The main dialect they speak in Uganda is called Luganda. In this language there is a word - Mukwano. Now, when we came to Uganda we were not, shall I say, "experts" in the language. We innocently asked what the word for friend was. They told us it was "mukwano". Our "friends" Sam and Ashe were our drivers/bodyguards on our trip in 2004. It was very kind of them. To better assimilate into the culture we tried to speak the language as often as we could. Meaning we would call them mukwano, our friend. All of a sudden the boys started acting very funny, and shall I say, a little TOO friendly. As we told this to Mama Deb, our host mother, she stared laughing hysterically.
APPARENTLY no one had the decency to tell us of the various meanings of the word mukwano. So we are about to tell you.
Not only does it simply mean FRIEND, but it also can mean, VERY DEAR FRIEND, BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND, or LOVED ONE.
Yeah, basically we were leading them on the whole time. At the end, they thought we were practically engaged. But that is for another post.
Moral of the story: Either stick to English, or get a proper translation before using foreign words in every day speach.
Thats it for now.
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5 comments:
very Useful information, THANKS!!!
Hello, thanks for the post.. Could you provide me with a more specific translation that would mean girlfriend other than "mukwano."
Hi, I have lived in Uganda for almost twenty years and speak the language with reasonable confidence,
The term Mukwano is quite a strange word to translate into English, it is more a type of term of endearment. to give you a couple of examples..
A man saying welcome home MUKWANO to his wife, is saying welcome home my love
A lady shop keeper who has known the shopper for some time saying, Good morning MUKWANO how are you, is saying Good morning my dear how are you, much like someone from Yorkshire in England on a market stall says Good mornng love, what can I do for you.
A daughter calls her father, Uncle or an older person, and they respond yes MUKWANO, the reponse is a bit like yes sweetheart...
As l said its very difficult to translate, older people use between themselves, the younger generation dont use it so much.
Hope my explanation hepled..
The word "Mukwano" will always carry so many meanings. There is no proper word for girlfriend/boyfriend in Luganda. However, if you just add a prefix "Ow'o-" on the word "mukwano", it will just sound totally different and the meaning could be close to girlfriend/boyfriend. "Ow'omukwano" actually can't mean "friend" as it is for "mukwano". Ow'omukwano will just mean "loved one".
I thought mukwano is only a friend but now I knew it's not only a frnd but it carries a lot of meaning. Thank you for your explanation. Appreciated much👍
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