Chichewa — top 351 words
High-frequency vocabulary for English speakers. Reveal each card, then rate your recall — the schedule adapts (SM-2) and is stored on your device.
Sources: Mixed sources — 351 rows · 2 sources · no MT recorded
Some deck-level provenance is recorded, but its tier or row-level mapping is incomplete. The recorded metadata explicitly reports no machine translation. See the bibliography.
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Hover or tap a highlighted term to see its English meaning and copy it. With a keyboard, Tab to the first term and use the arrow keys; source status is shown in the popup.
| # | Chichewa | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | hello / hi | |
| 2 | hello sir (to a man) | |
| 3 | hello madam (to a woman) | |
| 4 | thank you | |
| 5 | thank you very much | |
| 6 | please | |
| 7 | I'm sorry / excuse me | |
| 8 | yes | |
| 9 | no | |
| 10 | good / well / fine | |
| 11 | very good / excellent | |
| 12 | how are you? (formal) | |
| 13 | I am well | |
| 14 | goodbye (lit. stay well) | |
| 15 | see you later | |
| 16 | sorry / excuse me | |
| 17 | I feel well | |
| 18 | I don't understand | |
| 19 | please speak slowly | |
| 20 | what? | |
| 21 | who? | |
| 22 | where? | |
| 23 | when? | |
| 24 | why? | |
| 25 | how? | |
| 26 | how many? | |
| 27 | I / me | |
| 28 | you (singular) | |
| 29 | he / she / it | |
| 30 | we | |
| 31 | you (plural) | |
| 32 | they / them | |
| 33 | house / home / building | |
| 34 | road / path / street | |
| 35 | meeting / gathering / assembly | |
| 36 | village / hometown | |
| 37 | town / city | |
| 38 | family | |
| 39 | father / Mr. (respectful term for man) | |
| 40 | mother / Mrs. (respectful term for woman) | |
| 41 | child / son / daughter | |
| 42 | children | |
| 43 | elder / senior / older sibling | |
| 44 | younger sibling / smaller | |
| 45 | person | |
| 46 | people | |
| 47 | European / white person / foreigner | |
| 48 | doctor / healer | |
| 49 | teacher | |
| 50 | seller / trader | |
| 51 | buyer | |
| 52 | everything / anything | |
| 53 | nothing / something small | |
| 54 | time / period / season | |
| 55 | today | |
| 56 | tomorrow | |
| 57 | yesterday | |
| 58 | night | |
| 59 | morning | |
| 60 | afternoon / midday | |
| 61 | evening | |
| 62 | week | |
| 63 | month | |
| 64 | year | |
| 65 | water | |
| 66 | food | |
| 67 | meat / animal | |
| 68 | fish | |
| 69 | chicken | |
| 70 | goat | |
| 71 | cow | |
| 72 | maize / corn | |
| 73 | potato / sweet potato | |
| 74 | porridge | |
| 75 | stiff maize porridge (main staple) | |
| 76 | relish / sauce (eaten with nsima) | |
| 77 | groundnuts | |
| 78 | groundnut flour sauce | |
| 79 | autumn / second rainy season | |
| 80 | rainy season | |
| 81 | dry season | |
| 82 | fire / heat / temperature | |
| 83 | rain | |
| 84 | sun / day | |
| 85 | wind | |
| 86 | tree / wood / price | |
| 87 | bush / wilderness | |
| 88 | old person / elder | |
| 89 | girl / young woman | |
| 90 | boy / young man | |
| 91 | woman / wife | |
| 92 | man / husband | |
| 93 | to think / to consider / to plan | |
| 94 | to meet / to encounter | |
| 95 | to go / to travel / to walk | |
| 96 | to come | |
| 97 | to be / to stay / to live / to sit | |
| 98 | to eat | |
| 99 | to drink | |
| 100 | to sleep | |
| 101 | to wake up | |
| 102 | to sing | |
| 103 | to play | |
| 104 | to learn / to study | |
| 105 | to teach | |
| 106 | to work | |
| 107 | to climb / to ride | |
| 108 | to descend / to come down | |
| 109 | to go / to pass | |
| 110 | to arrive / to reach | |
| 111 | to return / to come back | |
| 112 | to see / to look | |
| 113 | to hear / to feel / to understand | |
| 114 | to speak / to answer | |
| 115 | to ask | |
| 116 | to tell / to inform / to sell | |
| 117 | to buy | |
| 118 | to pay | |
| 119 | to give / to hand over / to offer | |
| 120 | to take / to carry / to bring | |
| 121 | to go far | |
| 122 | to arrive nearby | |
| 123 | to make / to do / to create | |
| 124 | to wear / to dress | |
| 125 | to bathe / to wash | |
| 126 | to build / to tie / to lock | |
| 127 | to break | |
| 128 | to close / to lock | |
| 129 | to open | |
| 130 | to send | |
| 131 | to receive / to welcome | |
| 132 | to agree / to accept | |
| 133 | to refuse / to deny | |
| 134 | to say / to talk | |
| 135 | to connect / to be related | |
| 136 | good (adjective) | |
| 137 | bad / evil | |
| 138 | beautiful / handsome | |
| 139 | stubborn / difficult | |
| 140 | short / near | |
| 141 | tall / long / far | |
| 142 | big / large / important | |
| 143 | small / little / young | |
| 144 | white / clean / pure / holy | |
| 145 | black / dark | |
| 146 | red / reddish | |
