kungawi
Class 17	kuwe	kungawi
	Past subjunctive
	Positive	Negative
1st singular	ngawa	ngangawa, angawa, angangawa
2nd singular	wawa	wangawa, awawa, awangawa
1st plural	sawa	sangawa, asawa, asangawa
2nd plural	nawa	nangawa, anawa, anangawa
Class 1	wawa	wangawa, akawa, akangawa
Class 2	bawa	bangawa, abawa, abangawa
Class 3	wawa	wangawa, awawa, awangawa
Class 4	yawa	yangawa, ayawa, ayangawa
Class 5	lawa	langawa, alawa, alangawa
Class 6	awa	angawa, awawa, awangawa
Class 7	sawa	sangawa, asawa, asangawa
Class 8	zawa	zangawa, azawa, azangawa
Class 9	yawa	yangawa, ayawa, ayangawa
Class 10	zawa	zangawa, azawa, azangawa
Class 11	lwawa	lwangawa, alwawa, alwangawa
Class 14	bawa	bangawa, abawa, abangawa
Class 15	kwawa	kwangawa, akwawa, akwangawa
Class 17	kwawa	kwangawa, akwawa, akwangawa

Derived terms

• iwa

References

• C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “wa”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “wa”