Ijaw Language Hub

Search, discover, and learn words from four living Ijaw dialects

All Dialects Izon (6) Nembe (318) Ogbia (620) Epie (2)
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Ama
Noun Izon
Mother
“Ama mi — My mother”
Bou
Noun Izon
Father
“Bou mi — My father”
Ékíyé
Noun Izon
Peace, tranquility
“Ékíyé diri wari — Peace be in this house”
Nimi
Noun Izon
Water
“Nimi bou — Fetch water”
Toru
Noun Izon
Town, land, community
“Toru-Orua — the land of peace”
Wari
Noun Izon
House, home
“Wari emi keme — My house is big”
aa!
Exclamation Nembe
Shout of surprise
aan!
Exclamation Nembe
Used to express interrogation
aba
Noun Nembe
Freshwater fish sp.
abadamindi
Noun Nembe
Imitation abada cloth
abadi
Noun Nembe
Ocean; sea
abadi-aka
Noun Nembe
Sea-coast
abadi-anga
Noun Nembe
Seashore; littoral
abadi-cferu
Noun Nembe
Sea-breeze
abadi-ibelcu
Noun Nembe
Cape of the sea; headland; promontory
abadi-ifungoj
Noun Nembe
Bivalve shellfish with round or long soft white shells; clam
abadi-itubru
Noun Nembe
Seafish; mojarras sp.
abadi-okolajn
Noun Nembe
Curlew (bird)
abadi-osunga
Noun Nembe
Grass sp.
abafáa
Adverb Nembe
Possibly; perhaps

About the dialects

Iz
Izon
The most widely spoken Ijaw dialect, used as a lingua franca across Ijaw communities
Nm
Nembe
Spoken in Nembe LGA of Bayelsa State, home of the historic Nembe Kingdom
Og
Ogbia
Spoken in Ogbia LGA, from the land where Nigeria's first commercial oil was struck
Ep
Epie
Spoken in the Yenagoa area of Bayelsa State, the state capital region