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Kimbundu
North Mbundu
Native to
Angola
Region
Luanda Province, Bengo Province , Malanje Province
Ethnicity
Ambundu
Native speakers
1.7 million (2015)[1]
Language family
Niger–Congo?
Atlantic–Congo
Benue–Congo
Bantoid
Southern Bantoid
Bantu (Zone H)
Kimbundu languages (H.20)
Kimbundu
Dialects
Kimbundu proper (Ngola)
Mbamba (Njinga)
Official status
Official language in
Angola ("National language")
Language codes
ISO 639-2
kmb
ISO 639-3
kmb
Glottolog
kimb1241
Guthrie code
H.21[2]
A Kimbundu speaker, recorded in Angola.
Kimbundu, a Bantu language which has sometimes been called Mbundu[3]
or North Mbundu (to distinguish it from Umbundu, sometimes called South Mbundu),[4] is the second-most-widely-spoken Bantu language in Angola.
Its speakers are concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda, Bengo, Malanje and the Cuanza Norte provinces. It is spoken by the Ambundu.[5]
Northern Mbundu
Person
Mumbundu
People
Ambundu or Akwambundu
Language
Kimbundu
Country
Ndongo and Matamba
^Kimbundu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
^Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
^ A language name 'mbundu' was used by Guthrie in his 1948 classification, for his group R10 (the language is Umbundu, the Ovimbundu's language. Kimbundu is found as Ndongo-H21). This has become obsolete: In his 1971 classification, the group H20 is called the Kimbundu group, and the R10 group is called Umbundu group. See: M. Guthrie, The Classification of the Bantu Languages (OUP, 1948), and M. Guthrie, Comparative Bantu, Vol 2 (Gregg Press, 1971).
Glottolog classifies Kimbundu in a Mbundu group, which is in the Northern Njila group, and Umbundu (the Ovimbundu's language) in the Kunene group, which is itself in the Southern Njila group. see the Glottolog entry
^"Narrow Bantu "H"". International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. 2003-01-01. p. 115. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195139778.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-513977-8.
^Ambundu is the short form for Akwa Mbundu, where 'Akwa' means 'from', or 'of', or more originally 'originally from' and 'belonging to'. In Kimbundu language, the particle Akwa is shortened into simply A, so that instead of Akwa Mbndu, it becomes Ambundu; similarly the term Akwa Ngola becomes ANgola, then Angola. Ngola was the title for kings in the historic Northern Angolan kingdom, before the Portuguese invasion.
Kimbundu, a Bantu language which has sometimes been called Mbundu or North Mbundu (to distinguish it from Umbundu, sometimes called South Mbundu), is the...
The Kimbundu languages are a group of Bantu languages coded Zone H.20 in Guthrie's classification. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), they probably...
musical genre that originated in Angola in 1984. Kizomba means "party" in Kimbundu, a Bantu language spoken by the Ambundu in Angola. The origins of kizomba...
between government pronouncements, but commonly included are Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo (presumably the Fiote of Cabinda), Chokwe, Kwanyama (Ovambo),...
in present-day Angola just north of the Kwanza River. The Ambundu speak Kimbundu, and most also speak the official language of the country, Portuguese....
It is composed of Ovimbundu (language Umbundu) 37%, Ambundu (language Kimbundu) 23%, Bakongo 13%, and 32% other ethnic groups (including the Chokwe, the...
with a majority Portuguese lexicon and a heavy substrate of a dialect of Kimbundu (port. Quimbundo), a Bantu language from inland Angola, where many had...
engolo won’t be wept for”. There are also alternative translation from Kimbundu language: Another engolo song highlightes the all-important ability to...
Kingdom of Ndongo, 1515-1909, (formerly known as Angola or Dongo, also Kimbundu: Utuminu ua Ndongo, Utuminu ua Ngola) was an early-modern African state...
from Louisiana Creole, but originates from either Umbundu: ochinggõmbo or Kimbundu: kingombo. Even though the word gumbo often refers to the dish gumbo in...
"zumbi" (fetish). A Kimbundu-to-Portuguese dictionary from 1903 defines the related word nzumbi as soul, while a later Kimbundu–Portuguese dictionary...
root in their name, such as Tshiluba and Kiluba (both Luba), Umbundu and Kimbundu (both Mbundu). The prefixless form typically does not occur in the language...
crossed the Atlantic. The instrument's name might also derive from the Kimbundu word mbanza, which is a loan word to the Portuguese language resulting...
or gandu in Portuguese all of which derive from Kikongo wandu or from Kimbundu oanda; both names referring to the same plant. In the Anglophone regions...
widespread in parts of Angola, where it is known as mburututu in the Chokwe and Kimbundu languages. Borututu bark is claimed to have hepatic healing properties...
Portuguese mixed with numerous elements from African languages, especially Kimbundu and Umbundu. In the course of the 20th century, due to the waves of new...
and other African languages are also widely spoken. In fact, Kikongo, Kimbundu, Umbundu, Tuchokwe, Ganguela, and Ukanyama have the official status of...
The Gullah word guba (or goober) for peanut derives from the Kikongo and Kimbundu word N'guba. Gullah rice dishes called "red rice" and "okra soup" are similar...
A quilombo (Portuguese pronunciation: [kiˈlõbu]; from the Kimbundu word kilombo, lit. 'war camp') is a Brazilian hinterland settlement founded by people...
Fufu (or fufuo, foofoo, foufou /ˈfuˌfu/ foo-foo listen) is a pounded meal found in West African cuisine. It is a Twi word that originates from the Akans...
Funge or fúngi (Angola) or mfundi (Congo - DCR and the Congo Republic) is a traditional African swallow made of cassava flour whisked into boiling water...
is Portuguese, although several Bantu languages are also used, chiefly Kimbundu, Umbundu, and Kikongo. The population of Luanda has grown dramatically...
former colonies, many became current in European Portuguese as well. From Kimbundu, for example, came kifumate > cafuné ('head caress') (Brazil), kusula >...
Global Information
Angola ("National language")