| 147 | words / language / voice | |
| 148 | language / dialect | |
| 149 | Chichewa language | |
| 150 | English language | |
| 151 | French language | |
| 152 | Tumbuka language | |
| 153 | Swahili language | |
| 154 | peace / calm | |
| 155 | joy / happiness | |
| 156 | sadness / sorrow / pity | |
| 157 | anger / rage | |
| 158 | fear | |
| 159 | love | |
| 160 | start / beginning / origin | |
| 161 | end / conclusion | |
| 162 | benefit / profit | |
| 163 | misfortune / trouble / disaster | |
| 164 | hospitality | |
| 165 | wealth / iron / money | |
| 166 | money / currency | |
| 167 | debt / loan | |
| 168 | work / job / task | |
| 169 | payment / wages | |
| 170 | reward / prize / gift | |
| 171 | gift / present | |
| 172 | care / keeping / protection | |
| 173 | hospital / clinic | |
| 174 | medicine / drugs | |
| 175 | patient / sick person | |
| 176 | lie / falsehood | |
| 177 | truth | |
| 178 | justice / righteousness | |
| 179 | freedom / independence | |
| 180 | peace | |
| 181 | development / progress | |
| 182 | economics / finances | |
| 183 | wisdom / intelligence | |
| 184 | knowledge / awareness | |
| 185 | education / training | |
| 186 | school | |
| 187 | main road / highway | |
| 188 | car / vehicle | |
| 189 | train / engine / boat | |
| 190 | airplane / bird | |
| 191 | bus | |
| 192 | bicycle | |
| 193 | instructions / advice | |
| 194 | rules / laws | |
| 195 | government / district / fort | |
| 196 | ministry / government department | |
| 197 | witness / testimony | |
| 198 | church denomination / organization | |
| 199 | mosque | |
| 200 | culture / tradition / custom | |
| 201 | custom / ceremony / tradition | |
| 202 | story / folktale / myth | |
| 203 | song / hymn | |
| 204 | horn / trumpet | |
| 205 | drum | |
| 206 | game / sport / play | |
| 207 | ball / balloon / rubber | |
| 208 | martial arts | |
| 209 | swimming | |
| 210 | girl | |
| 211 | guest, stranger | |
| 212 | farmer | |
| 213 | father | |
| 214 | grandchild | |
| 215 | aunt (father's sister) | |
| 216 | who | |
| 217 | what | |
| 218 | one | |
| 219 | two | |
| 220 | three | |
| 221 | four | |
| 222 | five | |
| 223 | hundred | |
| 224 | thousand | |
| 225 | head | |
| 226 | face | |
| 227 | eye | |
| 228 | ear | |
| 229 | nose | |
| 230 | mouth | |
| 231 | tooth | |
| 232 | tongue | |
| 233 | neck | |
| 234 | arm | |
| 235 | hand | |
| 236 | finger | |
| 237 | breast, teat | |
| 238 | stomach | |
| 239 | belly | |
| 240 | back (body part) | |
| 241 | leg | |
| 242 | knee | |
| 243 | foot | |
| 244 | skin (of a person) | |
| 245 | blood | |
| 246 | heart | |
| 247 | liver | |
| 248 | food | |
| 249 | milk | |
| 250 | bread, loaf of bread | |
| 251 | egg | |
| 252 | salt | |
| 253 | honey | |
| 254 | fruit | |
| 255 | onion(s) | |
| 256 | beer | |
| 257 | flour | |
| 258 | dog | |
| 259 | cat | |
| 260 | sheep | |
| 261 | pig | |
| 262 | horse | |
| 263 | donkey | |
| 264 | bird | |
| 265 | mouse | |
| 266 | house rat | |
| 267 | rabbit, hare | |
| 268 | lion | |
| 269 | leopard | |
| 270 | elephant | |
| 271 | buffalo | |
| 272 | giraffe | |
| 273 | zebra | |
| 274 | hippopotamus | |
| 275 | crocodile | |
| 276 | hyena | |
| 277 | baboon | |
| 278 | snake | |
| 279 | frog | |
| 280 | mosquito | |
| 281 | bee | |
| 282 | ant | |
| 283 | louse | |
| 284 | crow | |
| 285 | star | |
| 286 | cloud | |
| 287 | thunder | |
| 288 | lightning | |
| 289 | smoke | |
| 290 | ash | |
| 291 | sand | |
| 292 | stone | |
| 293 | mountain, hill | |
| 294 | river | |
| 295 | lake | |
| 296 | snow | |
| 297 | forest | |
| 298 | bush | |
| 299 | grass | |
| 300 | leaf | |
| 301 | flower | |
| 302 | root | |
| 303 | garden, field | |
| 304 | path, way | |
| 305 | desert | |
| 306 | shadow | |
| 307 | door | |
| 308 | window | |
| 309 | bed | |
| 310 | chair | |
| 311 | clay or earthenware pot | |
| 312 | plate | |
| 313 | bag | |
| 314 | shoe | |
| 315 | book | |
| 316 | boat | |
| 317 | spear | |
| 318 | bow (for arrows) | |
| 319 | axe | |
| 320 | hoe (tool) | |
| 321 | key | |
| 322 | needle | |
| 323 | bucket, pail | |
| 324 | town, city (urban settlement) | |
| 325 | city | |
| 326 | country, nation | |
| 327 | shop, store | |
| 328 | church | |
| 329 | day | |
| 330 | week | |
| 331 | hour | |
| 332 | to be cold | |
| 333 | answer, respond | |
| 334 | to count, to read | |
| 335 | give | |
| 336 | dance | |
| 337 | to laugh | |
| 338 | to help, to assist, to aid | |
| 339 | to cook | |
| 340 | to kill | |
| 341 | to die | |
| 342 | steal | |
| 343 | remember, recall | |
| 344 | name | |
| 345 | language | |
| 346 | news, factual story | |
| 347 | question | |
| 348 | thing | |
| 349 | life | |
| 350 | death | |
| 351 | God |