Translate English words and phrases into Yoruba with accurate meanings, tonal marks, and contextual usage.
This tool helps you translate individual words and phrases between English and Yoruba, one of the most widely spoken languages in West Africa with over 40 million native speakers. Whether you're looking for the Yoruba word for money (owó), learning Yoruba names and their meanings, or building your vocabulary, this translator provides accurate word-to-word translations with proper tonal diacritics.
Yoruba is a tonal language with three tones: high (´), mid (unmarked), and low (`). Tonal marks change the meaning of words entirely — for example, "owó" means money while "ọwọ́" means hand. This tool preserves these critical diacritical marks so you can learn correct pronunciation and meaning.
money
owó
water
omi
thank you
ẹ ṣé
love
ìfẹ́
child
ọmọ
ọjà
market
Yoruba is a tonal language where the same letters can mean completely different things depending on tone. For example, 'igba' can mean 200 (igba), calabash (ìgbá), or garden egg (ígbá) depending on the tonal marks. Without diacritics, the meaning becomes ambiguous.
Yoruba uses three special characters not found in standard English: ẹ (open e, pronounced like 'eh'), ọ (open o, pronounced like 'aw'), and ṣ (pronounced 'sh'). These are distinct letters in the Yoruba alphabet, not accented versions of e, o, and s.
Yes, many Yoruba words are polysemous. For example, 'ilé' can mean house, home, or land depending on context. Similarly, 'ọkọ' can mean husband, hoe, vehicle, or spear. Context and tone determine the intended meaning.
Yoruba has several dialects including Ọ̀yọ́, Ìjẹ̀bú, Èkìtì, Ìjẹ̀ṣà, and others. While they share core vocabulary, they differ in pronunciation, some vocabulary choices, and tonal patterns. Standard Yoruba used in writing and media is largely based on the Ọ̀yọ́ dialect.
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